


Pretty Soldiers

by Sokudoningyou



Series: Pretty Soldiers [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-01-12
Updated: 2012-07-15
Packaged: 2017-10-06 05:44:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 508,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokudoningyou/pseuds/Sokudoningyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A re-interpretation of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon manga.</p><p>As of 2013, not forgotten, just on the back burner as I go through college as a thirty-something after a decade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act 01 : Tomodachi - beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing this in some form since 1997, seriously since 1999, and it's been mostly a labor of personal interest and to work on my writing skills. It's an attempt to re-write the manga to fill in the plotholes Takeuchi-san created (unintentionally), and to add in my own characters. Since it's based on the manga (and through the Alex Glover translations), many of the characters speak with a particular cadence to match the translations; this is not an error in sentence structure, it's on purpose.

##### 

**Prelude**

It began in sunshine.

On a playground set in Ichinohashi park, a little girl with blonde ponytails the size of fat sausages swung hard and high towards the sky. She pumped her legs viciously to gain altitude faster, the determination on her young face almost frightening. Up and up she swung, until she was almost completely parallel to the ground, the chains slack as she hung in the air for one brief, tantalizing moment.

Then, she let go, leaping. And she hung in the air once again for a split second of sheer, dizzy joy, feeling the breeze, as she was free of Earth's constraints. It was amazing.

And then, gravity took over. She dropped, hitting the dirt in a rough tumble that settled her into a huddled ball near the sandbox. Her knees were two red, raw scrapes, flecked with gravel, and her blonde hair was now dusty and dim. The damage done to her school uniform was barely a worry in her mind past the pain, and she let loose with a crying wail on a decibel level known only to four-legged creatures. She rocked and held her wounded knees and cried her little heart out.

"Yare yare, _odango atama_, why're you crying?" The blonde child stopped her wailing long enough to lift reddened crystal blue eyes up towards the tree above, where the voice had originated.

"It hurts!" she whimpered, a few more tears spilling out in fat drops. The leaves rustled as whoever it was moved, dropping down to a lower branch.

The blonde's tears were forgotten as a girl her age swung down from the tree branches, tangled copper hair sporting a few leaves from her climbing. She grinned, eyes the color of a rich lapis glinting with good humour despite her young age. "I saw you swinging. You went really high before you finally jumped off, it was amazing!"

"But I didn't expect to land so hard." Another sniffle, and the blonde child finally seemed to calm down some. "I wanted to touch the sky..."

The redhead simply nodded at that, plunking down next to the other; she wore no public school uniform, simply a skirt that looked as it if'd been rubbed in the grass, and a shirt. "What's your name? I'm Chouno Moriyakumi, but everyone calls me Moriya."

Chubby hands were rubbed at crystal blue eyes before the blonde replied, sniffling just a bit for effect. "Tsukino Usagi, grade four, Juuban Elementary School," she recited carefully, if a bit more cheerfully then she'd been a second before.

"Oh. Public school," Moriyakumi mumbled, shuffling her feet. Then, she gave a helpless shrug up. "I don't go to a public school. I'm an orphan. It's not fun."

Usagi's eyes widened at that, lighting up as if she'd been told a great secret. "You don't have to go to school?" she whispered, awed. Definite childhood Nirvana, that.

Moriya shrugged, trying to act nonchalant about it; though really, how does one act casual about having no family? "The ladies at the orphanage teach us. But they say I'm reallyreally smart and should be at a public school..."

"Wouldn't it be so great if they sent you to Juuban?" Usagi squealed suddenly, clapping her hands, caught up in a sudden zeal. Moriya regarded her a bit oddly at that; she was strangely excited at the meager prospect, and they'd only now met. "It'd be so fun! We could eat lunch together!"

"It probably won't happen anyway," Moriya put in, interrupting Usagi's daydreams of food. "I'm an orphan....no one cares about us."

Usagi stilled at that. She simply sat there, grimy and tousled from her spontaneous act of freefall, crystal blue eyes gone very wide. The look was so unsettling for a ten-year-old that Moriya actually began to worry, even going so far as reaching over and shaking her newassociate's shoulder. "Hey...Hey, Usagi? _Daijoubu_?" Still, she didn't move, didn't even blink. She had settled back into a reasonably proper sitting position, skirt tucked modestly beneath short legs, staring at - if not looking right through - Moriya. "Usagi-chan!"

She smiled. "I care about you, Moriya-chan. But I have to go now!" Moriya blinked, stunned out of her state of mind as Usagi crawled up as best as her scraped knees would allow, skipping (or at least attempting to, and managing more of a graceless stumble) over to her yellow backpack. She hoisted it onto her back, waving madly back at a still-gaping Moriya. "_Ja mata ne_!" Down the park path she stumble-skipped, ponytails bouncing merrily...only to stop halfway and turn back around.

The redhead was only now beginning to shake her head. She crawled up at well, not even bothering to dust off her clothes, or straighten them, and stared down the path at Usagi. "Aren't you leaving?"

"_Hai_! I'll see you at school!" And back off she went, avoiding a man walking his dog as she went around a curve and out of sight.

Two days later, that same smiling face beamed as her teacher introduced a new student to her class.

**Several Years Later**

  
*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII----* The plastic bunny alarm clock was suddenly muffled by the big feather pillow that had somehow flopped atop it. It kept on ringing bravely for a minute or so more, vainly trying to serve its purpose, before a hand slapped it, pillow and all, onto the floor. Both batteries popped out on impact, and all was silent.

For approximately 2.5 seconds, anyway. Then the screaming started."KYAAA! MAMA! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP!?" The bedroom was thrown into chaos as its sole occupant literally tumbled out of bed, tangled in moon and bunny adorned sheets, and tried to madly dash over to the closet. Unfortunately, the laws of physics and bound limbs didn't work that way, and she went face down onto the floor the moment her legs began moving. It was a mess of unprepared dirty clothes...truly a catastrophe and a horrible loss. "Why does this always happen to me?" she wailed, struggling to kick the offending sheets away.

Downstairs, Tsukino Ikuko just sighed heavily, popping two pieces of bread into the toaster. The family enjoyed a Western-style breakfast, tailored especially for those on the go, which was why she was up early every morning to prepare pancakes, eggs, and toast. Her life thrived on making her family happy and well-fed, even if that family included an extra child. "More scrambled eggs, Moriya-chan?"

"I'm too full, Ikuko-mama," the redhead groaned, pushing her plate away. Four years had passed since she'd been officially enrolled into public school and had become inseparable friends with Usagi. One of those perks had been an instant opportunity to become another member of Usagi's family, which meant a lot to the orphan who hardly remembered her own. It was like a golden sort of touch: whomever Usagi befriended usually gained a lot of wonderful things in return besides friendship.

One of them was unfortunately not promptness. Moriya had finished her glass of orange juice before Usagi finally came thundering down the stairs, still frantically tying one of her trademark odango up. She nearly slipped as she landed on the first floor, dashing into the kitchen to grab some toast as both previous occupants just smiled ruefully. "Don't forget your lunch this time, Usagi," Ikuko scolded her, holding up the pink bag that held her daughter's lunch, adorned with tiny cartoon rabbits.

"_Arigatou_, mama!" The blonde grabbed both lunch and friend, pulling Moriya with her to the front door to trade slippers with outdoor shoes. Usagi wore black Mary Jane's; Moriya had simple black flats that were only a tiny bit scuffed. "_Itekimasu_, mama!"

"_Itekimas_-Usagi, you're pulling my arm off!" The door slammed shut behind them as Ikuko smiled, reaching out in perfect timing to pull the just-popped toast out from the machine.

Outside, both girls had just made it onto the sidewalk before they heard school bells ringing. They weren't necessarily from their school, but they knew what they meant; class was starting. They were late late late, and already in massive trouble with their first hour teacher. "Run!" they both yipped, taking off down the street, shoes slapping the pavement in uneven symphony. As usual, they passed very few other students who were late; Japanese educational systems were nothing if not firm in instilling promptness and responsibility. Very few children forgot that lesson after grade one; Usagi and Moriya were in grade eight now, and looking to spend the rest of their life in it if they didn't shape up.

Just as they made it to the corner right across from their school, the sign started blinking 'DO NOT WALK' lethargically. Cars zoomed past them as both gave their school a mournful look; they knew they were too damn late. "Late for school too, huh?" a long-haired blonde laughed behind them. She was wearing the uniform of a private junior high school both Usagi and Moriya had applied for, a white cat plunked sedately at her feet. "Me too. I'm always late." A grimace formed at that, and she heaved a long sigh.

"The light's going to take forever to change," Moriya simply noted, shaking her head. She'd given the counselors at her orphanage a heart attack when she'd cut her own hair off, shortening it to chin level. Thankfully, it had been neat, and nowhere near outlandish enough for the school to penalize her for it...much cooler, too. She shifted impatiently, swinging her attaché-like schoolbag over her shoulder.

Usagi was doing her own little hop from foot to foot, not quite impatient, but in a manner that suggested she just wasn't fit for standing still for too long. It was a humorous little quirk Moriya had long ago noticed in her, and her amusement reached new heights when she saw the other blonde doing the very same little dance. Her cat looked horribly annoyed, and, if possible, relieved, when the sign changed. "It's about time." All four ran across, not wanting to take a chance with the Tokyo traffic being the pedal-happy lot it was, and barely made it across before the light turned again.

Once they were safe, the long-haired blonde gave them a sunny smile. "It was nice talking to you. _Ja ne_!" she giggled, running off towards her own school a few blocks away, white cat close in following. Both girls then looked at one another, then at their own building.

"We're doomed. Utterly. Haruda-sensei is going to lock us up and throw away the key this time," Moriya finally commented, breaking the sudden silence that had fallen over them both. Usagi nodded, chewing her lower lip.

"And I didn't even get to eat breakfast today...no fair!"

A silence even more ominous than the first dropped as they slunk towards the front doors, quiet as they could muster. Moriya was just waiting for Usagi to have a massive clutz attack, hit something, and have the entire school rushing down at them, but they miraculously managed to reach the doors without a problem. "Do you think they're locked?" Usagi whispered, a bit too loudly.

"Let's hope not-ahhhh!" Both girls screamed as their English teacher suddenly shoved the doors open, grabbing each by the ear. "H-H-Haruda-sensei! What a surprise to see you heeOWCH!"

Sakurada Haruna, her face twisted in a rather-pissed scowl, pulled them into the building literally by their earlobes. "Tsukino Usagi! Chouno Moriyakumi! This is the FIFTH day in a row you've been tardy! Almost an entire week! This is becoming reprehensible!" She let them go, pointing a stern finger at the cubbies in the hallway. "Exchange your shoes quickly, so I can punish you two properly!"

"But at least we've been late in a good pattern...um. Yeah. Shoes." Moriya wilted under her teacher's glare, reaching back to clamp a hand over Usagi's mouth to stifle the inevitable bawling of how mean she was. Haruda stalked back to the classroom, which faced the front courtyard; obviously the woman had watched them out the window.

Moriya hesitantly let her friend's mouth go once Haruda was gone. Crystal blue eyes shimmered with held-back tears, but Usagi kept her mouth shut, sniffling softly as she moved over to her cubbyhole to retrieve the soft-soled, white canvas shoes everyone wore in the building. Hers were scribbled on with pink pen, forming the shape of ill-drawn bunnies and flowers. She tugged them on, sliding her Mary Janes into the vacancy left behind, then began to absently tug at one of her ponytails. "What do you...think she'll do?"

"Probably make us wash the entire room by ourselves again." Moriya slipped her own shoes on, adorned with ballpoint pen-scribbled lyrics from some American band she liked, the name of which escaped Usagi's mind entirely. Both girls were positive Moriya's parents had been bilingual before they died; her English was flawless. She listened to obscure music that made Usagi's ears hurt with its harshness and unfamiliar language, that reflected her friend's depression and loneliness in regards to the world outside of her own tiny bubble.

Both picked up their cases and bags, beginning the long trek to their classroom. "Maybe she'll let me eat, if we're made to stand out in the hallway again," Usagi mused, crystal blue eyes suddenly alight with hope.

Her red-haired friend just snorted, eyeing her balefully. "It's amazing how food eclipses everything else in your world, Usagi-chan. We'll be lucky to get out of this alive..."

"But on full stomachs at least!"

"Yare, yare..." The red-haired orphan sighed, flinching as the stormy gaze of their teacher peered out of the classroom door, awaiting them both.

  
Tokyo was a city mired in time. The past and the present could easily pass each other on the street, not giving a second glance to the other, and disappear their separate ways. Businessmen stood on street corners next to transvestites. And transvestites stood on street corners next tochildren just leaving school, waiting for the lights to turn.

Usagi and Moriya found themselves next to a young OL and a punk this time, the _odango_-haired blonde doing her little dance in nervousness as they waited. It seemed to take forever for the light to change, and vehicles simply kept streaming on by, more than a few belching exhaust in their faces. "They should build walkways over the roads," Moriya muttered, tapping a foot.

They'd spent almost two extra hours after class cleaning the room all by themselves from top to bottom, a job normally done by a changing group of their classmates. Haruda had come back after the day's lessons had been done to personally make sure they'd stayed, and worse still  
had been the unwavering glare of their teacher as they'd scrubbed the desks. She'd added an extra hour when Usagi began her usual crying of hunger-pains.

"Oh, look, it's a black kitty!"

"What?" Moriya blinked, her mind switching gears from sour memories of their two wasted hours to her suddenly-gleeful friend. Usagi was already bounding off by the time the redhead had realized something else had grabbed her friend's attention, and waving her case at a group of younger schoolkids.

"You leave that poor kitty alone! Leave it be!" Usagi yelled, nearly tripping over her feet as she swung her case about to drive them off.

One of the kids, a brown-haired boy with freckles on his cheeks, simply stuck his tongue out at her. "Leave us alone, old lady, we're having fun!" And he proceeded to poke his pencil at the cat, who was by now curled up in a ball and meowing pitifully. A crumpled wrapper lay nearby, which had once held the Band-Aids that were plastered on the feline's forehead in a rough 'X.'

"That's cruelty, not fun, now beat it, you little punks!" Where the clumsy image of Usagi had failed, the glowering stare of Moriya, who held an inch or more over her friend, did the job. She snatched the pencil away as they began to scramble off, the freckled boy last in retreat with the subtlest tendrils of black in his wake. The pencil was slipped into her case as she simply smiled. "No sense in wasting a perfectly-useable pencil," she explained to Usagi's puzzled look.

Then, she crouched down to see the cat, who was starting to uncurl. "They put Band-Aids on its head, how mean," the _odango_-haired blonde murmured as she knelt next to Moriya. The now-changed WALK sign had been forgotten by both junior high schoolers.

Moriya nodded, reaching out to pull the cat into her lap and hold her steady. "Ara, they're easily removable...hold still, _koneko-chan_..." She began to peel one off as carefully as she could, only to have the feline begin squirming madly. "Usagi-chan, hold onto her, will you?"

"She sounds hurt, poor kitty....."

"Poor HER? It's ME she's scratching up like a post! Just keep her steady, please!?" Since slow and careful was getting her nowhere but an antiseptic bath, Moriya just gripped and yanked, removing a lot of black hairs in the process. The feline yowled to wake the neighborhood, scratching them both as it bounded up and away.

"_ITAAAII_!" Usagi yipped, holding her arm. A few large red welts now decorated her skin, though they were hardly deep enough to bleed. She whimpered and curled both limbs to her chest, looking after the cat. "At least now she doesn't have that horrible Band-Aid on her head, right, Moriya-chan?" Silence. The red-haired girl was apparently musing over something a bit too deeply to have even heard her. "Moriya-chan!"

"What? Oh...that cat had a crescent-shaped bald spot on its head. How odd," Moriya finally remarked, tossing the Band-Aid aside. She stood up, grabbing her case. "Oh well. C'mon, Usagi-chan, let's go wait for the light to change again..."

The _odango_-haired blonde nodded, hopping up as well. "Maybe that's why the kitty had those Band-Aids on, to hide the mark! You know, from embarrassment?"

"Usagi-chan..." Moriya sighed, grabbing her friend's hand. "It's a cat. Not a human being. Now let's go before we miss the light again."

The two girls walked back to the crosswalk, where the selection had changed from OL girl and punk to businessman and school boy, the latter wearing a suit and trying to calmly ignore the businessman's cell phone conversation. When they came up close, they could see he was reading a textbook on ancient Greece, his wire-rimmed glasses balanced carefully on the edge of his nose. Moriya suddenly grinned and elbowed him in the ribs, despite Usagi's swallowed shriek. "Hey, Chiba!"

It was probably a good thing the light changed just as he went sprawling into the crosswalk. His book skittered a few feet in front of him, along with his case, the businessman calmly walking over,  
around, and past him. Thankfully, his glasses remained on his nose, and he whipped them off to glower at the still-grinning Moriya. "Now I've lost my page."

"You study too much anyway, Mamoru. Lighten up a bit." Out came a hand as the _odango_-haired blonde simply stared at them both, puzzled. "Now, maybe if we all run, we can finally make it across the street," she grunted as she helped Mamoru stand. He just continued to glower, though it lost the slightest bit of its edge as he gathered up his fallen materials.

"That's the smartest thing I've heard you say yet," he snorted in return. He jogged off ahead of Moriya's swing, with the redhead in close second, Usagi a skittering third. She made it just as the light changed again, and a car bumper brushed her skirt. A yip, a jump, and she was latched onto Moriya's arm. "It looks like your cow-tailed friend is a jumpy sort."

Silence fell for a minute. Usagi disentangled herself from her friend, crystal-blue eyes starting to frost over. "WHAT did you call me?" She stalked up towards Mamoru with a furious stomp in her step, the male unmoved. At least until she got right up into his face as best she could. "They are PIGTAILS. Pig. Tails. Do not call them cow tails!"

"How about _odango atama_ then?" He smirked as Usagi froze again...the proverbial calm before the storm. But this time, Moriya latched onto her from behind, holding her in place as she just started yelling incoherently about 'dark-haired jerks.'

"You enjoy this, don't you?" the redhead sighed. She'd learned early on not to tease Usagi about her unusual hairstyle, good mood or no.

Mamoru smiled faintly. "Who, me? I do what I can...is she going to burst a blood vessel?" he queried, peering at Usagi as she flailed.

Moriya was the one glowering this time as she finally released Usagi, who had tired herself out. She slid down into a little huddle on the ground, gasping for air in her usual exaggerated manner, hugging her attaché case. "The same old Chiba Mamoru. Her name is Tsukino Usagi by the way." Then, the redhead smirked. "So how's Moto Azabu? Still insanely selective and annoying as always?"

Mamoru dropped his studious veneer to wink. "It isn't my fault they select only the best..."

Usagi stared listlessly up at them both from her spot on the ground. Tokyo was indeed a mire of time, and right now, it felt as if she wasn't really here, or there. Somewhere else, maybe. But she couldn't name the place, only think of it in her mind.

And she could feel the eyes on her back as the black cat stared at her from the top of the opposing wall.

Night crept across the city, and with it ran a girl with long blonde hair. The wail of police sirens was her song, and she sang with it as she leapt across rooftops with the ease of a humanoid gazelle. Muscles bunched and sprang like well-oiled machines, gathering her to a safe and silent stop atop one of several indistinguishable concrete block buildings in the Shinjuku district.

The cacophony was insane. Whoever was inside the building was a silent type, but dangerous enough to be a threat judging by the sheer amount of officers. Japan was relatively peaceful in regards to the mongrel United States (and severely less armed), but they had their  
moments. Particularly now that the Kabuki-cho was so ridden with criminal syndication. One could only imagine the various drugs the man inside was riding high on.

A flip backwards off the edge of the roof had the blonde swinging down and around, dropping in through an open window she had noticed on her landing. Twilight blue eyes narrowed in the twin holes of her mask as they scanned the empty room she had landed in; nothing but dust and  
the chittering of rats greeted her. "Too bad you didn't come with me, Artemis," she whispered ruefully, her voice almost painfully quiet.

She was on the opposite side of the building from her target, which meant time was wasting. That same haunting, almost animalistic grace was put in motion again as she went down the hall, blue high heels strangely silent despite their usual affinity for clicking. Maybe it was the strip of worn-down carpeting in the middle of the hall, or maybe it was just the fact she wouldn't allow herself to make noise.

Most likely the latter. Silence was golden in this business.

Almost too soon did she reach the room. The door was thankfully ajar, and she could hear the man and his hostage through it: "Soon, oh, soon. I'll be rich, and I'll be happy, and I won't be a failure anymore..."

"Oh please...please don't kill me...I haven't hurt anyone, I have a child..."

"Rich..."

That was all she needed to hear. With a bare inching of body, she positioned herself just right to be able to see the man and his hostage. One hit was all it would take to knock him away, and she would be able to save the lady. Her hand crept out, holding what looked to be a compact, in the shape of a crescent moon, open in the palm of her hand. The moonlight trickling in through the window gave it the smallest shine.

Now. Even as she heard the man mumble his fantasies and ignore the bullhorn outside, the police still attempting to plead with him, she heard only the words in her mind. And as she called them out, she felt the fire suffuse her veins again as a beam of light shot from the compact, striking the man in the shoulder and spinning him off-balance, away.

The gun went flying, went off into the wall.

Freed, the woman fled towards the opening door and out past the sailor-suited girl.  
And the man, now sobbing inconsolably, lashed out as she came athim, ingrained training from years spent in a dojo before his fall from grace coming into play at the most unexpected time. She barely ducked his fist, and winced as she felt her mask take the hit, spinning off with a flash of crimson into the shadows.

Then her own innate knowledge turned on once more, expressing itself in the dancer's spin of her body, the contortion which sent her leg around as she yelled "Sailor V Kick!" And even as it impacted with his ribs, she was twisting away and out of reach with a snap of hair the color of gold, of the crescent moon itself. Dancing, it was, around another oncoming blow. And another. She kicked again. "Stay down, you nasty man!" she snapped.

Apparently a bloodstream full of toxins and adrenaline wasn't infinite, for the second kick took him down. He fell heavily onto the carpet, wheezing a bit from a sudden lack of air, unnoticed of the tears running down into his mouth. "I was going to be rich..."

"Metropolitan Police! You're under arrest!" The door didn't survive this time, one hinge letting loose with a squeal of un-oiled screws as a squad of uniforms slammed it into the wall. They paused, however briefly, to stare at the crying criminal who they had been dealing with so careful just minutes before, the sounds of his former hostage's own tears nearly eclipsing his. The aura of black that surrounded his head and wisped away like smoke from a cigarette was hardly noticed, or maybe ignored.

And in the windowsill, the sailor-suited girl flashed them a V sign. "Sailor V to the rescue again! And be sure to lock him up well this time, he's becoming a menace!" She grinned at them, her mask settled firmly over her eyes once more; it didn't seem to matter that its predecessor was still in the corner. Such technicalities were nothing to one's identity; it would disappear soon. "_Ja mata ne_!"

Sighs and rapid murmurs of adulation followed in her wake as she dropped from the windowsill. One of the police polished off his Sailor V pin with childish pride.

  
Morning in Tokyo was a cavalcade of chirping birds and screaming schoolchildren. One in particular, in fact, which was nothing unusual, and nothing to turn one's head at. "Ma-MA!" Thundering steps. The entire Tsukino household shook with the force of Hurricane Usagi as it traveled in its usual daily path down the staircase and into the kitchen.

It was flawless in motion, really. Ikuko held the paper open in front of her as Usagi ran by, grabbing her lunch from her mother's outstretched hand. Then, that emptied hand reached back to grab the toast as it popped up, transferring both slices to Shingo's plate, and grabbed two more to be put in. Around the table went Usagi, gulping down a glass of orange juice at almost inhuman speed, a plain waffle shoved into her mouth and chewed noisily as she finished her circumnavigation. Back out the kitchen door she went, and Ikuko and Shingo could hear her dancing around in the front hallway, trading slippers for shoes. Then, the slamming of the door, and silence fell.

Outside, the silence followed the _odango_-haired blonde as she crossed the concrete path that led to the sidewalk. It was an uncomfortable silence, and Usagi was so suddenly frightened by it that she didn't see the black cat from yesterday until she'd literally tripped over her. The thud was relatively quiet in the silence. "..._itaai_!" So was her wail.

When crystal blue eyes lifted, they met relatively annoyed cerulean. "I was expecting more than this, I really was. You didn't even see me!" A paw shook, the cat apparently oblivious to - or openly ignoring - Usagi's shock at hearing her talk. "Clutzy, clumsy, a crybaby, and a bottomless stomach. THIS is my heroine?" she sighed, curling her tail around her back legs.

"You...you..." A fingertip wavered as it pointed at the black cat. The black cat that was looking more annoyed as time passed.

"Yes? I can talk. Very perceptive. I simply couldn't talk while those horrible things were on my head, nor could I talk to you while in the middle of a crowd....NYAOW! Put me down!"

The prodding fingertip had turned into a full-out grab as the _odango_-haired blonde had apparently decided it wasn't her imagination, and was most likely a trick. She shook the cat despite howls of protest, and turned her upside down. "Where do the batteries go?" Usagi mused, prodding the cat's soft underbelly. "Moriya-chan? Can you hear me? This wasn't a very good trick!" She probably looked utterly ridiculous yelling into a wriggling black cat's ribcage, but the eerie silence around them continued.

"_Baka_!" A slash of claws came down along Usagi's arm, much deeper than the kitty scratches from the days before. Usagi screamed bloody murder, clutching her forearm and letting the cat go, not even bothering to watch her twist and graceful landing. "This is reprehensible! I am not a damn mechanical toy, I am a living animal!" She slapped her paw against the concrete, lips drawn back over her teeth; she was livid over this.

Crystal blue eyes wavered with unshed tears as Usagi stared. "But cats don't talk," she whispered weakly. Then, as if it needed to be said, she added, "You have a bald spot on your head."

"It is not a bald spot! Niaaow! Serenity, spare me from this insanity," the cat hissed through clenched fang-teeth. The name invoked was merely that, and called nothing to mind of anything but a dire importance and empty memories. Yet she uttered it in complete seriousness anyway, as a Christian would his God, and stared Usagi down. "My name is Luna. And I've been searching for you long and hard, Tsukino Usagi."

A breeze had finally come up from somewhere, ruffling Usagi's uniform and whip-like ponytails. "But I'm nobody special, _koneko-chan_...Luna," she hastily amended. "I'm just a gentle girl who likes to play video games and hates English." Then, she touched the tip of her fingernail to her lower lip thoughtfully, crystal blue eyes hazing over momentarily. "I like cake too, and puff pastries..."

The cat uttered a long-suffering sigh. Paws padded her up onto Usagi's lap, where she shoved her face up into hers, whiskers twitching."You're someone very special, Usagi. And it's time you became that person, because the enemy has come." Her tail twitched to indicate the surrounding silence, curling back around her feet. "This is their work, this quiet. Some sort of magical waves through the air, child's play really, that affected everyone and everything. It silenced people, the birds, cars and trucks. And it's slowly sapping away their energy to be able to live, the life force that powers them, and you, Tsukino Usagi, have to stop it."

"But...mama...Shingo...they were fine when I left, and I'm alright and you're alright..." This was all too much for her to digest. She held the sides of her head, shaking it vigorously. "And, and, Moriya-chan, she usually meets me here in the mornings, and she wasn't here today because she had to meet Haruda-sensei before class...!"

"Usagi, snap out of it!" A paw briskly slapped Usagi's cheek, claws sheathed. Then, as the _odango_-haired blonde flushed from the suddenness, Luna calmed again. "It's been moving in a steady wave, and it hit here just as I made it here to your house. And it hasn't affected us, I assume, because of who we are," the cat stated airily in that time-honored tone of 'I only think I know what's going on, when I really have no clue.'

Unfortunately, Usagi was not skilled in the knowledge of reading between the lines. She was too busy envisioning horrors upon horrors visiting her family and best friend, and she had quite an overactive imagination for a fourteen-year-old. "Oh no, mama, Shingo, papa...Moriya-chan...I have to do something!" Up she jumped, Luna flying with a yowling shriek off her lap. She managed to land yet again on her feet, and turned to see something beginning to smolder in those crystal blue eyes. A spark, if you will.

Unselfishness. Luna smiled as only a feline could, and nodded briskly. "And you will do something, Usagi."

Paws danced across the concrete as the black cat moved far enough away to put enough space between her and the still shell-shocked girl. Then, with a coiling of limbs, she sprung into the air and spun about in a perfect looping circle, her eyes bleeding away into a solid, opalescent white. At the arc, something coalesced and formed, breathed into existence as magic electrified the air, sent a tingle down Usagi's spine. She breathed out in an awed exhale as something bright and glittering fell to the concrete, and she cried out in fear that it'd break or scratch before kneeling down to see it.

It was a brooch of white gold (or was it silver?) that was decorated at the four outer cardinal points by, respectively, an emerald, ruby, sapphire, and a...citrine? No, a gold sphere...or was it a topaz? She couldn't tell, as it seemed to writhe the longer she stared at it, like it couldn't decide what to be. And in the inside rim of the brooch was a crescent moon, a diamond set atop it, the inner edge decorated by tinier siblings of the outer four stones. It looked priceless. "It's gorgeous, Luna! It's so beautiful and shiny...is it for me?"

Luna looked exasperated. "Of course it's for you! Why else would I summon it, for Serenity's sake!?" She eyed the _odango_-haired blonde as, her sorrows temporarily forgotten, she pinned it onto the knot of her red kerchief bow, doing a little spin in glee, preening a bit. "Now, if you could just stand still for a minute or so, we can get down to business."

"What? Oh...everyone's in trouble, but how can I do anything? I'm just ordinary! Although," she murmured in addition, her gaze fixated on the brooch, "I feel funny now. And it's glowing, isn't it? It's glowing like a star..."

"Say the words, Usagi." Luna was up on all fours now, tension wrought in every muscle with anticipation. This was what she'd been searching for, waiting for, all these years. This very moment, this very singular action, was the culmination. "Say them. You know them!"

She did. The strange feeling inside of her gathered into a ball in her stomach, but it was of the same anticipation as the black cat below her was feeling, although she didn't know why. But she knew the words that would make it all right, and she crossed her arms over her chest, over the glow. "Moon...Moon Prism...MOON PRISM POWER!

"MAKE UP!"

  
Every horrible event that occurs in Tokyo culminates at the Tower. It's an unspoken, unwritten, unsanctioned rule. If you're planning to take over the world's largest city, you're going to damn well do it at the Tower, and smile while doing so.

Damn stereotypes. Not that he was one to question them.

What wind there was so high up in the sky ruffled casually cut blond hair, the edge of a gray tunic. Hands gloved in immaculate white gripped the observation deck's railing as he looked out over the annoyingly bright city in the daytime, taking measured glee in the silence. He didn't even bother to turn as he felt the energy signature of a teleport behind him. "Report, Anmoku."

"_Hai_, Jadeite-sama." The _youma's_ voice was as gravelly and rough as her looks; femininity was almost non-existent in the scraggled contours of her face and torso. But she was also a lackey, a drone, and had no need for such things as vanity. "The outer limits of Tokyo are silenced now, along with the rest of the city. The feeders are in place, gathering the energy of the luckless humanoids as we speak."

Fingers tapped the metal rhythmically. "Do you have the controls to modulate the output of Our Majesty's life-force and the collection of their energy?" It was, after all, a fragile direction of such potent magic; just the tiniest bit of their queen's power could control the weak-willed minds of the feral humans.

The _youma_, ever the subservient, bowed, holding out the device. It was almost laughably simplistic, just a box with a switch. "Excellent. Did you encounter any resistance while setting up the collectors or infusing the drones?"

"_Iie_, Jadeite-sama. The humans I filled with Our Majesty's force spread Her taint quickly and easily, and no one took notice of the collectors. Pitiful mortals," she spat, her face twisting into a mask of wrinkles and pitted pores. The urge to shudder had long, long since fled the blond general's mind.

Along with many other emotions which, if he'd even remembered having them, he'd probably miss.

"How nice of them to have such a tall tower for us to direct the energy to our kingdom," he mused aloud, motioning at the radio tower itself. "Although I daresay it wasn't used to its full advantage when Danburite was attempting his failed mission. Yes," he added then, glancing out at the city, "I do believe this will be too easy.

"Tokyo will make a lovely observation station once the Dark Kingdom has asserted itself." A smile that looked almost uncomfortable lifted to his lips as the _youma_, unsure of his intentions, gave up a wobbly smile of her own. "Don't smile. I didn't say you could." Back down it went, and Jadeite resumed his almost laughably casual regard of the city. "Go check on the collectors, Anmoku. I want a secondary report within the next two hours."

Another twisting spiral of energy flickered in and out of existence as the _youma_ vanished, and the blond general sifted flakes of rust between his gloved fingertips as that smile lingered.

  
"Maaa, _Kami-sama_."

"You've said that twice now." Whiskers twitched.

"But...but..._KAMI-SAMA_! I'm like Sailor V!" The shriek carried through the quiet courtyard like knives through hot butter, and although the black cat knew no one was conscious enough to care about the decibel level, she winced anyway. "I f-feel a draft..."

Paws slapped at the _odango_-haired blonde's legs as the cat tried to get her attention. Then, as crystal blue eyes wavered down, Luna settled back to stare at her handiwork.

Usagi was tugging down a short blue flared skirt over her hips, blushing furiously. Her legs were bare except for lace-less red boots striped at the top with white, marked in the middle by a yellow crescent moon. The bodice was like a white swimsuit with padded shoulder flotation devices, and the brooch was clipped in the exact center of her kerchief bow, blue collar sporting three white stripes instead of two. Another crescent was sported on her throat choker, along with a hanging bauble that resembled her brooch in smaller relief; crescents indeed seemed to be the theme, as they hung from her earrings as well.

She removed the red mask that decorated her face, feeling at the gold and red-jeweled tiara on her forehead, tracing the scrollwork. "Wow," she breathed softly, moving her hand up to feel over the six pearl and feather barrettes in her hair, and up further to the ruby and silver circles pinned to the front of her _odango_. "I...who am I? I'm not Usagi anymore..."

It was too sunny for this first transformation, Luna decided. Nevertheless, she nodded curtly, motioning a paw at the girl. "You're the chosen warrior, Usagi. It's your celestial mission to fight the enemy now that they've arrived."

"But who am I? I look...I look..." Usagi cried, stumbling over her words. She touched the mask back on over her eyes, not even recognizing the fact it seemed to stay on by sheer attraction and nothing less. Then she tugged at her skirt again, that blush returning in full force as she realized she couldn't get it down any further, and that a stray wind was going to show more than she was willing to even think about. "And this outfit, Luna! How does Sailor V catch criminals in such a tiny skirt?"

"Very carefully," Luna snapped, then jumped up onto her paws again. "Don't you realize the importance of your duty? Of how long I've been searching for you...what's wrong?"

Usagi had gone very still, staring at something only she could see. Then, as if in a self-induced trance, she slipped off her mask and held it out to the cat. "There's a movie playing in them, Luna..." She held them steady as Luna balanced on her back paws to see, indeed, a movie playing in the eyeholes of the mask, like miniature video. People laying still where they had fallen when thewave had passed by, their energy like brilliantly pale snakes arcing away from their bodies, some into strange little devices for collection, or storage.

The cat watched it for a minute more, meowing in protest as the mask was suddenly yanked away. Luna pitched forward as Usagi slipped them back on, before crying out "Moriya-chan, Naru-chan!" and leapt. Leapt high enough to clear the street, no less, landing on the other side in a move no normal girl could have managed, much less the queen of clumsiness herself. The cat barely had time to scramble after as the scantily clad, sailor-suited girl ran down the sidewalk, blonde ponytails streaming.

Today, unlike a normal day, the worry of oncoming traffic was nonexistent. Usagi barely noticed Luna running behind her as they reached the crosswalk, her school visible on the other side. The twisting tendrils of white that had been exuding from the movie-characters were thick as fog around the building, coalescing at the top of the roof, and around a humanoid figure.

A humanoid figure whom, at the moment, was very gleeful. The energy signatures were powerful for the feral humans she was collecting from; it would make a wonderful meal for their mistress. She watched the collector nearly hum with the energy it was sucking in, and smiled a sharp-toothed grin. "Delicious," the _youma_ sighed happily. "So much quiet, so much...silence."

Her hand stroked over the hair of a student collapsed against her leg, sifting brown strands through her fingers. She'd carefully gone over the entire building and selected the humans who had been giving off the best energy, leading them up to the roof and the collector to fully drain them away into husks, not wasting a drop. One, however, she had propped up right next to the collector itself, the entire machine glowing like a beacon from the input. She couldn't fathom why this particular redhead was so potent, but...

"Stop right there!" The _youma_ didn't swivel her head. Or, even, twist it all the way around on her neck. She simply turned her torso completely about, staring up rather painfully at the sun and its newest silhouette. A silhouette with silly floppy rabbit ears, she noted. "Get away from Moriya-chan, you ugly hag of a woman, and stop your evil!"

Hag? She called her a HAG? "You little wench! Come out of the sunlight so I can see the little child I'll be sacrificing to my lord!" Clawed fingers raked the air as the _youma_ waited, teeth grinding.

Usagi's spirit suddenly faltered. She couldn't go down there near that...that...THING. But Moriya-chan was in danger, and she could see Naru-chan out of the corner of her eye, and she had to do something. Gloved hands clenched as she jumped down off the utility shed's roof and down onto the main roof, trying to look as menacing as possible. "You're not going to hurt anyone else today, you evil witch! I'm a champion for justice and love! I'm...I'm..." She gripped her mask, flicking it away towards the sky as she assumed what she took to be a superhero's pose. "I'm the pretty soldier Sailor Moon, and I'll punish you for your misdeeds!"

Luna hung her head, sighing from her spot in the tree below. Did the girl really have to make a speech?

The _youma_ started laughing, Luna's ears folding back. "Sailor Moon? Like that Sailor V girl, and her little skirts? Pitiful! I was expecting someone taller, maybe stronger and better dressed, not some kid!" A hand waved languidly, some of the students struggling up in true zombie-like fashion, their skin pale and ghostly from lack of energy.

Sailor Moon stared like a deer caught in headlights. A lot of these kids she knew, if not personally than through simple association, and to have them in this condition...she felt fury rising beneath her fear. But it wasn't enough, and she turned tail and ran towards the stairwell. "Sailor Moon, turn around and fight them!" Luna yowled from below.

"I can't, Luna! They're kids I know! There's Yuuri-chan, and Tomoko-chan, and Maike-kun..." She gripped the door handle and twisted at it furiously, a few tears sliding free. "Oh, I can't do this, Luna, I can't, I can't! I want to go home and sleep and find out this is a bad dream!" the sailor-suited soldier cried, slumping against the door as her sobs pitched a high note.

Then, just as some of her classmates were reaching out for her, her crying started to echo. Not even that...they started reverberating painfully, shockwaves arcing out from the two jewels on her odango in concussive force. The zombie-kids moaned in painful realization that the noise hurt, covering their ears as they staggered back in slow motion. The _youma_ simply screamed, writhing about; apparently her hyper-senses amplified the sound on a massive level. Her eardrums burst, toppling her over from lack of equilibrium.

"Sailor Moon!" The black cat landed in a graceful crouch next to the still-sobbing girl, although her tears were beginning to die down, and flicked her tail angrily. "Stop crying and listen to me! Do you see the creature?"

The _odango_-haired blonde nodded, sniffling loudly and a bit too wetly for Luna's taste. "Uh huh. She's by that machine thing and Moriya-chan, but what can I do?" She patted at her skirt, looking for pockets that might've been hiding something useful...a bomb, perhaps. The cat just batted at her again, shaking her head.

"Take off your tiara and throw it; shout 'Moon Frisbee!' when you do." Luna exhaled when she saw Sailor Moon hesitate, and stamped her paw. "You have to save these children and your friend! Do it!"

"Alright!" She slipped the gold tiara from her forehead, holding it between her hands, a slow expression of awe working onto her face. It formed a glowing disk of energy, and she brought her arm around, hoping she wouldn't mess this up; there was a reason she was always last to be picked in softball. "Please let me aim right," she whispered.

The crowd was beginning to crawl up again, and she could see Luna becoming agitated next to her boot. The _youma_ was still writhing in her corner, coming up and going down at intervals in her pain, and Sailor Moon whipped her arm about in what she thought was a straight throw. "Moon Frisbee!"

If the possibility of coherent prayer was in the _odango_-haired blonde, it was being put to good use. Crystal blue and cerulean eyes watched the glowing tiara with apprehension, both marked with sudden fear as the grasping hands of the students started to pull at them. Luna jumped for higher ground as quickly as she could, narrowly avoiding a hand aimed for her tail. Sailor Moon simply started whimpering, flailing her arms out, trying to keep her eyes on the _youma_ even as fingers tried to dig into them.

Bright light filled her vision as the tiara impacted. The resounding noise and release of energy was nothing short of immense; Luna dug her claws in with a pained yowl as students went flying past, skidding along the roof. For most of them, the railing was all that saved them from toppling off the edge and into the concrete courtyard below, considering all of the students had gone unconscious from the sudden severance of control the youma had over them.

The cat could spot her new charge's friend near the fried collector, its circuits smoldering from the overload. Another girl she'd seen Usagi around, Osaka Naru, was half-buried beneath another group of classmates, pale and wan, but breathing. And speaking of Usagi.... "Sailor Moon? Answer me!" Down the cat jumped, lightly rebounding off a boy's head with a mumbled meow of apology. "Sailor Moon!"

"Here..._itaaaai_...who's elbowing me?!" A white gloved hand waved up from beneath a pile near the roof's edge, holding the now-dull tiara. The black cat exhaled loudly, padding over to try and push some of the students off of Sailor Moon. "This isn't as fun as I thought it might be," the _odango_-haired blonde warbled, her voice muffled.

Luna just grunted, putting all of her five kilos into trying to move a particularly stubborn student. It was the equivalent of her trying to move Mount Fuji, but the cat kept at it gamely anyway, hiding the smallest beginnings of a proud smile as she saw a blonde head emerge from the pile. "Yare yare..."

  
It was indeed too bright for such an occasion, the girl decided. She swung her legs lazily as she perched within the high branches of a towering tree, casually scratching the ears of the white cat sitting beside her. Noon was starting to approach, and the situation on the roof was still one of relative chaos as awakening students tried to assess what had happened to them. Rumours spread like wildfire, and one was of a blonde-haired girl in a sailor suit who had saved them from something terrible.

"So it's begun then, Artemis?" Dangling legs crossed at the ankles and stilled. Fingers continued to scratch, however, and the cat purred with contentment despite the question. "We're not alone anymore in the battle against our enemies."

  
Pointed ears flattened back as the cat lazily stretched beneath her hand. "Not anymore. She's awakened...but we have to keep protecting her, Minako. The enemies can't be allowed to find her, or to even know of the truth-"

"Ara ara, Artemis! Of course they won't find out; I won't let them. I swore an oath to our princess long ago to protect her in this fashion." There was a second's flash in the leaves as the girl held up a crescent-shaped compact, flicking it open to peer within.

A crescent moon glowed on her forehead; a mask the color of rubies covered her eyes. "Even if it means taking her place." She clicked the compact shut again, giving Artemis a sunny smile and the V sign. "It'll be alright, Artemis; we won't fail in this, our chosen mission."

"There's no room for failure, Mina-chan," he shot back seriously. "No second chances. We have to be dedicated to our cause, and we have to wait until the right time to reveal ourselves. And until then..." A paw was idly groomed, fanged teeth nibbling between his toes. "Until then...we help in our own ways."

Minako stared off towards the roof of Juuban Junior High again, intent on two in particular as they helped one another stand. Then, she stared upward at the sky, and smiled at the bright beams of light. "_Hai_. In our own ways. As Sailor V, I'll help them be strong. But for now..." Artemis yowled as the long-haired blonde suddenly leapt from their branch, dropping down towards the ground.

She caught a branch on passing, swinging around like a pro on the bars to one lower down still, and then down, to land on the ground. Again did she flash the V sign up at her cat, who was currently thanking his personal gods that his fur was already naturally white and not gone stark from absolute shock, and grinned. "It's lunchtime! Come on, Artemis, I'm starving!"

The white cat just hung his head. "Minako-chan, you're unreal."

  
"....and I had the biggest headache when I woke up, it was surreal!"

"_Hai, hai_...I'm glad I missed it then," Usagi sighed, opening the door to her bedroom. Moriya followed her in, holding the loudly purring Luna in her arms. Explaining to her best friend why she had suddenly adopted the 'bald-spotted kitty' had been quite a task...not to mention doing the same with her parents.

The room was a hazardous zone, but both girls picked their way through it with relative ease, though Usagi nearly took a header once or two en route to her bed. "So what did the doctors say happened? Haruda-sensei wouldn't tell the rest of us."

Moriya let Luna jump onto the bunny and moon patterned bedspread before settling on the edge herself, shuffling her feet inside of her slippers. "They blamed it on stress, because we're going to be taking the tests next year for high school, but I just think they made something up to make us feel better." The redhead reached over, lightly taking hold of a snow globe that sat on a small shelf above Usagi's bedside table, and shook it.

"But at least you're ok, and that's all that matters," Usagi murmured, fidgeting a bit. Lying to her friend was killing her, and the truth was just on the tip of her tongue, just begging to be told. But she couldn't do it with Luna in the room - the cat was giving her suspicious looks when Moriya wasn't paying attention - and maybe not ever. A change of subject was in order, and had she not been so worried about keeping her secret, she may've been scared by the fact she'd even come up with such an adult solution. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean this?" Moriya held up the globe, the 'snow' sifting to the bottom. "I think it's beautiful, Usagi-chan, you know that. I wish I had something like this from my parents...so I could remember them..." She shook it again, watching the swirl of white around the pearlescent, domed castle inside. If one looked closely enough, they could see a tiny small figurine standing at the top of the steps in tiny detail. It was a work of art, and an obvious labor of love.

Usagi frowned a bit, sitting down next to her friend with a careful smoothing of her skirt. Luna immediately sidled into her lap, eyes intent as they all watched the snow fall within a glass-encased world. "I'll give it to you as a birthday present someday, Moriya-chan. I promise."

The redhead just smiled, shaking the globe one more time and set it back on the shelf to watch the spiral. "I don't know what I'd do without having you as a friend, Usagi-chan." She laughed then, turning sparkling lapis towards her friend. "Maybe jump off a swing."

"I was only ten!" Usagi wailed, looking a bit chagrined; a look that disappeared with the impact of one of her pillows. Luna screeched and beat paws for the safety of the doorway as the _odango_-haired blonde dived for another pillow. The pillow fight began in earnest, both girls laughing loud and without a care in the world as feathers rained down onto the floor. "You're so cruel, Moriya-chan!"

"Only because I'm good at it!"

Laughter followed the moon across the night sky as Tokyo hummed around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the first act you know. This one is almost totally rewritten, because I saw no reason to keep it intact. Otherwise, what's the point?
> 
>  
> 
> Also, by this point, this early chapter is now about ten years old. So forgive my style.


	2. Act 02 : ami - Sailormercury

##### 

Jadeite was thoroughly, royally, without a doubt, pissed off. Completely. Totally.

(Did we mention absolutely?)

The blond general stalked - not walked, _stalked_ \- through the long shadowed hallway that led to the throne room. Chiseled stone walls seemed to throb and pulse in beat as he passed them by, droplets of moisture trickling down to pool on the floor. Some fell straight from the ceiling, and as one hit his eyelashes, he had to pause to clean his eye out. The trouble with castles, he thought, was that keeping it clean and dry was a bitch.

Unlike the rest of the doorways in the kingdom, the one in front of him that lead right into the throne room was completely open and arched. It allowed the queen to see people entering from a far distance down the hall, and for them to see what her current mood was and to prepare themselves accordingly. And today, as his luck ran, she looked particularly angry.

A gloved hand smoothed over the chest of his tunic, lightly polishing off his shirt button, his sole epaulette. Then he strode into the main chamber, head held high despite the quiet internal quaking of his guts as the eyes of his queen settled on him, hand beckoning him forward.

The throne room was vast, open, and airy like an amphitheatre. It was made all the more imposing by the fact that their queen was the only decoration, her crystal ball on its stand set up in the dead center, with her standing beside it, both raised up on a small dais. You could scream in this place and have it be heard in the farthest reaches of the kingdom; such was her intent, after all. "You failed in your first mission, Jadeite," she rasped, piss-yellow eyes narrowing on him.

"I beg apology, my Queen Beryl." He dropped to a knee in quick subservience, fist to his opposite shoulder. His eyes didn't dare lift and run the risk of accidentally meeting hers; such an event in her current mood was enough of an offense to warrant death, even for his high rank. "I never expected...never dreamed, even, to run into the problem we did."

He could hear the tap of her staff on the marble floor. It didn't bode well. "You 'never expected,' Jadeite? I'm not only disappointed, I'm astonished at that very statement! I will be grievously angry if you're telling me you never read Danburite's reports during his own failed missions!" Her skirt swished and clicked with the weight of the metal belts and chains around her hips as she strode towards her underling. "We need it, Jadeite. Do you understand the importance of this? We need the _Ginzuishou_ to finally gain control again, and I will not listen to reports of failure because you weren't prepared!"

That inner quaking had reached 7.1 potential. "I understand, Beryl-sama, but my _youma_..."

"Do not blame your troubles on your blasted servants when you created them!" The staff slammed down into the marble tiles mere inches from him, so close that he felt the cool metal next to his forehead. "I expect results, Jadeite, not failure. You have another chance to find the crystal and to gather energy for our master; make it worthwhile!"

"Ohh, look at that pretty doll! Look, look, Moriya-chan!" Usagi's face was flattened out into comic proportions as she pressed it against the window of the toy store. The breath from her nostrils hazed the glass to the point where she couldn't see, and she made a small noise of annoyance as she pulled back.

Moriya, who was currently busy looking in the window of the music store next door, peeled her eyes away from the newest copy of Dir En Grey's CD to come over by her friend. "Which doll? There's a lot of them up on display."

Usagi pressed her finger reverently to the glass again. "That one, with the white dress, and the pearls...it's so beautiful!" she sighed, crystal blue eyes taking on a distant look. "I wish I could look so pretty."

"Ne, Usagi-chan!" Moriya chuckled, lightly prodding her friend in the side. "You're pretty, and just think of how great you'll look when we grow up. I'll have to pry men off of you." She splayed her fingertips against the glass, smearing it hopelessly with the oil from her skin. "It has blue eyes like you," she added.

Luna, draped as she was over her charge's shoulder like a scarf, nudged her nose against the window to eye the doll. Nothing really special, she decided; it was a typical porcelain doll meant for display cases and viewing, not playing. Expensive white silk dress, a pearl bracelet and golden curls for earrings. But the hair was so fine and pale blonde that it was white, pulled into two ponytails with pearl barrettes. And the eyes were crystalline blue and sparkling with gloss.

The _odango_-haired blonde groaned loudly upon seeing just how much the doll cost, and peeled herself away with a whine. "I'd never be able to afford that!" Moriya peeked over as well, whistling low. "And I know papa wouldn't buy it for me...my grades are so low..."

"There's always hope, Usagi-chan. You could try saving your allowance for a change," the redhead said, lightly scratching Luna's head. "Stop spending all of it at the Crown."

"But I hardly get anything as it is!" Usagi pressed her face back against the glass, eyeing the doll admiringly, as her friend just sighed. Then, lapis blues caught sight of the clock in the nearby music shop, and she yelped, startling both Usagi and Luna. "Ne, what is it?"

Moriya picked up her shopping bag quickly, waving a hand. "It's gotten late, and I have to help Fuyuna-san move one of the girls out; she was adopted last week."

"Adopted? Oh, Moriya-chan..." the _odango_-haired blonde murmured, touching her friend's shoulder. Luna tilted her head inquisitively, trying to look cute while eyeing the redhead as she just gave up a faint smile.

"It's ok. She deserved to find a family anyway." She slipped away from Usagi's hand smoothly, sliding on a pair of sunglasses. "_Ja ne_, Usagi-chan. I'll see you tomorrow," she added, disappearing down the sidewalk into the crowd.

Luna narrowed her eyes faintly, watching Moriya go. "She's a secretive child."

"Moriya-chan doesn't like to talk about her life at the orphanage, Luna," Usagi responded a bit pointedly, albeit softening her tone with a chin scratch. The cat simply sniffed, flicking her tail. "She's been an orphan ever since she was three years old, and no one will adopt her."

That caught the feline's interest, and brown eyes swiveled up. "Why is that? She's a decent enough child when she's not hiding her feelings, and she's pretty, which I notice many humans regard higher than anything else. Why won't anyone adopt her?"

Usagi paused in her ministrations to look away, falling into an uncharacteristic silence. Luna frowned, whiskers wriggling as she scented the air. "She...her parents...they were killed in a bank robbery. They were rich, though, so she always has pocket money to spend, but she doesn't like to very often...."

"Poor Moriya," Luna sighed, sitting upright on the _odango_-haired blonde's shoulder in a wonderful display of balance. "I admit I was being hard on her now; that's terrible for any child to have gone through." Usagi just nodded dolefully, and the feline rubbed against her cheek, blue eyes wandering through the crowd. "And I suppose she has no relatives, either. How awful-nioaaw!"

The _odango_-haired blonde blinked, turning her head to look at Luna, who was suddenly overacting the 'I'm a cute but stupid and harmless kitty' routine. "Luna, what in the world is wrong with you? Stop meowing in my ear like that, it hurts! Luna?"

"Yes, Luna, stop meowing in her poor ear like that." Usagi and cat froze at the recently made familiar voice speaking behind them. "Why don't you speak up?"

Mamoru's smirk was a bit sullied by the fingerprints and condensation on the window, but Usagi glared hard at it nonetheless before spinning about to face him. Hands on hips, she tried to look as affronted as possible. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"

She was even further irritated to see his careless shrug, shifting his case to his other hand so he could slip his glasses off. "It's not my fault you don't pay attention, _odango atama_." He folded the glasses up, sliding them into his blazer pocket as he leaned in to look at Luna. "So, Luna, going to talk to us again?"

"Nyiaaaooow, mrrrooww," she purred, looking lazy and limp on Usagi's shoulder. Mamoru didn't look too convinced, but straightened up anyway as the _odango_-haired blonde fumed.

"Stop calling me that! And Luna doesn't talk, she's a cat!" She grabbed the feline irritably by the scruff of her neck and swung her down onto the concrete, ignoring her yowling protests. Then she scowled up at Mamoru again, hands balling at her sides. "You're just a jerk, that's what you are."

Both females were surprised to see the mild change of expression that suddenly flickered across his face. He frowned, pulling his glasses back out. "She hasn't been adopted yet, then? Moriya-chan, I mean."

Usagi touched her hand to her lips, looking sad. "No...oh, I forgot, you know her. How do you know Moriya-chan? I've known her since we were ten!"

"I've...known her since she was three," he murmured, putting those wire-rimmed glasses back on. "And I really have to go home and study now. You should do the same, pigtails." Luna meowed in faint irritation down below next to Usagi's foot as Mamoru lightly tugged one of Usagi's aforementioned pigtails. Then he, too, disappeared into the crowd.

Luna bowed her head. "There's something strange about him..."

  
Easy, easy. Far too easy.

The black shadow that ran across the rooftop was silent on rubber-soled feet. It stopped next to the domed glass outcropping that rose from the shingles like a jewel, strapped with brass. Through it, you could look down clearly into the penthouse below, the living room most specifically. And it was full of the expensive paintings and crystal wares and sculptures one would expect in the home of Tokyo's richest banker.

It was a snap to open one of the windows; a gentle spray of fine powder revealed the protection grid that laced across the opening below. The usual defense for such arrogant rich people. Honestly, she felt unchallenged. All it took was a small attachment of mirrors in the right places with a bit of tape, and she had a clear opening to get down.

A rope was looped around the fireplace chimney a few feet away, and she slowly started to slide down. Gloved hands held the rope tight as she twisted it around her leg, before slowly starting to fall backwards. Her legs curled around the burlap and held on as she finally swung upside down, and slid a little bit further towards the ground, and nearer to her prize.

In a room full of expensive and beautiful acquisitions, they managed to stand out. A jewelry set of earrings and a necklace, they sparkled brilliantly with blue diamonds and platinum. The carat weight alone was worth the month's rent on the penthouse they were displayed in, and they were sadly, woefully, low protected. The man had far too much ego to ever contemplate someone actually stealing his collection, and penny pinched too often to bother paying the money for more of a security system.

One more foot, and she was within arm's reach. A loop was made out of a scarf she'd brought with her, and she slowly and carefully hooked each one off their stands, then bundled them all up into it. Then, with them tucked up, she brought herself back upright to grab the rope, and slipped the jewelry into a hidden pocket of her shirt. Back up she climbed, sliding out and onto the roof once more.

The mirrors were carefully peeled off to allow the grid to run its normal course again, and she was just putting them away when she heard a noise. Then a shout of "Crescent Beam!" as a bright yellow light came flying at her, which she jumped clear of just barely. She tucked and rolled, then stood upright to see her attacker.

You couldn't mistake the long-haired blonde for anyone else.

"Stealing is a crime, and even if the police force never finds out, I won't allow it!" The thief looked a tad bit annoyed as the soldier-suited girl announced this, pointing at her. "Taking what doesn't belong to you in a display of greed...Code Name: Sailor V! I am the messenger for justice, the beautiful, sailor-suited soldier, Sailor Venus!"

"So tell someone who cares." The knotted end of the rope was flung out at the long-haired blonde, narrowly missing her as she darted away. As she landed, the thief took the opportunity to run for the opposite edge, speed and shadows on her side.

Twilight blue eyes narrowed behind the red mask on the soldier's face as she gave chase. The thief had clothed herself well; her black attire covered her entire body, and it was only the sound of her voice that gave her gender. Her hair was covered up in a tightly tied hood, the bottom half of her face by a scarf. Usually, crooks in the city were too arrogant to bother hiding, but this one was smart enough to not delude herself. But she couldn't kill a normal human for such a simple thing as theft..."Venus Love-Me Chain!"

The thief grunted as the glowing chain wrapped around her ankles, bringing her down near the edge-so close, in fact, that she ended up falling over it, hanging precariously by the mystical links Sailor V had created. It was a long, long drop to the ground, and she was vastly relieved when she felt herself being hauled up. Unfortunately, it meant being hauled up into the soldier's hands. "Asking for forgiveness won't work, will it?"

Sailor V smiled faintly, shaking her head. The rope the thief had used was now untied and in her hand. "Of course not. Now please hand over whatever you stole." And she held out a gloved hand, waiting patiently for the goods.

Down below at street level, a semi truck was coming towards the apartment complex. Both of them could hear it clearly as it rumbled along as they stared at each other, the hand between them.

And then, the sailor-suited soldier was grunted as she received a kick to the stomach. Then she felt something hard - presumably the thief's fists - smash across the back of her head. A lesser person would have fallen unconscious and been left for the sunlight to find in the morning. But she simply dropped down and twisted in her dance, her leg snapping out to trip the thief down.

The rope, fallen from her hands, was snapped out like a whip as the thief lay sprawled. When Sailor V ducked it again, the girl moved to tackle her, and they went flying across the rooftop to land near the windows again. The strength of the thief, the warmth she held....the long-haired blonde reached up as they struggled, even as the other reached down. "This feeling is familiar...like I know you!" she whispered as she managed to yank the thief's hood and scarf away.

She felt a cool breeze on her face as her mask was pulled away in turn.

And both simply stared.

"No...oh, no," Sailor V gasped softly. "You-uuhhh-" Twilight blues widened as the thief quickly slapped her in the temple; then fluttered closed. She hung limp in the thief's arms as she was  
set down gently onto the rooftop, her mask replaced over her eyes.

That done, the thief tucked her hair back into her hood, tying the scarf around her face once more. The rope was coiled up and shoved into her backpack, and she stood. "_Gomen ne_, Sailor V...but no one's catching me. I made a promise to them." Fingers lightly patted the long-haired blonde's cheek, almost as if reminiscing.

"Sailor V? Sailor V, where are you!" The white cat nearly flew across the space between the buildings, landing on all fours - naturally on the rooftop of the penthouse in full fight mode. Ice blue eyes caught the sailor-suited soldier lying motionless, and he was immediately racing towards her. "Sailor V!"

He skidded to a stop next to her, nose scenting the air. Someone else had been here mere seconds ago...someone he'd smelled before. And his eyes widened as he suddenly realized whom, even as he sensed movement next to him. "Ne, momma, why can't we have gyouza tonight? I'm hungry..." Twilight blues re-opened, and cat and charge stared at one another. "Artemis..."

"Minako-chan, you fought her, didn't you?" She frowned, sitting up and drawing her legs beneath her, silent in her actions. It was answer enough, and his tail twitched, flicking back and forth. Then, sensing her distress, he padded into her lap and allowed her to hold him close. "Mina..."

"Happy early birthday, Usagi-chan!"

The box was rather plain and normal in its blue wrapping. Frankly, the _odango_-haired blonde wasn't quite sure what to make of it; the puzzled expression she shot over the top of it towards her friend was telling enough. But she held it anyway, managing to balance her obento on her knees in a feat of unnoticed coordination.

Then, fingernails picked at the tape. "_Arigatou_, Moriya-chan, but my birthday's not for another few months," she finally murmured. Normally such surprising and freely-given gifts were ripped open, cooed at, and promptly forgotten. But this seemed just a bit too strange.

Luna perked her ears forward as the redhead just laughed. "Ara, _tsukimidango_, I know that! But I couldn't resist, it was perfect for you." Then, the cat's eyes seemed to glow as she watched Moriya lightly nudge Usagi with her chopsticks. "Go on, open it."

"_Hai, hai_." The feline was suddenly showered in a rain of blue wrapping paper and scotch tape, her mewling protests muffled by 100% recycled tree shreds. Her sight obscured, all she witnessed was a suddenly gasp, before she pawed away the paper to see a familiar wisp of white-blonde hair.

The doll hadn't changed since they'd first seen it in the window a few days ago.

Neither had Usagi's adoration for it, noticeable by her cooing and gently stroking of fingertips against the porcelain face. "Moriya-chan, this had to cost a fortune…!"

"What good is having a large inheritance if you can't treat your best friend?" The _odango_-haired blonde simply beamed, lightly curling one of the doll's ponytails around her finger. Then she promptly pouted as the bell tolled, signaling the end of lunch hour.

"I'm not even finished with my food yet! We need more time to eat," she stated firmly, gently setting the doll back in the box with a sureness Luna was almost positive she hadn't had up until now. Then she snagged up her lunch, chopsticks moving like dervishes as she gobbled up her rice and sushi as fast as she could.

Moriya, her lunch relatively simple and small compared to her friend's, reached over to pet Luna on the head. "See you after school, _koneko-chan_. That is," she added with a wry smile, "if Usagi-chan ever finishes eating so we can get back to class!"

A snap of wooden chopsticks was given in response before the _odango_-haired blonde raised her fist in triumph. "_Yo-oshi_! Let's face the rest of the day with full stomachs!" She picked up her present again, waving down to Luna. "Ja, Luna! See you after classes!"

Luna purred in response, pawing the tossed-aside shreds of paper. Her tail lazily flicked as both girls ran for the building, pointed ears perked forward to catch their last words: "—can't, Moriya-chan, not today, Mama wants me to stay home and study…"

"Amazing that you'd even study to begin with—" Their voices were finally lost in the crowd of schoolmates by this point, and Luna sighed, hauling herself to her paws. Usagi had lied, as the cat had instructed her to do, and that was all she wanted to make sure of.

The feline wouldn't allow herself to feel sorry for Usagi's friends, the lies she told them. You couldn't mince emotions in this, the holiest of missions, and she was trying to get Usagi to understand that. She simply couldn't get anyone else involved, except for those chosen. Their allies were the only ones who could know.

It was simple enough to pad through the now-emptied courtyard, up the old tree, and onto the wall. The concrete wall ran all the way down to the street corner, and it was ample protection against the little children who seemed to enjoy tormenting her…she shuddered, whiskers flicking. She could still remember the helplessness she had felt, wearing those ridiculous Band-Aids, unable to speak or truly think.

"Never again," she quietly promised herself as she ran along the wall top, dropping down at the corner.

She must have presented an odd sight; not many cats sat patiently waiting for the WALK sign to change. Luna considered it something of a prideful badge; the mere fact she had enough human intelligence to recognize words and language was indeed special. Of course, it wasn't used quite as often as she would have liked.

Across the street and down the sidewalk her path took her, a lone black cat lost in a crowd of human feet—many of them horribly smelly, too. Her nose wrinkled as best as it was able as she passed by a particularly loathsome set of sneakers, her sense of smell rejoicing as she finally reached her destination. A moment's wait for someone to open the door, and she darted in, careful of her tail.

It was still too early for a real crowd to gather; even the regular workers weren't here yet. A thankful little detail Luna was vastly grateful for. It made it so much easier for her to slip through the rows of machines without being stepped on, or even noticed. She did so now, darting like a little demon down the little paths, eyes alert for the one she wanted.

"_Shimatta_!" Paws skidded on the linoleum as she ground to a stop and jumped behind a different machine. Little kitty heart pounding, she peered out around the corner's edge to a sinking sight:

Someone was playing the Sailor V game.

And it was a boy she'd never seen before, with bad skin and a horrible nasally inhale; he sounded as if he were the type to be perpetually sick. He executed a certain triple combo, and Luna could see Sailor V destroy a monster that looked like a box with five rectangles for arms, horribly pixilated as it was. Then, he took a slurp from his nearby can of green tea, nearly spilling some of it on the console.

Luna nearly had a heart attack. She darted from machine to machine, bounding up onto the console of a nearby fighting game to survey her current obstacle a bit more closely. He was dressed in a school uniform that looked wrinkled and spotted with various bits of food product. A white shirt and pants denoted a different school than Juuban junior high, for which she was glad.

Then he let loose with a loud puff of flatulence, and the black cat did indeed have what she was certain was a seizure. Off the console she tipped, hitting the ground in a grave error of the common legend of four-legged felines, and lay sprawled on her back. Gasping for air. Praying to whatever god of cats existed that she didn't expire right then.

"How cute! A little black kitty cat!" The smell alerted her first, before the hands seized her, greasy and wet from the can's condensation. She started to flail, yowling, as that pimpled face loomed in her view range, mouth curved into a sickening coo. "You can be my mascot, _kuroneko-chan_!"

Oh, that did it. With a battle meow any housecat would be proud of, Luna launched her paws out at the only clean spot on his shirt: a brightly-shined Sailor V pin. A swipe right, then down, and the plastic was perfectly marked with two claw slashes across the face. She was actually pretty damn proud of it, too.

To strike at a nerd, know where to hit them.

In this case, it was most definitely the pin. He screamed a high, mucus-marred screech of terror, flinging the feline down onto the console as he took off running. "My pin! My pin! My precious Sailor V-chan!" The sliding glass door almost didn't open in time to let him spring through, and he squeezed out like a greased sausage. Once it closed behind him, all noise ceased.

The black cat picked herself up from where she'd been thrown, nose twitching; that was definitely the scent of spilled tea in the air. She craned her head back to see the can rolling along the ground, a thread of tea following it. Most, thankfully, was on the floor, but some had landed in her fur. "Humans," she muttered, exasperated. "They worry over such silly things!"

So spake the feline as she began to vigorously clean her splattered fur, making a mildly disgusted face in the process. She'd be tasting the canned tea for days in the back of her throat, and on every damn hairball she'd end up coughing out.

Clean and neat again, she hopped down to the ground to settle herself primly in front of the Sailor V console. Her ears perked up to make sure no one was nearby; and when no screams of nerdish terror ripped her senses apart again, she began to speak.

Although ‘speak' was definitely a loose term for what she was doing.

As a feline of the lunar persuasion, Luna had special abilities others did not. Her command of Japanese was due more to a magical, inherent, understanding of languages; the gist of, leastways. It worked only to the degree that she had to be physically interacting with the speakers to know their words. TVs, radios…those were useless to her, though from assimilation had Japanese become her second language. That she constantly understood, either in text or spoken word.

This was not speech so much as a resonant purring. It was a strange, ethereal sort of sound that was like sharp lines and curving spheres in the air. And it moved the entire Sailor V console just by its tone, revealing a small but gaping square hole beneath it. Stairs appeared soon after – doing so only because she highly disliked the drop – and she disappeared down them with a flick of her tail.

Six minutes later…

"A-ano, the kitty was right here five minutes ago!"

"You're losing your mind, Togusa-chan! Too many videogames has short-circuited your brain." The nerd and his friend stared at the console, before the newer entrant looked down. "Ne, your tea is spilt all over the floor!"

Both shuffled off to find a mop, still arguing over the existence of illusionary cats. Neither noticed the liquid had begun to seep down through the tiniest hidden crack in the floor beneath the game.

Mizuno Ami was definitely, most positively, bored out of her mind; no mean feat for Tokyo's resident genius student.

The bookstore's usual siren's song was muted in her ears today as she stared blankly at the rows and rows of textbooks. Normally she would have her arms full by this time with books that spoke of the wonders of quantum physics, geometry, calculus, medical procedures. They would weigh her down until her shoulders hurt, and she'd know her night would be full of nothing but the comfort of studying.

Now, she found herself unable to even choose a single title. Almost all of them were piled in her room or on her shelves in neat, even rows, their bindings worn with usage, but that wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her was the empty feeling she felt blossoming in her stomach when she even dared to read the bold kanji inscribed on the spine of any of the books, as if the organ were trying to flee.

It was as if, in one giant of a moment, studying had lost its interest.

"_Baka_," she muttered finally. Of course it wasn't that; she simply would have to frequent another bookstore, one that carried a wider selection. A simple, efficient way to fix the problem, though the nearest one she knew of was almost another twenty minutes bus ride.

She checked her watch, then peered out the window of the second-floor store to watch the bus she needed drive off in a puff of exhaust. The next one wouldn't arrive for ten minutes; a minor annoyance. Her school case was picked up from where she'd set it against another row of shelves, and she walked out from the section. Since the textbooks couldn't hold her attention, she'd flip through some of the new medical journals the store carried.

The journals were up front, placed with the magazines and manga. "_Konnichiwa_, Yuki-san," Ami said respectfully, bowing faintly to the old lady behind the counter, her case set down before she straightened. The woman smiled softly, whispering a return greeting, before picking her cigarette back up.

Ami wrinkled her nose, but said nothing, as was her way. She had no right to tell people what to do, so she simply turned away and faced the magazines. As she did so, she removed a plastic glass case from the pocket of her school skirt, opening it to pull her reading glasses out. A sharp flick of her wrist unfolded them, and she slipped them on as she snapped the case shut. Now, she was ready.

By the end of the first journal, she felt mentally fatigued. The usual joyful glow she received from digesting new information was nonexistent; it was as if the very effort of trying was tiring. She frowned and put it back, taking another.

And another.

The third one was simply left on the shelf as the empty feeling returned to her stomach. It started to cave in on itself when she reached for a fourth, so instead, she shocked herself by taking down a vibrantly colored manga. Brain-rot, it was, insipid, childish trash with no true learning potential. Yet she felt comforted by the image on the front, the posing, sailor suited girl grinning as she winked up at the blue-haired genius. Above, the kanji read simply, "The Adventures of Sailor V!"

"Fantasy for young minds…but I feel so much better. Why?" The answer eluded her, the cover girl continuing to grin in her frozen pose. So she opened it, flipping through a few pages: super heroine runs about in her secret identity. Secret identity runs into the bad guys, and transforms into her super-powered personality. Bad guys caught. A whole smattering of bubbly dialogue and attacks and speeches thrown in for added spice and lack of originality. Repeat.

Ami ran her finger along the page, tracing the image of Sailor V as she posed, making her speech about justice. The sailor suited soldier looked just as she did on the posters in the arcade Ami passed by each day, mysterious mask and all. But the crescent moon on her forehead seemed out of place for some reason, despite its glow. "Crescent moon…ne, Venus-chan, that wasn't you…"

"Mizuno-san, your bus will be here in five minutes." The old woman's smoke-scratched voice was like a dagger in the blue-haired genius's mind. She nearly dropped the manga in her shock and sudden embarrassment, almost positive she'd be chided for reading such a thing. Then she stared closer at the page she held it open to, a colored poster in the center of the book, and gasped.

  
She hadn't even realized she was crying, but the blurred, damp blot on the page spoke its tale. As she watched, the ink began to run, the salty water having penetrated the paper, an imperfect circle of mixed colors forming. "….baka," she whispered again. "_Baka, baka, baka_!" Now she would have to buy it, and the old woman would know she had idled her time away reading trash.

Of course, she could just put it back on the shelf…no! Her head shook violently at the very thought, the manga held tight in her hands. She had ruined it, and she would buy it. Honesty was constant in her life. Even now she was turning to tell the old woman she would purchase it, removing some notes from her pocket.

Five minutes later, she stood at the bus stop, case and plastic bag in hand. The old woman had agreed with her; the American journal of medicine was most assuredly a wonderful purchase…

Sailor V? Nothing but a momentary lapse in judgement.

The bus ground to a stop in front of her, its doors opening to let her in. Her fare was deposited in the box, and as she moved to take a seat, she happened to glance out the window. "Oh, _kawaii_…I wish I could keep a kitty like that in the condo." She smiled and waved to the black cat standing on the sidewalk, not even thinking it odd that it stared straight at her.

Luna watched the bus rumble away, whiskers twitching. "Blue hair, somber eyes…a girl genius, Mizuno Ami. Yes, she's the next one." She bobbed her head to herself in affirmation, though such a discovery should have merited at least a smile; she frowned. The blue-haired genius was a single face in a row of many…one of many faces that were still hidden from her.

"Luunaa!" Footsteps pounded the concrete towards her, and the black feline found herself hoisted up suddenly, and unceremoniously plopped on Usagi's shoulder. "_Gomen nasai_, I'm so late! Haruda-sensei gave me detention again…ne, Luna? What's wrong?"

Humans, Luna decided, really needed to slow down and take things one at a time. "I think I've found another of our allies, Usagi-chan. A girl genius by the name of—"

"—Mizuno Ami-san?" The _odango_-haired blonde stuck her tongue out at her guardian's stupefied look, scowling. "I've seen her in the hall. She always gets the top grades during exams along with Moriya-chan."

"Moriya-chan is smart then, I assume," Luna queried, assuming a more comfortable sprawl over what she thought to be a rather bony shoulder.

Usagi perked up, nodding madly. "_Hai_! That's why she's in public school. But is Mizuno-san really one of our allies?" She looked pleased with the prospect; it meant she didn't have to fight the odd creatures by herself. In fact, she thought they should celebrate, and immediately started off towards the Crown fruit parlor.

"She is. I can sense it—Usagi-chan, this isn't the way home! Usagi-chan!" The black feline started batting her charge's face with her paw when she didn't even look at her. "Usagi-chan! Your mother said to come home right away and study!"

The _odango_-haired blonde simply started humming, skipping down the sidewalk. "But this is a special occasion, which should always be celebrated with a big banana split!" Luna hung her head and sighed.

  
Night came once again to Tokyo, creeping in under the windows and doors. But in an apartment, high at the top of its complex, it seemed as if the night had been there forever.

Mamoru leaned against the railing of his balcony, shirtless in the warm breeze. The bottle of mineral water in his hand was half-empty; a few deep swallows finished it off, and the plastic was set aside. His thirst abated, he searched the skyline with eyes the color of a deep stormy ocean as he searched through his pocket with an ink-stained hand.

Finally he removed his pocket watch, reading its face; 7:57 PM. Far too early for the sensations to come again. "I know it's bad when I can time it," the black-haired man laughed ruefully, holding the star shaped watch in his palm. None of the hallucinations started until well after 10 O'clock.

He shivered with a sudden chill, walking in bare feet over the concrete of his balcony and back into the warmth of his bedroom. The glass door was slipped shut behind him, but he didn't draw the curtain; he left it open for the moonlight to pour in, setting his pocket watch on the bed in a ray. Then he continued on, going into the living room to survey the damage.

Moriya-chan had come over after helping Fuyuna move her things out, claiming they hadn't spent enough time together lately. Which, of course, he knew better, and he knew she knew it too. But they had played the game of ignorance for a couple of hours anyway, cooking up a slapdash dinner, reminiscing over their childhood, and trading stories about school. Then she finally broke down and cried in his lap, and went back to the orphanage.

A cup of eaten half-eaten ramen was lifted off his coffee table, along with a slick black mug that still had some sludgy chocolate and melted marshmallows in it. "It would've been nice if she had stayed to help me clean up." Right. And _odango atama_ would stop being a clutz—no. He banished the bubbly girl from his mind almost savagely, focusing instead on his cleanup work and the girl that had so recently left his apartment.

He'd only been seven when Moriya was brought to the orphanage. Her parents had been killed in a bank robbery, and no relatives could be found, not even a hint. She'd been somber and quiet when she was being led down the hall to her new room, and Mamoru had watched her from his doorway. It wasn't until she was left alone that she started to cry, curled up on her bed.

And Mamoru, in an act that surprised even himself, had gone in and sat down beside her. He hadn't said a word, or even touched her, just let her cry. And when she was finished, eyes red and swollen and nose runny, he had begun to tell her about how he'd ended up there. About the car crash, and his amnesia. How he wasn't even sure that the name they'd given him, ‘Chiba Mamoru,' was even the one he had been born with.

She told him about her parents, and at first, he'd been shocked. Then he just nodded, taking her small hand in his. "We're friends now." And that had been that. They'd been inseparable ever since, even after he moved out on his own with his parents' money. Secrets were always shared…except the one he hadn't told her about yet.

Even as he thought about it, his glance strayed towards a chair just within his line of sight inside of his room, draped with black cloth. A white domino mask was stark in the shadows, and it gave him a tight feeling in his gut to see it. ‘The Mystical Silver Crystal…'

Long hair and a flowing dress. He frowned and turned away from the mask, carrying the gathered plates and assorted mess into the kitchen. "Always that one phrase, over and over again…why does she haunt my dreams? Why can't she tell me who she is!" he snapped, slamming the plates down into the sink.

The clock in the living room struck 8:00, and with every tick, he felt the sudden tug at his soul. Like a sleepwalker, he released the plates and turned away, ignoring the rest of the mess. Through the living room and back into his bedroom he walked, leaning down to pick up the mask. Once it settled over his eyes, the rest was a blur, and he ran out onto the balcony. He could feel the warm wind again, bouncing the medallion that hung from his tie, threatening to remove his top hat.

Like a dreamer, he leapt. His cape caught the breeze as if it was alive, and he took up the edges of it to slow his ascent to the roof of the next building. Then he jumped again, higher this time, to land on the next. This was his mode of travel as the phantom he was currently; the rooftops were his freeway, the only map he needed the burning feeling in his chest.

A hospital loomed in the distance, and even from here he could see the sudden burst of energy that shattered a second-story window. But he couldn't see inside, where the patients were screaming, forgotten by their nurses and doctors as they ran to save themselves from the long-armed creature attacking them. "Ara ara, humans are always so selfish and fast! That energy of yours can be put to such better use!"

In front of the _youma_ lay a crippled woman, her legs useless. Her doctor had turned tail and fled upon seeing the creature, inadvertently yanking her wheelchair out from under her; even now it was still slowly rolling down the hall. "_Matte_…don't leave me here…!" She dug her fingers into the floor, pulling herself along as she tried desperately to escape.

"A broken one! Has your speed and selfish nature finally slowed you down, human?" Suddenly finding herself upside down and dangling, the woman started screaming. "It doesn't matter; your energy is stored up, begging to be released. Let Utsusu take away your burden!" The _youma_ tapped an IV bag at her hip, which was actually attached to her wrist by a tube; the hand turned into a stethoscope cup, and she sucked the energy from the crippled woman with a flourish.

Unconscious and blue in the face, the woman was dropped onto the ground, and the youma surveyed her work. Half of the floor's staff currently lay in haphazard position on the floor, along with many of the more sickly patients who weren't quick enough to escape. The bags that laced her belt were stuffed full of energy, pale and glowing; Beryl-sama would be most pleased with this mission.

Or maybe not. The _youma_ frowned as she spotted one of the doctors slowly dragging herself around a corner, barely conscious. "Ami…"

"Useless!" A pair of feet just disappeared around the corner as Utsusu dived forward, gaping maw dripping with saliva. She hadn't compensated for the doctor's small burst of speed, and her leering grin turned into one of shock as she hit the opposing wall face first. "_Shimatta_…human! Stop moving so fast!" Back around the youma spun…and right into an instrument tray heading right for her nose.

The long-armed creature went down with stars in her eyes as Ami dropped the tray. "Unusual, nasty creature," the blue-haired genius whispered, stepping back. A plaintive groan near her foot had her bending down to pull the feeble doctor up, supporting her. "We can make it, mama…we'll call for help once we get out of here."

"Ami….I can't…we can't just leave my patients…" The doctor stumbled as they hurried down the hall, her legs as unmanageable as lead poles. They passed up many bodies on their way, a few still conscious enough to watch them with glazed, sunken eyes.

Behind them, the _youma_ was starting to crawl back up; the whisper of limbs against the wall was suddenly loud in Ami's ears. "_Hai hai_, mama, but we're almost there." And sure enough, the elevator was just footsteps away. They would make it, and they would surely call for help the moment they were safely outside…

Then, her entire body seemed to turn to rubber, useless. It didn't even take a minute for both herself and her mother to turn limp, collapsing like dolls atop one another. Something viscous and wet coated them both, and Ami dimly marked it as something similar to novocaine. She couldn't even roll her eyes up in her sockets to see the _youma_ advance on them once more, the bags at her waist glowing brighter and brighter. "Let me release your burden…."

"Moon Frisbee!" The blue-haired genius stared in her enforced silence at the wall, unable to see the impact but the shadow of it. Something discus-like hit the creature in the back of the head, rebounding off to dissipate in a sudden burst of light. "Get away from Mizuno-san, you disgusting thing!"

The _youma_ gripped her head, seeing those same damn stars again; and this time, they were doing the calypso to an 80's death metal band. A snarling set of teeth were shown as she twisted around to see her attacker, who stood in the hallway Ami and her mother had just escaped from. "You must be that Sailor Moon child I was told of."

A hand at her side lifted, shooting off a mucous-like wad of the same novocaine substance she'd used on the blue-haired genius. Only now, she aimed it at the sailor-suited soldier in the hallway who suddenly looked terrified. And who, upon realizing she had yet another evil minion to beat silly, began to shriek and dropped to the ground.

"Ami-san…Ami-san!" Dimly was Ami aware of something nudging at her, the feeling so dull she almost attributed it to vibrations of the so-called ‘fight' being waged. Then, as the black feline padded into her immobile view and repeated her name, she figured maybe the drug had some side-effects. Did evil entities worry about such things as loose bowels and migraines?

Luna frowned. Whatever the _youma_ had coated Ami with was effective; the blue-haired genius couldn't even follow the cat's movements with her eyes. "Ami-san, listen to me. I know you may not be accepting of such things such as magic, or of destiny, but you must believe me." A minor tussle of paws brought up what looked to be a blue pen into Ami's line of sight; it seemed to pulse in synch with her heartbeat.

In the hallway, Sailor Moon was literally slip-sliding on blobs of novocaine goo that had missed her. Thankfully, she had yet to fall, though each time she managed to straighten up, Utsusu took aim once more. "You little nuisance!"

Doctor Mizuno's eyes had closed, and Ami could feel her unsteady breathing against her leg. The black feline was staring at her intently, that sigil-capped pen clutched unsteadily between her paws. She could just barely twitch her own fingers now, and her tongue managed to free itself to wet her lips. "Magic…des…dest…iny?" Her vocal cords were still sluggish, however.

A black blur shot out from an adjoining room as the _youma_ finally cornered the _odango_-haired soldier. Sailor Moon was snatched up and out of the way just seconds before the stethoscope cup hit the wall and went right through from the force. The creature began the painful task of yanking her arm out as a domino-masked, tuxedo-clad man smiled down at an enthralled Sailor Moon. "You're welcome."

"Make your muscles work again, Ami-san. You have to transform and become one of our allies!" Luna set the pen on the blue-haired genius's chest to physically lift and tug a hand up, back paws wobbling as she hoisted up to rest atop the pen itself. "Now," she panted. Humans had such heavy limbs! "You have to say the words. Say ‘Mercury Power, Make Up!' to access your self, your true form! Say it!"

The tuxedo-clad man had just barely introduced himself when he had to drag Sailor Moon out of the way again. But this time, the novocaine goo didn't miss, and the _odango_-haired blonde screamed as they both went down, his leg suddenly numb. She was buried beneath him, and nearly paralyzed by fear. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama, get up, get up! I can't do this alone, I'm too scared!"

The hand Luna had lifted onto her chest gripped the pen feebly, barely getting a grip. Ami could hear Sailor Moon's screaming, eclipsed by the sudden shrieking triumph of the youma. Like a soundtrack, Tuxedo Kamen's bouts of shouting waxed and waned as he tried to continue pulling Sailor Moon away, dragging his useless leg. And the weight on her own chest was relieved slightly when the black feline catapulted off, racing to impact with the creature's legs. "M…M-Ma…Maaaah…" _Mercury Power, Make Up!_ "Mahhhh…" _Mercury Power, Make Up!_ "…kyuurii…" _Mercury Power! Make Up!_

_Mercury! Power! Make! Up!_

Everyone but Ami was conscious of the fact she was now screaming by this point.

"MERCURY POWER, MAKE UP!"

Fog is nothing but condensed vapor, water particles suspended in a grounded cloud. In some cold conditions, water can turn to ice.

That was the situation the _youma_ suddenly faced as everything went cloudy and dim, cold and wet. Her two victims were lost in the mist, and the cat she'd kicked off was gone as well. She was lost, directionless, and quite open to attack.

Another glowing discus came at her right side, and was easily dodged. But on the return arc it impacted with her belt, and the energy she had collected simply exploded outwards. Tossed backwards by the force, the _youma_ lay stunned as the tendrils of milky white burst free, flying in globules into the bodies that once possessed them. And with the clearing fog, Sailor Moon's aim was easy, and on target.

The creature's destruction went out in a whimper instead of a bang.

And as the fog totally dissipated, the _odango_-haired blonde found herself with a room full of groggy, awakening patients and doctors, a cat, no black-clad saviour, and… "A-ano…what happened to me?"

"Mizuno-san?" Sailor Moon bent to pick up Luna, staring all the while in awe at a girl who had, moments prior, been a blue-haired genius in a school fuku.

Now, a uniform similar to her own tightly hugged Ami's body, an aquatic blue in color, and lacking shoulder pads. The girl herself was staring down in confusion and surprise, and pulled at the white bodice of her fuku as if to check that it was indeed tangible. "I..changed," she finally admitted, studious blue eyes lifting to feline and fellow soldier.

"_Hai_. You command water, and ice, the soldier of water, Sailor Mercury," Luna replied calmly, though a kittenish smile twitched her lips. "You're our ally in the battle against the enemy."

The black feline expected her to possibly deny it, or even, in the extreme, faint from the shock. What they got instead of a sudden schooling of features, a rock-solid expression put into place. "We need to help these people get up, and back to their beds." And, without a pause, she turned to help her mother up to her feet.

Sailor Moon blinked, glancing down at her mentor. "Ne, Luna…"

"_Hai_, Sailor Moon?" The _odango_-haired blonde nibbled at her lower lip, setting the feline down. "Is something wrong?"

Images of a man in a tuxedo, with eyes like the ocean behind a domino mask…. She shook her head, moving to hold out hands to a small girl. "Nothing, Luna. Now, stop talking." A girlish smile spread as Luna complacently meowed, padding off to nudge another child. Hopefully, the people who had heard her speak would attribute it to hallucinations.

The child she had nudged, a small boy, opened eyes of glassy brown. "_Ha-hajimemashite, koneko-san_. I think I fell." When Luna seemed to nod her head in agreement, he held out his arms, one still sluggishly bleeding from the prick of an IV that had fallen out in the skirmish. She padded into them, purring like an engine as he stroked her back; albeit, the wrong way.

At the window, a flash of gold, of blue. Solemn twilight watched the patients being helped to their rooms, a hand gloved in white holding a star-capped pen to her lips. The girl made sitting on a windowsill nary two-inches across look easy, her comfortable pose languid despite the height. But it was easily abandoned in a gymnastic twist and flip as the lights turned on, a flurry of golden hair disappearing out the window.

Mercury led her mother in, despite the woman's weak (but steadily strengthening) protests. Sailor Moon and Luna followed close behind, the doctors on the bottom floors having finally making it up the stairs to help the fallen patients. Their job was almost done, and Luna had a kitten's smile on her lips as she hopped onto the windowsill. "But my patients…"

"….will be fine, Mizuno-san," the _odango_-haired blonde chirped. "_Daijoubu_! Have faith in the rest of the staff."

Luna shifted her tail, glancing suspiciously down at the street level. Why was the windowsill so warm? She lowered her head, daintily sniffing at the wood, as Doctor Mizuno finally slumped down onto the bed as ordered. "Thank you Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury." The short black-haired woman thankfully didn't notice Mercury's flinch when she then asked, "Do you know if my daughter, Ami, is alright?"

Sailor Moon ran a hand along Luna's back, smoothing down hair the feline didn't realize was standing up. About to speak, she was cut off by the blue-haired genius. "She's alright, Ma—Mizuno-san. She was only dazed, and she knows you're here. I bet she's at home right now, safe and sound." The lie came out much easier than she expected, and she turned away with tears in her eyes as her mother murmured her thanks.

As the doctor finally slipped into a deep sleep, Mercury shut the door. "Is it always going to be this way, this lying?" Teary, studious blue eyes swiveled around towards the _odango_-haired blonde and the black feline.

"_Hai. Gomen ne_, Ami-san, but it has to be done. The enemy waits for no one, and we have a mission to accomplish." With a flick of tail, Luna looked up towards the moon hanging heavy and chalky white in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm aware that I had Tuxedo show up in act 2, instead of 1. It was an error; when I started this, it was mostly on a lark, and I just went at it. Then I realized my mistake when I made it to this act, though I suppose it turned out well; you can't expect the guy to show up immediately. Plus, it makes sense that Usagi would give him his name, instead of him honestly calling himself something quite silly.
> 
>  
> 
> Giving Ami her pen at the hospital instead of the cram school is actually a really old plot from my really old and very, very bad anime fanfic from, oh, almost ten years ago. Ami gets hit by a car, and ends up in the hospital, where a youma with a needle arm wreaks havoc. Aside from it needing a major update, I thought it fitting to place her somewhere else, instead of the same old school setting.
> 
> And I think my apology for my writing extends to about, oh, the end of the Dark Kingdom arc, so, uh....bear that in mind. This is all now almost a decade freakin' old. It gets better. Promise.


	3. Act 03 : rei - Sailormars

##### 

"Computer. Are these all of the data entries?"

  
"Correct."

A black paw scrubbed at the feline's face in sleepy annoyance. Though the control center and its computers were specially modified to allow for a cat to type, it was hardly comfortable. It didn't help that she was working on barely a few hours sleep; when one shares a bed with a habitual toss-and-turn-and-flail occupant, one has a tendency to be woken up often. More than a few traumatizing drops off the side tonight alone had prompted this midnight session.

Quite frankly, she was attributing this to sleeplessness. "Computer. Bring up all of the entries made since the link was established in Tokyo, circa late 20th century." It made a noise not unlike a PC booting up, one that reminded her of indigestion. Then, the screen ran up a series of boxes, all but two blanked out. "Computer. Identify entries."

"Unable to comply. Verification of authority needed."

"You have my authority!" Luna felt like smashing her paws against the keyboard, but that would solve nothing and most likely confuse the system. So she mollified herself with raking her claws against a strategically placed scratching post at her side. It was a minor embarrassment to suffer, seeing as destroying expensive equipment wasn't something she could, or would, live down. That done, she bathed both paws before going back into the line of fire with a vengeance. "Computer. Bring up both accessible entries."

The screen exchanged the rows of blacked-out boxes for a set of two colorful with pictures and writing that ran as thus:

Sailor Moon  
Tsukino Usagi – age 14  
Active since 200X

Sailor Mercury  
Mizuno Ami – age 14  
Active since 200X  
Second to awaken

Luna sat back on her haunches thoughtfully. Then, she brought up a new screen, blank and begging to be touched, though she had barely typed a few notes before everything went black. "_Nani_?" she said, getting up onto all four paws. But she needn't have worried, as the silhouette that soon came up was a familiar one. "Ara, it's you. Really, you should warn me before doing that! I lost my work."

"_Gomen gomen_, Luna-chan," the voice giggled, hardly repentant. Like the voice of a child who has just interrupted a playmate to show off their new discovery. And truly, the bow-shape at the head of the silhouette only reinforced the feline's curiosity as to exactly who her ally was.

But as always, the switch from childish naivete to stern taskmaster was unnerving. Gestures ceased, and the figure became like a solid statue of gray tones, voice soft yet pointed. "Luna, you tried to access them again. You know you aren't allowed to see that far ahead. It could disrupt everything—"

"And is withholding information from me supposed to help our mission?" As the silhouette sighed, the black feline settled back onto her haunches again. It was the same argument that had been waging in the past few weeks since Mercury had been awakened, a feat that had barely whetted Luna's insatiable curiosity. So many boxes, and only two soldiers awakened – not counting the possible third on the screen before her.

The figure sighed. Indeed, it was already becoming a painful argument. "Trust me, Luna. There are people who…can't be awakened yet. It's too soon. And such foreknown info can be dangerous; the awakening is a desperate and sudden event. Things can be said that can alter potential, and then, the enemies will have won." And with a blip of finality, the screen went blank once more.

Luna stared at the blinking cursor as if it would divulge to her what exactly her ally had just said. Then, after the pixels began re-arranging themselves as she stared at them a bit too long, she finally began typing again.

Chiba Mamoru – age 17-18  
Exhibits unusual knowledge  
Possibly an enemy?

  
The poster was started to wear thin from countless fingers touching it, rubbing it; colors had faded from the sun's harsh rays. ‘Don't fail! This year's athletics festival is sure to be the best word all season! Only the top school can hope to win!'

"Ne ne, when did Shibakouen decide to allow other schools to compete?"

Naru had been the one to ask. Usagi was too busy trying to rip the controls off of the Sailor V game; Ami was frantically trying to convince her the machine wasn't cheating. "Maybe the sponsors wanted more schools involved this year," Moriya replied, standing next to Naru as she was. A finger tapped at the small print below the semi-vibrant pictures: ‘Sponsored by Dark Tech. Corporation.' "I guess the prizes are going to be all video games and CDs."

"Video games?" An _odango_'d head squeezed between Naru and Moriya, crystal blue eyes zooming in on the poster. Neither had heard her approach; such was the quiet, deadly stalk of the video game addict. Both girls literally jumped aside, blinking.

Having saved the Sailor V console from imminent destruction by bludgeoning, the blue-haired genius made her way over to the trio. Draped over her shoulder was Luna, who had decided that Ami was a far safer mode of travel then a crybaby who managed to find every crack in the sidewalk by some sort of unexplainable attraction. "Dark Tech. Corporation? I've never heard of them before," Ami murmured quietly.

"Most likely they're new and need the attention," the redhead countered amiably, folding her arms. It was a warm day, and everyone was rolling up their sleeves. "And I remember the principal saying our class had been selected."

Usagi's following screech caused everyone in the arcade to slap their hands over their ears. "_Na-ani_!? You mean we all have to get involved?" Luna flattened her ears against her head; the _odango_-haired blonde was hardly the most athletic girl in her class, something that the black feline sorely wished she'd rectify. Tripping and falling flat on your face hardly inspired fear in your enemies. "But I don't like sports! It's not healthy for me, and I prefer to eat so much more!"

"And you'll gain weight always eating like that, Usagi-chan," Naru chided softly, though she smiled right afterward. "Besides, you don't need to worry. We pick one person to do the events for our class."

"_Sugoi_! This means I can cheer in the stands safely!" A fist pumped up to the ceiling in triumph as the other three just nodded, warbling "_Hai hai_" in unison.

But just outside of the window was a bit more sober affair. Men on the sidewalk hurriedly primped themselves as the schoolgirls passed by; one or two of the more daring trying to get a glimpse beneath skirts almost dangerously short - so short, one would think it amazing that it was the uniform for a staid Catholic girls' school. Gray top, its buttons in a neat row of two across the breast, and one down, coupled with a brown skirt. A burgundy neck kerchief that matched the stripe of the sailor's collar.

One particularly brave (or perhaps stupid) middle-aged man leaned forward, beginning his descent into a kneel to tie his shoes. Timing it just as they passed, he was starting to lower himself when a frigid purple gaze stopped him. An exotic stare that held him in place, made his insides go numb, and then promptly shoved him back onto his ass. He wasn't sure that he was even breathing, and indeed held his breath as the girls passed him by, spines ramrod straight.

"Such ridiculous foolery," one stated coldly. A hand lifted, wrist limp as she gestured at the Crown with an air of absolute superiority. "To think, we have to debase our school by participating in those…athletic games." With the tone she used, she could've been describing the vilest occurrence in creation. One of her associates nodded; the other simply stared in through the window with exotic purple eyes.

"Don't look in, Hino-san, you're too good for such rabble!" the other gasped, taking the purple-eyed girl's arm and leading her away. She moved easily despite her solemn gaze, and the trio resumed their walk. But when a similar group of schoolgirls left the Crown, a raucous laughter pursued the haughty females and their purple-eyed companion all the way down the sidewalk.

Some days, it just didn't pay to get out of bed in the mid-afternoon.

Of course, since their kingdom existed beneath the ice of the Arctic, time had no relevant concept in conjunction to the day. When one can't see the sun, one can't honestly say if it's the morning, evening, or noon hours. Details, really.

Nothing Jadeite was particularly concerned about either, in light of his recent chewing out. Tension literally wired his body into steel consistency, and his eyes shot daggers. Unfortunately for the recipient of that gaze, he was far too smarmy to recognize the need to turn tail and run. "I hear our queen is still displeased with you, Jadeite."

"Fuck off, Nephrite." Terse and bitten off were those words, common Earth street slang he had picked up on his few travels to Tokyo. Not the words for one of Beryl's highest commanding officers to use, but he really didn't care right now.

The brown-haired general simply laughed. "Are those the words of the Far Eastern general? Ara ara. Those weak soldiers have really gotten to you." A charming grin curved his lips as he touched a fist to his chest. "You should leave it to me; I would make them cower easily before our Queen."

A subtle challenge, but still.

Jadeite narrowed his eyes. "I don't need help from you, Nephrite. My plans will succeed, and our holy kingdom will be awoken to overtake this planet of fragile lives. Don't interfere with your useless ideas!"

"Not nearly as useless as your arguing words Jadeite, Nephrite. The Far Eastern general and the North American general, fighting like rabble!" The words bounced off the hallway's walls, rebounding into silence. Their owner stayed comfortable in the shadows, though the shiny leather toe of one boot protruded into the meager light.

Both generals seemed angered at the intrusion, though only Nephrite was inclined to state it: "And what words would you offer us, Zoisite?" A flick of fingers gloved in white brushed a few dust motes off the sleeve of his uniform as he waited for a response. The short blond-haired general sneered flat out.

The boot toe slunk forward, bringing the third speaker into the light. "I would offer you that our Queen is displeased, and her displeasure could spread to the rest of us. Your disgrace makes us all look bad, Jadeite." A hand came up to draw back through long blond hair, gathering it up at the nape.

"I won't fail this time. We will have energy for our master, and the _Ginzuishou_ for our Queen! No child in a short skirt will stop our kingdom from taking its rightful place up above," Jadeite stated coldly. Another gaze of indignation was leveled on both of them before the general strode meaningfully away.

His heels clicked on the stone floor like hammers all the way down. Though, truly, his mind had already left the scene and this place; it spiraled out towards the immense city that had become his bane, nitpicking over his plan. Nothing could go wrong this time, because for once, it was a plan that worked because of its subtlety.

Already could he feel the workings of their magic, of his kingdom long buried and forgotten, as he initiated a teleport. It was like a violent rip in the air, red-raw and jagged, and it yanked him with no lack of gentleness from stone hallways into empty air. A few citizens of Tokyo who noticed the sudden flash of color simply rubbed their eyes, blaming the heat.

Such were the minds of humans; simple and easily swayed.

Below the sharp slash of color, however, one pair of eyes remained steadfastly upward. The owner of the eyes halted in mid-step, head swiveling almost painfully up towards the sky. At least, until a passing bicycle veered at her, the swerve coming too late; and there was screaming as the _odango_-haired blonde toppled into the street, hitting the concrete hard. "Usagi-chan!"

A few of the cars saw the girl in the street and hit the brakes hard, skidding to a stop…and into each other. Metal crunched, glass shattering. Usagi lay oblivious to it, dazed from a blow to her temple, and barely had the strength to look upward as several pairs of footsteps came toward her. And the smell of…of…

…roses?

"You should be careful!" Arms lifted her up, and she was surrounded by a cacophony of voices, blurry images, scents. Moriya she recognized as a blot of red, Naru a blob of brown. Ami was a solid pillar of blue, and another person, the one holding her, was auburn. Processing that much info was too much, and she let her body relax as they carried her off the street.

Ami was already gingerly touching her head, her fingers skittish; despite her new bond to the _odango_-haired blonde, she was still wary and new to such trusting friendships. But the light probe was all she needed before she said, "It doesn't look like she has a concussion. Just dazed from the landing."

"Dazed? She was nearly hit by a car for the second time this month!" That was Moriya, frantic and worried. "Usagi-chan, are you alright?"

"_Itaaaai_…." A wet nose was snuffling at her cheek, and she flailed wildly at it. Luna squawked indignantly when she finally hit the mark, smacking the feline head over tail. "What happened?"

Someone laughed, and it was a voice she didn't recognize. Maybe the blow had rattled her brain more than she thought. "You almost found out what the inside of a Tokyo bus looked like, Usagi-san."

Now that the shock was finally passing, and crystal blue eyes had gained more focus, the _odango_-haired blonde gained a better look at her saviour, who towered over all of them; even Moriya, who had a few inches over Usagi and Naru both. Permed auburn brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, rose earrings shining like small stars in her ears. Her eyes, the colour of healthy green maple leaves, were wide and soft. "_D-domo arigatou gozaimasu_," Usagi finally stuttered out.

"Just be careful next time." The girl smiled, standing up straight. Naru handed her a plastic grocery bag, and Usagi finally, absurdly, noticed the fruits and vegetables littering the street, as well as another bag. She must've thrown it aside in running towards her, to free up a hand. The _odango_-haired blonde felt another immense pang of embarrassment.

Ami, quiet in her corner where she'd picked up the disoriented Luna, spoke up. "We…I….we'll pay you back for the groceries you lost…" Eyes the colour of warm water flickered between Moriya and Naru hesitantly, relaxing only when both nodded. It was the least they could do, after all, for someone who helped to save their friend.

The girl laughed, sounding surprisingly embarrassed. "That's all right, I was just going to another store anyway. I just moved here." Then, she quickly ducked into a bow, her cheeks coloring pink. "I wouldn't impose on you, I just wanted to help. _Sayonara_." Quick was her exit down the sidewalk, despite the fact it was in the opposite direction from where she'd come.

And it was fast, if only so they wouldn't notice the tears in her eyes. "_Baka_, Makoto…! They were so nice…they'd never accept the true person I am, so unwomanly and crude…" She fled as fast as long legs would take her, trying to avoid the eyes she knew remained on her. As they always did.

Never mind the pity and sadness that mirrored in all five of them.

But once the permed head disappeared down the sidewalk, Naru and Moriya busied themselves with propping Usagi up on their shoulders. They could hear the ambulance and other emergency vehicles showing up, and most of the gawking bystanders had their attention on the totaled cars. "We can take her to my mother's hospital," Ami started to say as they began to weave through the crowd, only to trail off. Her mother's hospital was still being investigated after the _youma's_ attacks.

"Isn't your mother's hospital the one that had a floor closed down, Ami-san?" Naru glanced back at the blue-haired genius, who was coloring slightly. Lying still had yet to settle within her system, and every mention of the floor that had been attacked made her squirm uneasily.

Moriya clicked her tongue against her teeth. "We can take her to the orphanage," she stated quietly, stopping the question that was on Naru's tongue. Usagi stared upward at her friend with wide, wondering eyes; Moriya had never even shown anyone outside of the odango-haired blonde where the orphanage was located. The city had more than a few due to the immense size of its population, and the constant flow of military families who had their children run away; it was immensely easy for Moriya to hide within them, anonymous. "Sakkaku-san has medical training, and she knows Usagi. She can bandage her up."

"Moriya-chan," Usagi murmured.

Doors were cracked open as curious eyes and ears trained on the lone room at the end of the hall. It stood away from the rest of the rooms that opened into the hallway, the door worn and tired-looking. By mutual consent, it was the room that the eldest orphans had; a solitary refuge for those children who couldn't make the grade for adoption. Most of the inhabitants of that room left only when they turned legally able to do so alone.

Nowadays only one person slept in it, the last and oldest child in the building. Usually, she was quiet, withdrawn. But now, screams of bloody murder cut through the thin walls, and most of the children were nearly beside themselves with curiosity as to what was going on…

"_Itaaaaiiiii_!"

"Hold still, Tsukino-san! Honestly, you're acting as if you've just turned five!" Another cotton ball soaked in antiseptic dabbed none-too-gently at a raw red scrape that decorated Usagi's elbow, and the _odango_-haired blonde screamed bloody murder again.

Sakkaku was a stout elderly woman, her ink-black hair shot through with gray, eyes of a rare green shade still sharp behind her glasses. She ran the orphanage with a lace glove inside of an iron gauntlet, and for the most part, the kids loved her. Usagi just didn't happen to be one of them right now. "If you hadn't been traipsing around in the street, I wouldn't have to be doing this," she stated firmly, winding a bandage around the elbow.

"We weren't traipsing, Sakkaku-san, for the last time!" Moriya sighed, exasperated, and just looked up at the ceiling as the woman snorted inelegantly.

The room they had clustered themselves in was long enough to fit five single beds at each wall. All but one was made up neatly, sheets tightly tucked in, pillows plumped and lacking indentation. The newcomers, wary of even disturbing such serenity, milled about in embarrassed silence, Ami stroking at Luna's head now and again.

Moriya had led them to the orphanage in silence the entire way, a considerable feat. The building was on the outskirts of the city, several bus rides from Usagi's house and their school, and both Ami and Naru were in quiet awe at just how early their friend got up every morning to meet the perpetually-late Usagi at her house.

Luna was silent as well, though had it only been her and Ami and Usagi, she still would have found herself in contemplation. She swung limply over the blue-haired genius's shoulder like a fur stole, blue eyes vague on her surroundings. Things didn't seem to add up for her, and she spent most of the time tabulating details in her mind that would be added to her computer files later.

Once at the orphanage, however, chaos ensued. Sakkaku had been just opening the door to look out at the sinking sun over the city skyline when the five bedraggled girls had shown up. One look at Usagi, and the woman ushered them inside with sharp comments that only barely veiled her worry. And inside, she'd taken them all to Moriya's room to clean those wounds – hence the screaming.

"A man biking past Usagi-chan nearly hit her," Ami interjected quietly. Suddenly gaining attention, she flushed an uncomfortable shade of red. "He swerved, and knocked her into the street before we could catch her…."

The stout woman tied off the last bandage, straightening up to dust her hands off. "Well, those people do have a tendency to be wild. Always ungrateful of others….do you feel better, Tsukino-san?"

Usagi sniffed. "_Hai_. I'm just a crybaby, that's all." She flexed her arm slowly, then bounced on Moriya's bed experimentally. Finding it softer than she expected, she lolled back into it, limbs akimbo over the comforter. "Ahhh!"

"That girl needs to learn discipline," Luna grumbled under her breath, directly into Ami's ear. The blue-haired genius coloured again, touching a hand to her mouth. Naru looked at her quizzically, but said nothing as Sakkaku spoke:

"You girls be careful now." A thick finger waved at them before the stout woman was moving past. The antiseptic bottles and bandages in her arms, she went through a humorous minute of attempting to open the door with full hands, before nearly tumbling out. Naru and Usagi began giggling, while Ami looked even more embarrassed, if possible.

Moriya slowly shook her head. "Ara ara, the woman is stifling sometimes." She slumped back into a lean against the wall that any chiropractor would have drooled at. At her friends' looks, she shrugged. "She tries to be protective of all of the kids, but me she still treats like I'm ten. Maybe because I'm the oldest and still here…" Trailing off, she shrugged again. Trying to be indifferent, and failing.

The room fell silent again. Crystal blue eyes regarded her friend with a worried stare, knowing how badly it hurt for her to be constantly left behind. An arm reached out as Usagi stood, trying to comfort her. "Moriya-chan, don't be sad…"

The redhead just clasped her hand over Usagi's as it settled onto her shoulder. "_Daijoubu_, Usagi-chan. It's just old age creeping up on me." She grinned as the odango-haired blonde made a face, Naru and Ami joining in on a short, if warm, tendril of laughter.

"So, Moriya-chan, this is where you live?" Naru queried curiously, tilting her head to look around at the room. The walls were bare, save for the corner near the window where they stood. Posters of various foreign musicians overlapped, covering the paint, most of them sneering or staring moodily into the camera. One was even giving it the finger, and at that, Ami's face nearly singed Luna's fur, she was so red.

After a moment's quiet grin at Ami's discomfort, Moriya nodded. "I moved in here after Mamoru left, about, oh….three years ago. All the others were adopted away a year after that, and it's been just me ever since."

Naru and Ami had yet to know the pleasure of meeting the black-haired high school boy. Hence their surprise as Usagi stood bolt upright, squeaking indignantly, "That jerk used to live in this room?!" Moriya nodded, and the odango-haired blonde collapsed onto the bed, moaning about the evil inherent in Chiba Mamoru.

"Sounds like a mysterious boy," Naru murmured in amusement. "Is he your secret love, Usagi-chan?"

A pillow smacked the brown-haired girl in the face. "NO!"

  
When night fell, more sirens split the air.

From the window of a high-rise condominium building, several people watched the blinking lights below. The window took up most of the wall, obscured by immense curtains during the day that were thick with velvet. A large desk sat before it, a man of no considerable bulk sitting in the chair. The oval table that sat the rest of the room's occupants took up space in the center of the room, each chair filled.

The talk was menial, hardly anything new. For a guild of thieves, they spoke of little else but their craft, and that was to be expected. But for the solemn-faced girl that hung just beside the immense window, fingers curled about a chain of golden, glittering links that wrapped twice about her waist, it was intolerably dull. "Why do I have to be here, Artemis?"

"Because Boss thinks something big may be going down, V-chan!" the pen, safely tucked as it was into a skirt pocket, snapped. Although the voice was of a feline miles away, it brought a faint smile to her face.

A carefully placed hole in the glass was next to her ear. She could hear what they were saying, though it was faint; the steadily increasing winds didn't help any. Her body was being buffeted about by the wind, and it was only a tight grip on the chain and its magic that kept her from flying off into space. "I'm getting too old for this," V muttered ruefully.

Ever since the first had awakened, Sailor V's activities had drastically decreased. Although she kept active, she left the enemies to Sailor Moon, and honed her own skills on villains of a different variety.

Common human criminals.

Even now, the men she listened to were plotting another of their robberies. Some random rich patron of the arts had too many valuable paintings not to catch their eye, and they knew exactly which ones would gain them the most on the market. Standard fare, really; their mentions of a ‘ridiculously-dressed little girl' who had halted their last few attempts made her smile. And that was one of the kinder comments she'd heard about herself.

"Ne, V-chan, what's going on?" Midnight eyes blinked rapidly. She'd been starting to daydream, and that was exceedingly dangerous in her position. The links of her chain had started to lose tangibility with her lack of control, and she reset them firmly once again before daring a look inside.

Chaos.

Someone had thrown the doors open, a small figure clad in solemn blacks striding in. A slim, slender figure, with a familiar face… "_Shimatta_!"

"Ne, Venus? Venus, what is it?" Artemis' voice hinged on frantic. One of the things he hated most about sending the long-haired blonde out on her own was not being there when she needed help. It didn't help that she took nearly four minutes before answering him, so engrossed she was in watching the room and eavesdropping.

Everyone had stood, save for the rotund man at the sole desk. She couldn't see him, his back being to the window currently, but she was certain he was frowning. "You have a lot of nerve barging in like this, child. Your last job was a farce; the police have begun to sniff around, suspecting us. If you will stay with this guild in honor, you will—"

"I'll do what I please, Ooki-san. It's your honor to my family that binds me into this guild, and you wouldn't dishonor their name….not if you're a man who still believes in such codes." It was a quick rebuttal, and the group clustered around the table seemed to hold their collective breath, just waiting to see what the man would say.

The girl hanging outside of the window held her breath as well, though it was a dual motion; the wind was getting worse, and the building made for horrible padding to be slammed into. Artemis was squawking something that she couldn't hear, because one ear was pressed firm to the glass, leaving the other with the task of filtering through the noise of the whistling plus the feline's comments. No easy task indeed, when both sounded alike.

Ooki eyed the slender female, shifting his weight. A barely imperceptible nod of his head, and he was motioning the group out. "Leave us; I must speak with this honorless child alone." Cries of "But Ooki-san!" and "We have business!" rang out, a loud clamour after such tense stillness. The man simply grunted, shifting himself again in the chair. "I said leave us."

"Venus, what in the name of the _kami_ is going on over there?!" The sailor-suited soldier grappled with the mystical chain, levering the pen out of her pocket and wedging it quickly between her teeth, before grabbing hold again. With such intense winds, she'd very nearly been flung out into space with that quick loss of two-handed grip.

"The leader of the guild is talking to the newcomer alone," she grunted back. Although the words came across so garbled from both her full mouth and static that Artemis had to sit back and stare incoherently for a few minutes to untangle it.

A paw pressed against the microphone that hung in front of his mouth, wobbling the badly fitting headset that clamped his ears against his head. "Maybe this is the big deal Boss thought…."

"Shhh, Artemis." Midnight blue eyes narrowed as she shoved her hip against the side of the building, pressing herself as tightly as possible to the stone. The argument inside was half-lost to the winds, their conversational tones far too quiet against the raucous elements they had to compete with. Not for the first time did V curse the lack of microphone bugs that Artemis steadfastly refused to let her use. "Instead, I have to hang outside of a twenty-story window while a tsunami is trying its best to drop me down and make me into street taco…"

The white feline sighed. "Pizza, V-chan," he muttered, only to hear a muted razz of tongue and a "Whatever" in return. English slang was definitely not her strong point, ranking a good second behind her proverbs.

Inside, however, Oogi and his visitor were mangling nothing if not their working ties. "I will take no more of this ridiculousness! Your talents as a thief have been tarnished, and your sloppy mistakes will have us all in trouble with the law. They're difficult enough to deal with as it is, and you pull this!" A finger that just barely wobbled with rage pointed down at the open newspaper before him. "'Thief makes away with jewels worth millions; baubles later found in a local pawn shop.' You never attempted to hide your steps, nor go through our usual brokers. Stupidity, selfishness!"

"I have more important things on my mind then giving some fat excuses for thieves their ‘cut,'" the figure snapped back. A finger far more steady and smaller pointed back at him, held straight in accusation. "A dream, not that you would know of such things, demands I do this my way. I'm on a search for a holy item, and damn any of you that try to stop me."

While Oogi began to sputter in total indignation, the words began to flow faster, more rapid against him. "Your laws and traditions are old, just like you are. I have a higher calling, I know it in my heart! And if I have to stomp and kick and scrape my way over all of you to find this mystical crystal, then I will, and never once pause to consider the consequences!"

The gasp outside was never heard over the howling wind, or Oogi's snarl. "Sharp words for a little girl. Consider this our parting, _musume-san_; for to cross us, is to invite death. We have our laws to uphold in the face of honor!" Fat trembled as his girth was lifted upwards, stepping away from the desk and his visitor. A door opened on the side of the room; and even before he stepped through did several new figures glide through it, all dressed tightly in black. Metal glinted in some of their hands.

"You're an honorless dog!" the girl snapped in return. She couldn't have been old enough to be in high school yet, but she faced her killers proudly. Oogi never commented back, having disappeared into the door.

The guild of thieves in Tokyo had old, stern rules; cross them, defy them in any way that made you a threat, and you were exterminated. Age didn't matter. If one had been accepted into the guild with full status, the punishment was final. And at the moment, it looked like her punishment was going to be a group party; all five of them had cutting blades that looked recently sharpened and cleaned. "I knew I should have stayed home…"

"Cr—nt B—am!" Glass exploded inwards, flying at high velocity through the room. Everyone went diving for cover immediately, or ducked down, not noticing the ‘ridiculously-dressed little girl' swinging inside by a length of glittering gold chain.

It didn't matter, because as soon as she'd spotted the other girl, she was motioning frantically at her. "Come on!"

"Sailor V?" The girl gawked for a moment, before standing upright and jumping over the long table, pursued by one of her executioners. A wickedly curved blade aimed down at her back as they ran, though a sudden bright glow had her dropping down flat. Golden energy accompanied by yet another yell flew over her head, blasting the man backwards several feet.

The long-haired blonde was almost hopping about from foot to foot, she was so high strung. Artemis was near screaming to try and get her attention, though she could barely respond in such a state. She held out an arm to the girl, grinning. "This is fun. Trust me!"

"Do I have a choice?" the other replied sardonically. She wrapped her arm around Sailor V's waist, as the soldier did the same in return, and summoned her chain again. It flew out the window into the sky to the next building over, and wrapped a good ten times around a chimney. Both girls ran for the window, and leapt. "Thank the kami I'm not afraid of hei—IIIIGHTS!"

Down they dropped, the glass-littered office and flabbergasted assassins left behind. Air whistled past them as they fell, the girl thief's grip tight as a vice around V's waist, though she wore a look of astonished glee.

The lights of the city grew brighter, closer, and it seemed forever until the chain suddenly snapped tight, and they were swinging sharply for another window – this one was, sadly enough, closed. "Brace yourself!" V yelled over the wind, even as she sacrificed her hold around the girl for a minute (seeing as the thief had both arms tight enough to cut off circulation) to point her finger and aim. "Crescent Beam!"

"VENUS!" Neither girl even bothered flinching at the yell as they flew through the newly opened window, the chain released and allowed to dissipate. They let go of one another to land and roll in separate directions, momentum carrying them both quite a distance into what was apparently another office.

The sailor-suited soldier finally slid to a stop, bits of broken glass glittering in her hair, mask lost somewhere in the roll. "Venus, answer me!"

"_Hai hai_, Artemis," she warbled. "I'm alright, no need to shout." She stood steadily despite the surge of adrenaline and crash landing, shaking her hair out. A look around confirmed it; the thief had disappeared. Not even an open doorway to mark where she'd ran out to. "Damn it, she's gone. Not even a thank you."

"I am going to kill you when you get back, Minako-chan."

"It's way too early for this. Someone wake me up later, ne?"

"_Iie_, Moriya-chan, rise and shine! Face the day positively!"

"Easy for you to say when you've got food in your mouth, Usagi-chan." The redhead smirked faintly as she watched her friend gobble down the last of her breakfast, which had consisted of nothing more than two pieces of toast snatched from the table. Both girls had been more hurried than usual to get to school, and with good reason.

The day of the athletics festival had arrived in full-force.

After a quick vote, their class had chosen Moriya to go through the courses. Along with being smart, the girl was a wonderful athlete, and the competition had been next to nothing. So she stood now near Usagi and Ami, dressed in a T-shirt bearing their school's name and shorts, one of several students actually participating in the games themselves; each student would represent their separate school.

It had been a long bus ride to the site, seeing as Shibakouen had been forced to move the festival outside of the city due to the open participation. Hundreds of students now milled about, varying uniforms separating them easily. But the students from TA Girls' School kept themselves apart simply by their disdain and aloofness. Uniform had nothing to do with it.

Drinks and snacks had been set out for the spectators. Someone yelled over a megaphone for all of the participants to gather by the booth, and Moriya nodded. "That's me…wish me luck guys!" A sign of victory was exchanged with the _odango_-haired blonde before she jogged off.

"I hope we win," Usagi sighed happily, her visions already dancing with snacks and various video games with tiny legs and tap dancing shoes. The blue-haired genius simply smiled, nodding at her from around her book. One couldn't reasonably expect her to not bring something to keep herself interested, though both Usagi and Moriya had made a face at the long-winded title.

"Moriya seems very athletic and able. It's too bad she isn't one of our allies." Blue eyed both girls solemnly from a branch above their heads. Luna had hidden herself under a seat in the bus lest she be caught, and had voiced a strong opinion on keeping herself that way. The moment she'd had a chance, she left the bus and sprinted for a tree and a convenient hiding place.

The blue-haired genius peered up at the black feline, adjusting her glasses. "You still haven't fully told me our mission, Luna…."

"Well, I have to find some of it out myself!" she blustered. Her tail began to weave in the air, a sure sign of her irritation, as she stalked along the branch. "I don't know the entire story myself; my memory is faulty, and no one will help me…"

"But you have us, Luna!" Usagi flashed a victory sign once more, hugging Ami to her. The blue-haired genius flushed, though it was hardly as uncomfortable as it might've been just weeks prior. Friendship was a new concept, as was closeness, but the _odango_-haired blonde was helping her leap those hurdles at a hare's pace.

The black feline sighed, though a smile twitched her whiskers as she watched the two schoolgirls turn away to stare at the growing crowd. It had been, at best, a year and a half since she had felt the stirring changes inside of herself; a need to find something, someone that she didn't know.

Only that long ago had she been content to laze in alleyways, a common black cat with no collar, no owner, no strange birthmark. Her needs and wants back then had been simplistic: a warm spot to sleep, garbage bins and occasional back doors to find food, a mating dance with one or two tomcats. And it had been for her a sort of peace.

Then, her fur began to fall out on her forehead. Every puddle she looked into when she lapped up a drink revealed a growing bald spot that gleamed golden against her skin; a spot that increased along with a sudden realization of things she hadn't known before.

She was able to speak Japanese within a day.

The characters were readable by the next, and she could write despite her clumsy paws.

Computers and electronics lost their mystery by the week's end.

And then, she wasn't satisfied with garbage bins and dirty, scummy water. She bared her teeth whenever any other cat tried to advance on her, and she ran from the alleys she'd been so content with, ran with a singular knowledge that she was now better than them. Better because of a mission she didn't fully understand.

Her paws had ached so badly in those first days! She walked the city endlessly, meowing pitifully at the back doors of restaurants she now knew were first-class for bowls of milk and cream. The first time they'd given her cat food – a rare luxury only a week prior – she'd had to force herself to eat it, to not spit it onto the ground. It'd become easier since then, but such processed mush still made her ill. The food of felines, hardly finicky unless it was really badly decayed or moldy, would never settle in her stomach anymore. Human food, with its rich qualities and freshness, was all she craved.

It was as if her memory, her body, had betrayed her.

She twisted about to lick at the fur on her back, washing herself thoroughly. Her past was better left forgotten, something she easily understood. A life as an alley cat, a ragged existence indeed, was hardly something one could miss – even if there was a firm pain in her heart that said otherwise.

But if she could feel proud about anything, it was her accomplishments up to this point. She'd found two of her allies, Moon and Mercury. And although Usagi was still clumsy and whiny, and she kept balking at her mission, Ami seemed to be accepting it in silent grace – despite the fact that her new form contradicted the blue-haired genius's firm belief in science and fact.

"They're starting, they're starting!" Pointed ears swiveled forward as the black feline peered out from the leaves. The crowd had tightly compacted to form a long wide-open area between the press of bodies. And in that space Luna could spot the games' participants, a familiar copper-colored head of hair among them. An announcer was waving his arms expansively, microphone in hand.

"…and from TA Girls school, Hino Rei, a strong girl with a sense of character!" The crowd sucked in its breath softly as the student stepped forward, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts with her school's kanji. But it was her eyes of a magnificent purple slanted with an exotic tilt that made everyone pause, so distant they seemed. Her long black hair shone with purplish blue highlights, and as she bowed formally to the crowd, it nearly trailed to the ground.

Usagi stared wistfully at the girl, toying with a strand of her blonde hair. "Like a princess…oh, she's so pretty!" she whispered to Ami and Naru.

"_Hai hai_, so proper and lovely…" Naru murmured back. She unconsciously fluffed at her own hair, a brown colour that was frequent in the immense crowd, and tied back with a big blue bow.

Ami didn't bother primping at herself in the presence of someone so beautiful. Instead, she stared as covertly as possible at the black-haired girl, her book held open in her hands but unread. Her own unusual hair colour had long been the topic of debate for her classmates, and she had firmly buried any resultant pain from their jibes under her studious veneer.

The spell was broken as Rei stepped back into the small group of contestants, and the announcer continued his speech. "From Juuban junior high, we have Chouno Moriyakumi, an athletic girl who won't give up!" Where the private Catholic school had disdained cheering for their contestant, Juuban erupted into almost dissonant screaming.

Moriya grinned faintly, though most of the adulation was unwanted. She seemed grateful to step back into line, though not before waving to her three friends in the middle of the crowd – Usagi's bobbing head as she jumped up and down was hard to miss.

Back she stepped almost gratefully into the line of contestants, the announcer looking back down at his card of names and schools. "And from Shibakouen, we have the outgoing and vibrant Aino Minako!"

"Ne, I know that girl!" Usagi gasped, momentarily stunned as she watched the long-haired blonde bound out from the line. "Moriya-chan and I met her before school one day, when we were late…" The _odango_-haired blonde bit her lip sharply. That had been the last full day she'd been normal. Before a black feline with a crescent-shaped bald spot had told her she had a destiny to fulfill, in a scant uniform no less.

The last day in her life she had control.

Minako wrestled the announcer for his microphone amidst stunned laughter, and gave the crowd a haughty laugh. "No one has to worry, Aino Minako is going to win these games!" A victory sign was flashed wildly, as she danced out of the announcer's reach. "Leave it to me!"

She grappled with the mike as the announcer managed to grab onto it, and both began tugging and twisting at it. The entire crowd – even, despite themselves, the TA girls – was laughing hard by this point, more than a few on the ground. Ami herself was even starting to laugh as the long-haired blonde set her foot firmly against the announcer's torso, pushing at him.

The announcer managed to yank the mike in close to his mouth for a few precious seconds, though all anyone could really hear was mostly garbled. "….school….wonderful cook, a better….Kino Makoto!" He lost the mike again, along with his card, as Minako managed to yank both away.

A familiar tall girl stepped forward, looking uncomfortable but still smiling despite it. Her long auburn brown hair was still tied back, but braided to keep it out of the way. And this time, Usagi wasn't the only one to gasp, all three Juuban students exclaiming as one, "I know that girl!" Unfortunately, the crowd had quieted down by this point, and Makoto seemed to have heard them; she colored red, bowing hastily before stepping back.

Minako smiled brilliantly to try and save the light mood as she read a few more names and schools off of the card. Most of the crowd began talking amiably again, select schools cheering for their contestants as they came forward and bowed, though none managed to eclipse the long-haired blonde's showing.

Luna, still crouched in the tree, had settled herself to eyeing the crowd in silence. There was an almost overwhelming feeling she couldn't place, one that threatened to engulf her. But it was familiar, comforting. The sensation of her allies, her Sailor senshi, only multiplied.

Her paws stretched out comfortably on the branch in front of her, claws lightly kneading at the bark. An errant claw scratched a long furrow, jarred from its normal path as she heard someone muttering above her, somewhere else in the tree. "Ne, Minako-chan, such a silly front…"

Sharp ears stood straight upward now, as her sleek body tensed. "A familiar voice! I…know this person, but who?" she whispered, whiskers shivering. Between the leaves, she could see the first game starting, the ball catch. But it wasn't anything she took particular note of, as her mind began racing to place the voice. It had to be a feline like her; after all, they were both in a tree with branches just big enough for a cat's weight. No human could be up that high without smashing back down to the ground.

Leaves rustled, and a white flash was caught out of the corner of her eye. The cat disappeared down into the crowd before Luna could follow, and she hissed in irritation. "_Shimatta_…"

Gloved fingers traced over the worn bark of a tree nearby, as Jadeite mentally paced himself. He felt like an idiot in his disguise, but how else could he stand so close to the games he himself had enticed to grow but by pretending to be one of the janitors? Though, honestly, after peeling muddied burlap bags off the ground after the sack race, he was more than happy to relinquish duties to the rest. Creating a fictional corporation to fund the event had been much easier.

Now he stood ensconced by trees at the edge of the forest. With more glee than he probably needed did he shed his janitor's uniform, letting it dissolve into gray, the colorful striping of his shirt. Ragged yellow gloves were exchanged for immaculate and perfectly stitched white, his fingers exalting in the close fit. They flexed singular, one at a time, before he laced them together in a pensive grip.

The games had been amazingly lively, considering the mix of students participating in what was once restricted to a single school. And, though almost all of the students had been picked by their peers for their athletic ability, four of them had taken the lead quickly and viciously, leaving everyone else in the dust. Now as they all broke for lunch, the blond general surveyed the four headstrong leaders, eyes narrowed. "Such speed and persistance, it can't be coincidence," he hissed quietly under his breath.

By the sweet potato cart stood the blonde, Aino, who was busily stuffing her face. Oblivious to his staring, she instead glared down at a white tabby cat next to her foot, and lightly booted him. He yowled, paws flailing as he fell over onto his side, and was immediately picked up by a young girl with short hair. "Mina, you treat your cat so cruelly!"

"He's not much of a cat, Hikaru-chan. Besides, I need to stay cheerful about my upcoming victory!" Another sweet potato disappeared into the long-haired blonde's mouth, and she sighed happily. "I can't be made unhappy by a meowing, needy cat!" She laughed loudly as the white tabby seemed to scowl, his tail lashing madly against the other girl's arm.

Nearby, Hino was surrounded by a crowd of classmates, seemingly protected from the rest of the gathering. "Savages," one of them sighed, idly fanning at her face with a limp wristed hand. "Honestly, this sort of event is beneath us. How can you stand to become so…so sweaty and dirty, Hino-san?"

The question had to be repeated twice, before the dark-haired, purple-eyed girl finally turned her attention around. "Ne?"

"Mou…surely you don't think this is fun, do you, Hino-san?" another commented in what was close to a sneer over the rim of her cup. The private school had actually brought their cooks with them to serve tea and small, elegant obento, and even now, half of the girls sipping timidly from English teacups.

Hino was suddenly accosted by several stares as they waited for her response. She simply tilted her head at them, before tossing her long hair back over her shoulder. "Of course not! I'm simply doing this because I was asked, and that's all." The group visibly sighed in relief, before the quiet clamor of discussion rose up again.

Not that she joined it.

Instead, those slanted eyes lingered back on the forest, narrowing in their focus. Not even the passing of several loud girls from a different school tore her vision away, and Jadeite actually found himself growing….uncomfortable?

Impossible, he snarled to himself. Nevermind that her eyes were so deep and unusual that he could fall into them, or that she was such a lovely girl… "Get a grip, general! You're acting like a flighty little human." No way for such a high-ranking officer to act, indeed. He straightened an invisible wrinkle in his uniform, though it was impeccable as always, and resumed his surveillance.

Chouno nearly spilled her drink as she was accosted by the loud girls who had passed by Hino's group; Usagi, Naru, a few other classmates, the ever quiet Ami. "Ara, I could hear you guys from the other side of the clearing!" Moriya laughed as Usagi snuck a bite of her sweet potato.

"We couldn't help it, you've been doing so well, Chouno-san!" one of their classmates cheered, flashing a victory sign. "You're so good, even better than that prissy private school girl."

Usagi, leaning against Moriya's arm for better access to her sweet potato, was chewing happily away. Once she swallowed her mouthful, however, she began violently flailing her arms in the air, smacking both Moriya and Naru in the face. "Kino-saaaaan! Over here, over here!"

"_Itai_, Usagi-chan!" Naru squawked, rubbing at her cheek. Moriya just rolled her eyes skyward, sipping from her soda can.

The entire group fell quiet as the tall brunette came walking over, smiling hesitantly. Her smile began to tremble when the silence remained, only to stiffen; she seemed determined to not show her fear. "_Hajimemashite_," she said finally, bowing slightly.

The _odango_-haired blonde didn't bother to return the formal greeting, instead flying forward to grab Kino's hand. "You remember me, right? You saved me from that car a few days ago!" She shook the hand vigorously while gesturing to herself. "I'm Tsukino Usagi."

Her demeanor was infectious even at the worst times. Kino stared at Usagi as a rabbit would a wolf, green eyes wide. Then, by slow degrees, the others witnessed as she began to genuinely smile, and even laugh softly. "Kino Makoto. Yes, I remember you. You should be careful, Tsukino-san."

"We wanted to thank you for saving our friend's life, Kino-san," Moriya interjected, setting her soda can down on a nearby picnic table. "Usagi-chan is special to all of us. Though," she added with a small grin, "I won't let you win this contest."

Makoto looked startled before realizing it was a joke. Then, as Moriya started laughing, so did she, and the others joined in without a moment's hesitation. "It doesn't matter anyway, I'm transferring schools once this is over with. I've already moved to be closer to…well, to be closer to my new school."

The blue-haired genius, on the outskirts of the group as usual, bent to pick up Luna as she began to rub against her legs. "You moved into Juuban, Kino-san?" she queried softly, folding the black feline into her arms.

"_Hai_, I did. I transferred to your school, actually. It seems much friendlier than my old one is," Makoto replied, reaching slowly towards Luna. "May I pet her?"

Usagi made a small, somewhat rude noise. "She's a cranky cat! Make sure she doesn't bite you."

Luna bit down sharply on her tongue – had to remember she couldn't talk in front of so many witnesses – and arched her head up into Makoto's hesitant petting. She purred like a rusty engine, eyes closing in visible pleasure as slender fingers parted her fur with slow strokes. "Ara, she's so gentle."

Conversation started up about the usual topics as Makoto continued to lavish attention on the basking feline, unaware that Luna was scrutinizing her in such close proximity. It was halted as a gong began to sound, signaling the end of lunch. "_Gomen, koneko-chan_, but I have to go now."

Behind her, Usagi finished off Moriya's can of soda, burping as the bubbles tickled her stomach. Then, she paused, staring upwards as she felt a sensation tickling at her; the can dropped, unnoticed. She blinked slowly, looking around as two girls broke away from the larger group of mixed students, heading their way. Long hair the colour of sunshine swung past the hips of one, a contrast to the black of the other. Both were contestants.

"Hino-san, Aino-san," Moriya greeted them, if somberly. The competition was too fierce, too close, to warrant anything past an almost businesslike sense of profession.

"Chouno-san, Kino-san," Hino replied, bowing briskly to both of them. "Aino-san and I came so the four of us could be together before the final relay race. So we could meet in person, instead of being announced to the public."

Aino just made a rude noise in a similar vein to Usagi's noise of earlier, and gestured foppishly. "Call me Minako! And I simply wanted no hard feelings when I won the competition for my school. Ne?" She smiled so brightly it was hard to take offense at her statement. Still, Moriya smirked.

"Yare yare, you're confident, aren't you? Well, Minako, you might find yourself losing to me, so don't get too cocky." The red-head folded her arms, giving the long-haired blonde a smile in return, although slightly sharp.

Hino and Makoto both stepped back as Minako stepped forward, chin up. "Oh, really?"

"_Hai_."

They both stared at one another as silence fell in the crowd. Luna, still safely in Ami's arms, twitched her whiskers in a mad spasm, eyes narrowed. It was the same feeling as earlier, only intensified like an electrical shock to the system. Was one of these four girls another of her allies? Certainly, it was possible; all four were fast, sprightly, possessing almost inhuman athletic abilities over the rest of their peers. But with so many auras in the clearing, it was impossible for the feline to narrow it down with any certainty.

Finally, the silence was broken as Hino coughed. "Well. May the best one of us win, ne?"

"The competition has been fast and fierce today, and we're down to the last four! Who will be the final winner after this, the relay race? Only the best one will do!" The announcer gestured widely with his arm towards the four as they stood at the starting line, shifting on their feet. Around them the crowd gave a wide berth, right up to the lip of the forest; the dirt path they would be running on went right in through the trees. They would be running by themselves until they reached their destination, turned around, and made it back to the finish line.

The mike screeched with feedback as the announcer hit it against his lips. "Our best girls will be running a mile to the natural spring, and retrieving small flags to prove they made it, before running back. Whoever makes it back first will win for their school. Get ready, girls!" He waved his arms to get the crowd cheering as all four tensed at the start line, ready to run.

"Go go go Moriya-chaaaaaan!"

"C'mon, Kino, you can make it!"

"Mina, Mina, Mina!"

A few of the younger TA girls cheered for Hino, but the din drowned them out. It didn't matter; those intense purple eyes were focused on the woods solely. And when the gun went off, all four of them sprang forward, their speed carrying them neck and neck down the dirt path.

Beneath the tree again, the blue-haired genius and _odango_-haired blonde watched their friend disappear. "Why do we have to follow them, Luna?" Usagi whined.

"Because," the black feline snapped from up above, "one of them could be another of our allies. It's too difficult for me to tell with so many people around, and out there, we'll have solitude. Now stop arguing, Usagi!" Down the cat dropped, landing sedately on all four paws between the two girls.

"Are you scared, Usagi-chan?" Ami teased gently as she picked Luna up again, carefully draping her over a shoulder.

The _odango_-haired blonde stuck her tongue out as they began to creep towards the woods, avoiding as many people as possible. Small cameras and TV screens were set up to follow the four girls as they ran, eliminating the need for the rest of the schools to trek through the woods as well. It also meant no one but the four were allowed into the woods, unless an emergency came up. "I'm not afraid! I just don't like to run."

Ami smiled softly, tugging Usagi behind a bush as a janitor came close. "Don't worry, Usagi-chan, I doubt we'll have to run very much. Ne, Luna?"

Luna rolled her shoulders, springing off the blue-haired genius' shoulder. "I'll scout ahead while you two try to make it into the woods. After all, a cat can make it into places where humans can't." Both girls nodded, ducking down lower as the janitor decided to stand right in front of them. Luna was, however, right; when she fled from the bush, springing on city-worn paws down the dirt trail, the janitor did nothing but yell, "Damn cat!"

Not that she appreciated it very much, but that was how it worked sometimes. It was gone from her mind as she continued to run, tracking the four sets of indents in the dirt. Like a hunting dog, she thought with mild annoyance. "You're getting too bitter for this, Luna," she added out loud, pausing to lap at a small puddle of clean water off to the side.

Her earlier musing hadn't helped her slight melancholy either. Now, as she straightened up, she simply sat back on her haunches, letting the breeze ruffle her fur. Too often was she busy to enjoy even this simple pleasure, and her ears flickered to catch the cool, teasing wind.

It wasn't long before she was sprinting again, kitten's face contorting into what was, for her, a sardonic smile. "Always too busy, too bitter, Luna, ne? The mission is everything…"

"Not always, Luna-chan." Claws dug into the branch for a better grip as green cat's eyes watched Luna disappear down the path. With a coil and release of muscles, the white feline launched himself into space, catching hold of another branch. Again was the process repeated, though it was slower going than running on the ground.

Frankly, he preferred it up here. It was easier to watch Minako from the air, and now, Luna….

His train of thought nearly derailed and crashed when his claws didn't quite grip the next branch. With a yowl, he found himself plummeting downwards, and he flailed out madly for a grip. A catch was made several feet down, and he was catapulted up and over into the next tree with a rather loud thud against the trunk. "_Itaaii_….I'm too old for this," he whimpered.

Once he scrambled up onto a nearby branch, he rubbed his paws at his face vigorously, muttering about making a will once he got back home. "Ne, Artemis, why are you way up here for?"

"Minako-chan!?" The poor feline was really running out of lives. He nearly toppled out of the tree again as the long-haired blonde appeared beneath him on a thicker branch, beaming. "What are you doing here?"

"_Baka no_ Artemis! I made it here before the others did, that's why! My superior speed made me the winner." She waved one of the flags at him, before tucking it into her waistband.

The cat closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten, tapping a claw on the bark. "No, Mina, that's not what I meant. I meant, why aren't you running back yet?"

She drew a leg up, resting her knee against her chest. Her expression turned somber as she rested her cheek against that knee, wide blue eyes staring down at the spring. "I wanted to see how they did. Who would get here after me."

He seemed to shrug, settling down onto his tummy against the rough bark with a wince. Chin on forepaws, he watched with Minako as the three came into view beneath them, hardly even winded. The tall red-head was only slightly in the lead, with the dark-haired private school girl right beside the brunette. It was, for most purposes, evenly matched.

"Aino-san – I mean, Minako – made it before us, but she didn't pass us up," Makoto commented as they reached the spring and grabbed their flags. She tucked her flag into the pocket of her shorts, leaving it easily visible against the cloth. Each flag was a different colour, the tall brunette having grabbed the green. Moriya took up the blue one, leaving a red one by itself; the one missing had been golden yellow.

But Hino didn't take the last flag. Even as Moriya stepped forward, she was stepping backwards briskly. "Something is wrong….I feel immense evil, a wrongness amongst nature…"

"Ne, Hino-san?" Both girls asked it in almost perfect synch, but the dark-haired girl didn't respond. Instead, she turned her back to them, hugging her arms across her chest.

Above in the tree, Minako and Artemis exchanged sharp looks. The wind, nearly non-existent previously, was beginning to pick up, almost on cue with Hino's statement. A shift in the breeze wasn't very odd, truly, but the fact it carried no change in sound sent tremors of warning up the long-haired blonde's spine.

The birds stopped chirping.

So innocently was the last flag moving in the increasing wind that all three stared, watching as it was lifted upwards. It floated along on a gentle stream of air, fluttering with a life of its own as it moved towards Hino. And just in front of her face, it dropped to the ground, and lay limp. Dead.

"….I think you're supposed to pick it up, Hino-san," the brunette murmured after a long pause. Her own flag was gripped tightly in her hand, pushed deep into her pocket.

"But you don't feel it, do you? Evil is nearby…I-I can feel it coming closer…" Hino closed her fingers around the small bauble around her neck, closing her eyes as the wind started to beat at them harder. "Helpless…"

Minako reached up to grab onto a sturdier, thicker branch as the tree began to sway, not even wincing as a few smaller whip-like vines slapped across her face. Her own flag was still tucked into her waistband, though her free hand soon settled over it to pin it down. "Artemis…"

"_Hai_, Mina. But you can't reveal yourself so soon," the white feline whispered. He dug his claws into the bark, tail winding around the branch when he felt himself start to tear loose.

Branches were falling by this point, ripped free by the battering winds. Makoto arched her back with a soundless scream, staring upwards towards the sky as she flailed. "Kino-san! _Daijobu_?!" Hino cried, reaching out as the brunette crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"_Chikusho_….I'll carry her, Hino-san, just get out of here!" The red-head brushed by Hino to pull Makoto upward, trying to sling her arm across her shoulders. She managed with some success, considering the slight difference in their height, and began to half-drag, half-carry the brunette away from the spring.

The dark-haired girl paused, obviously surprised. Then, as she sidestepped a falling branch, she called out "_Matte_! You can't carry her alone!" and swooped down to pick up the flag as a final afterthought before jogging over to Makoto's other side. Tucking the flag into her shirt, she propped herself beneath the brunette's free arm, and both girls began running.

"I have to help them, Artemis!" Without bothering to hear his reply, Minako was swinging down to a lower branch, pen in hand. Even before she said the words was magic swirling around the star at the tip, coalescing to be freed by a few simple syllables.

She never had the chance before electricity seemed to course through her body. Below, Moriya and Hino jolted with the same effect; had Makoto been conscious, she would have screamed with them. "Minako-chan!" Artemis added to the screaming as he watched the long-haired blonde spasm, haloed in blue fire. He barely had the chance to leap down before she was falling off the branch, and downwards towards the ground.

  
A quarter of a mile away, Luna was nearly frantic. Having paused to allow her girls to catch up with her was taking longer than she had expected, and now, the woods were going mad all around her. Branches were falling like rain, and she very nearly found herself impaled more than once, her tail smashed several times. Dodging and bounding was beginning to take its toll, and when a particularly fat deadwood limb pinned her down, she was almost happy to give up.

It was so cold, too….

Wait a minute.

The black feline lifted her head to see…well, nothing. A thick fog had rolled in, making the fallen branches more brittle and breakable, cold. She heaved her muscles against the limb holding her down, and felt it snap around her as she shook her fur out. "Sailor Mercury? Sailor Moon?"

"_Hai_, Luna! We were so worried about you!" As she stared out into the whitened air, blurry shapes began to form, coming closer. A blue blob grew legs, arms, a head, before Luna felt herself being lifted into Mercury's arms. "I felt…we felt…the wind, it increased so suddenly and without warning," the blue-haired genius explained, cuddling the shivering cat closer.

Behind her, Sailor Moon was a similar blob in shades of blue, red, yellow. The discs on her _odango_ seemed to pulse and glow through the fog, like beacons. "We heard screaming, Luna, and we transformed. But Moriya-chan, Hino-san, Aino-san, Makoto-san…they never came back to the clearing."

"I expected this. The enemy may have been in hiding all along, waiting for a chance to strike! We have to find them; one of them could be—"

Laughter. It echoed off the trees, each peel and curl of bark amplifying the sound perfectly. Laughter that wasn't evil, so much as simply arrogant. And though none of them recognized it consciously, it touched off a chord inside their soul; it was a voice they knew, though they couldn't grasp how. But whoever it was, it had them running, sprinting even, for the springs that marked the end of the halfway point of the race.

But it was already starting without them.

"Yare, yare, I expected so much more from the little girls who defeated me twice now." Jadeite sighed dramatically, surveying the springs with a critical eye. Branches littered the grass and dirt, though they weren't the only things fallen down; Moriya, Hino, and Makoto lay crumpled beneath one another, sprawled out in painful unconsciousness. Up above in a tree, Minako dangled across a pair of close-grown branches, thankfully spared from impact, but still in danger of falling. Artemis was frantically hissing at her, unaware that the general could hear him.

But it didn't matter; the white feline wasn't even on Jadeite's mind at the moment. With a casual shove of a booted foot, the blond dislodged Moriya and Makoto from the pile, shoving them over and onto the ground. Hino was left by herself, stretched out on her side with a painful arch of backbone. She didn't even move when Jadeite lifted her into his arms, a gloved hand stroking across her cheek. "So lovely, so vibrant….such potential for our Queen. A true prize to be sure," he commented.

Hino moaned quietly, her head rolling against Jadeite's hand. No warmth seemed to bleed through the cloth, and the lack of heat was discomforting, even to her uneasy state. Her movement prompted him to set her back down slowly, carefully on the ground, before he stood and swiveled on the heel of his boot. His head tilted, muscles working in his neck as a curl of blond hair shifted against his skin. "Disappointing, to say the least. Now I'll most assuredly have trouble this time. Shit."

"Such language, Jadeite," a voice chided. The blond general didn't even bother to look around for the source; he knew how such magics worked.

"Stay out of this, Nephrite. I have a job to do for our Queen—"

"With useless plans and creatures as worthless as sand!"

"—and I will do it," Jadeite hissed, gesturing sharply with his hand in dismissal. Nephrite's formless voice simply laughed, obviously uncowed as it filtered into oblivion.

The blond general absently adjusted his tunic, folding his arms across his chest. Obviously attacking these four had been a bust; only Hino showed any sort of potential. Time wasted, he began to quickly formulate a new plan, lips already beginning to move in a sharp incantation to weld together a youma from the surrounding natural garbage. But when he inhaled sharply, he ended up coughing violently as the suddenly cold air scraped his throat; a white haze spread in front of his eyes.

"How awful of you to attack those innocent girls!" The cry came from behind the general, still wobbly with fear, but starting to develop a core of steel. On instinct did he duck, cursing the cold that seized at his limbs and slowed him down. Something whistled past his head, golden like the sun, and disappeared. "For justice, I will defeat you! The pretty soldier, Sailor Moon!"

Another object streaked past him, but this was black. Blobby. He reeled away from it, still working on pure instinct, and rolled quickly to his feet. "Little speeches won't work, soldier girl. And I have actions to back up my words!" The incantation that had been woven was quickly unraveled and re-spoken, and he smiled with something close to glee as a white flash produced a loud cry of pain.

Luna was barely resisting the urge to sink her fanged teeth into the blond general's leg. She was too close for her comfort, and the cold was deadening her senses. But it didn't matter, because she knew who to seek out.

When they'd arrived at the springs, it had taken merely a look to sense the power she was looking for. Hovering on consciousness, Hino's aura had been strong and sure, and now, as Luna batted at the dark-haired girl's face with a paw, it was like fire. "Hino-san!" the feline finally hissed, giving Hino one last good smack as she heard Jadeite fire another blast of energy.

"Nani…?" Purple eyes slowly began to open, only to immediately squeeze shut at the stinging cold. But when they opened for a second time, they opened wide and white. "You're that black cat I saw at the games earlier! But…you're talking to me?"

Whiskers trembled as the black feline shifted her weight, eyes darting from Hino's face to the battle behind them. "You know why, Hino Rei-san. In your heart, you have the strength to become like Mars. You're an ally of ours, the soldier of the red planet, and we need your help!"

A small red pen glittered on the grass between them, winking brilliantly in its newborn experience. For such a long span of time it had lain dormant, uncalled; now, it sensed its true owner near. "A soldier…._hai_….the truth of my soul, I know it!" Before Luna could even respond in kind, Hino picked up the pen.

"Moon Frisbee!" The attack phrase drowned out the shout of another as Sailor Moon flung her tiara for the second time. It spun like the discus, and she watched pitifully as Jadeite simply dodged it again. "Mou, I don't like this! Stop moving! He's too strong, Mercury!"

"Don't lose faith, Sailor Moon!" Mercury called back, peering intently at the blond general through a pair of blue goggles. Equations and graphs lit up the lenses, scrolling upwards as the blue-suited soldier called on more fog. She couldn't do much more; her power was in offense, not defense.

"Never give up faith, Sailor Moon! The soldier of fire and fight won't allow it!"

Red. It shone through the fog like the fire that had birthed it, from high heels to tiara. The sight stilled even Jadeite as heat rushed past all of them like a cyclone, dispersing the fog as easily as if wiping away condensation on a mirror. "I'll punish you in high heels, enemy mine. With flames, I'll cleanse your evil deeds!"

"Nothing will cleanse the taint of my Queen!" Energy coalesced in the general's hand, even as he brought his arm back around. Forget _youma_&gt; and useless bodies; he could destroy these little girls himself.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury stepped back on instincts of their own.

And the red-suited soldier flung her force forward with the strength of her gods. "_Akuryou Taisan_!"

The strip of paper fastened itself to Jadeite's forehead as sure and solid as any glue. It began to burn almost instantly, the black characters painted elegantly across the front bursting into flame. Perhaps a scream or a plea loosed from the general's lips before his body simply charred away into ash, simple as that.

Silence.

Then, "_Sugoi_! You must be our new ally!"

"I'm fine, Usagi-chan, stop fussing over me so much!" Moriya sighed for what had to have been the fourth time, peeling the frantically happy girl off her arm. And it was true, too; despite a bout of nausea after waking up, the tall redhead was as well as she'd ever be.

The paramedics had found the four girls when they hadn't returned, after Usagi and Ami and several others had voiced concern. Minako had been carefully lifted from the tree and pronounced healthy along with the others, even though they all had suffered from the strange sickness.

Because of the oddness of the event, all four schools had been declared winners, and even now negotiating was going on over how to split the winnings evenly. The four had been applauded for being such good sports, and recommended for future sport activities at their schools. None of them cared, really, past Minako, and they'd all disappeared back into the crowds that formed their separate schools to endure compliments and cheers.

Now, as the buses rumbled back towards civilization, Luna curled up in Ami's lap. The blue-haired genius, _odango_-haired blonde, and redhead had chosen seats in the far back, giving them ample space to sit and privacy to spare. A book held in front of her nose, Ami petted the black feline with ease, not even paying attention to Moriya and Usagi's gentle bickering; so much more took importance now.

"We're getting closer, Ami-chan," Luna purred softly, nuzzling her head up into the awaiting hand. "A new ally, Sailor Mars, and soon, the truth…."

Fingers turned a page with ease, and lips silently formed the equations. Magic was contrary to fact and science, and it was a war raging inside of the blue-haired genius; but she smiled gently down to the purring feline in her lap. "_Hai_, Luna. And then maybe, we'll know why we were chosen. Ne?"

In the next bus, Minako smiled out of the last window as her fingertips traced symbols in the steam from her breath. "Someday, _minna_…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I changed dates. It makes no sense to continue writing as if the series is still stuck in the 1990's. Half of the time I still forgot anyway, and kept referring to the 20th century instead of 21st.
> 
> Shibakouen is Minako's school. The athletic's festival is actually a normal event for all schools in Japan, as far as I understand, but I didn't know that at the time, and borrowed the idea as a way to get the girls together for some pre-soldier byplay.
> 
>  
> 
> This is also technically the second time Usagi is nearly hit by a car.


	4. Act 04 : omoide - Illusion

##### 

The clouds beckoned.

Unlike many nights, the poignant ache in his soul that spoke of a need to hurry, to rush to a hazy scene of possible violence, was nonexistent. It left him free to float on the breeze, carried like a black wraith across the skyline as if it were nothing at all.

But not tonight. Instead of taking in the pleasure of faux flight he settled onto the roof of a particularly tall high rise, fingers holding his hat steady as the wind threatened to lash it away. Down below, the city sparkled with lights, moving cars, neon. It pretended that he didn't exist, that his dreams were nothing but faded imagination; it did so well, he mused. The city could always continue without a boy several years lost within his shadow, lacking his past.

With his head tilted up, he closed his eyes to the sky. Just behind his eyelids could he see that hazy outline again, always so vague and general, but always the same; a female. Slender, supple, clad in billowy garments, long streamers of hair lashing as he reached out for her. "Please…the _Ginzuishou_…"

"Always just those words," he whispered. "And is that all there is to the mystery?" While one hand held his hat steady, the other crept down to close around a medallion at his throat. "This elegant form, just like a sleepwalker going to a ball…."

Whatever the case, the night was silent. Nearly three o'clock in the morning, and nothing had yet to occur; even villains, however deformed, needed their sleep, he supposed. If it hadn't happened by now, it wouldn't happen at all tonight.

  
With one last firm tug at his hat brim, long legs were catapulting him over and past the edge of the roof. There was no shout of pleasure or fear; he simply dropped, catching the tails of his cloak to form a mock parachute. It was electrifying in its own way, heady to those who never tried it.

And it was certainly enough to send another bolt upright in bed, crystal blue eyes wide to the darkness. "Protector…"

  
"Ne, Chouko-kun, is it finished yet?" The scrape of metal over clay was quiet in the few seconds after the question had been voiced. It then ceased as the teenage boy turned a brilliant smile around to the open doorway.

A plain smock smeared in paint and dried clay covered the standard male school uniform from becoming dirty; but it hung loose on a frame that was almost dwarfish. Hair the colour of wheat was neatly trimmed, and would have just cleared the top of the table had he not used a stool to stand on. Eyes of an icy green masked the warmth of their owner. "Ara ara, Tsukino-san, you're in such a hurry to see it!"

Having been acknowledged, the _odango_-haired blonde bounded across the room to lean on the table. Her nose seemed to twitch as impishly as her namesake as she examined the sculpture in front of her, half-carved from a solid hunk of gray clay. "What will it be, Chouko-kun?"

"Usagi-chan, interruptions always create flaws! Why don't you let him create in peace?" Moriya chided gently from the doorway, where she slumped against the frame. She yelped as Usagi tossed a piece of wet clay at her, sticking out her tongue.

The clay flew back past the boy's face, nearly touching his nose, but he didn't react.

Chouko Iretsu had been blind since birth.

A few more pieces flew back and forth before both girls settled down, Moriya sliding the door shut. "Ne, Chouko-kun, so what are you making this time?" she queried, ignoring Usagi's yip of "You stole my question!" as she too leaned on the table.

Small, child-sized fingers felt over the lump of clay, searching, before the cutting knife was again drawn across. "A lovely lady. A princess of renown," he replied cheerfully as he sheared a big chunk away. The torso had already been roughly hewed out, along with the face and what looked to be a ponytail of hair.

Both girls leaned in a bit closer, examining the figure. "More of your dreams, Chouko-kun?" Usagi asked seriously as she cupped her chin in her hands.

"_Hai_…all of my art comes from my dreams, because they're my eyes."

Whatever Moriya asked next was lost on the _odango_-haired blonde as she frowned softly, puzzled. Both hands went to her chest, to the jeweled brooch that now clasped her bow, and felt its steady warmth. "This warm feeling….is it trying to tell me something? Perhaps, maybe, this lady…our princess Luna mentioned?"

_"Ano…soldiers protect important people, Luna. So who are we to protect?"_

_"The mission is everything, Usagi-chan. Everything I know is that we need to find that important person….a princess, our princess. Sometimes I think the answers are being put out for us to find along the way…"_

The warmth surged as if to say Yes, before it slowly receded again. But it was as if a black calmness had come down over her eyes, sweeping over her, making her happy and whole. Everything had gone quiet in her ears, until, at the very edges of her perception, she heard Moriya call "…._moshi moshi_? Usagi-chan! Ne, _tskumidango_!"

Usagi blinked. A slow heat began to creep into her cheeks, but it had nothing to do with calm, and all to do with embarrassment. Moriya was staring at her, perplexed, while Iretsu was staring sightlessly past her right shoulder. The blush broke out full force as she laughed haltingly. "_G-gomen ne_! I was thinking…."

"Were they pleasant thoughts, Tsukino-san?" Iretsu asked idly, fingers groping for a different tool. If he knew Moriya lightly shoved it into reach, he said nothing about it. Anyone who babied him usually received a tongue lashing in return, unless they did it discreetly. He hated being treated differently because of his blindness and short stature.

The _odango_-haired blonde shrugged without thinking, before she blushed brightly again. She began waving madly in apology – then realized he couldn't see that either, and just gave it up. "_Mochiron_! I always have pleasant thoughts, even when they're bad," she chirped happily, ignoring her friend's slow headshake.

Moriya flipped her wrist up as Usagi began to babble on about her recent pleasant dream of endless ice cream cones, and peered at the time. "Ne, Usagi-chan, weren't you going to meet Ami at the Crown at 5?"

"…and they were strawberry and chocolate and vani—_nani_!? I'm late?!" Usagi did a mad hopping dance for the door, pigtails smacking Iretsu right off the stool. The last view of him she had before closing the door was of a small heap of flailing limbs, caught within the legs of the stool. Moriya immediately attempted to extract him, apologizing profusely to the smaller student for her friend's impetuousness.

Had the _odango_-haired blonde not been in such a hurry, she would have apologized herself.

  
Several times.

But she didn't have the time for it, as evidenced by the chime of the large clock out in the courtyard. The halls were empty as she skidded to a stop in front of her cubby, quickly peeling off her school slip-ons for her usual black Mary Janes. A quick tug at each secured the straps, and she ran out of the doors, swinging her case.

Thankfully, the Crown Game Parlor wasn't very far from her school, but she would still have to break land speed records to make it in time, or even fashionably late. And knowing her luck, the streets she needed to cross would be chock full of traffic as people went home for the night. "My luck is the worst!" she whined as she dodged a pair of kindergarten children.

And indeed, the crosswalk was full of people waiting to get to the other side. She slammed on the proverbial brakes at the sight of so many bodies, soles skidding on the concrete. But her save didn't matter; a tall schoolboy chose that moment to step back, and right into her. Though she stopped, it took for her momentum to carry them both to the ground before they completely halted.

Papers flew everywhere as both their cases flew open, showering the crowd with exam preparations and failed tests.

"_Ita-ai_!"

"_Shimatta_…are you magnetized to me, pigtails?" Limbs entangled, Usagi lifted her head to find herself staring into dark, somber blue eyes. They in turn stared into slowly maddening crystal blue. "I think you're doing this on purpose, _odango atama_," Mamoru added, a bit snidely.

He simply waited as she seemed to gather air into her lungs, and took the time to extract her arms from his. The bellowed shrieking caught him just before he managed to roll away. "YOU JERK!"

Calmly did he pick up some of their scattered papers as she began to denounce him from shoes to shirt, up until and including his glasses. Where most people would have run out of breath and simply died, she kept on going, adding to the list in quite the interesting manner; had he been listening, he might've appreciated it. But he kept on picking up paper, making small tsk noises at her test results, until one paper caught his attention. "…and your glasses are too wide for your face! Are you listening to me?!"

Slowly did he turn his head to stare at her. The paper crumpled in his palm as he held her tests out, smirking. "No, I wasn't. And your scores are terrible."

"Give me that! It isn't right for you to peek!" she snapped, snatching the papers away. They were stuffed haphazard into her case, edges still sticking out when she snapped it shut. "Next time, you'll respect a young girl's privacy!"

He rolled his eyes complacently. "Yare yare…."

She all but growled at him before she sprinted out across the street, just catching the tail end of the WALK sign. A car nearly clipped her skirt – again – before she vaulted up onto the other sidewalk, disappearing into the crowd.

That closed fist was uncurled, and he tugged the paper somewhat smooth with his hands. The hasty sketch on the back was rough and uneven, lacking in proportion, scrawled over in the bottom corner with a name and classroom. But he knew who it was, and he stared in the direction Usagi had vanished off to as he folded the paper up, this time carefully.

Even at this time of day, the game center was rather devoid of players. A rarity indeed for the free time after school, but Furuhata Motoki wouldn't question it, not really; it allowed him to clean the place up more thoroughly. Still…

He paused in sweeping to regard the trio of girls clustered near the Sailor V game, smiling lightly. The place seemed to empty every time that particular girl, with her tied-up pigtails, and her black cat, were here. Maybe it was his imagination, or maybe, he mused with a chuckle as he continued sweeping, that little kitty was behind all of it.

  
Too bad he never considered asking the cat in question. She may've even responded to him with a definite yes, though talking and taking responsibility for such unusual occurrences was a big No-No.

Though now, large blue eyes simply regarded the three girls in front of her as she lightly bathed a paw. "I already said I was sorry, Rei-san! Mou!"

"Off having fun and being childish while we're stuck as soldiers, no doubt!" The dark-haired girl stared at a coloring Usagi steadily, purple eyes narrowed. She then sharply swiveled her attention to the black feline on the console, ignoring Usagi's breath of relief. "Our mission, Luna, as sailor soldiers. What is it? I have strong suspicions about this inability to tell us everything, Luna."

Ami, silent up until now, spoke up. "We do need more data, Luna. Everything's incomplete until then."

Tail slowly starting to cut through the air, Luna stretched herself out with a soft pop of bones. She then re-settled herself, carefully avoiding the joystick and assorted buttons, and curled her tail around her legs. "What I know isn't entirely clear. Even the enemies, their true identity, is hidden from me; I know that we need to find our princess and her mystical holy stone, and protect them from those who would taint."

"Awakened to fight the evil…" Ami murmured quietly.

The black feline shook her head briskly. "_Iie_, Ami-chan. As sailor soldiers, you defend our princess. Fighting the evil is secondary to the mission, which is to find our hidden princess and break the seal!" She slapped her paw against the console to emphasize her point, before meowing complacently as Motoki veered past them.

Four pairs of eyes followed him – three discreet, one blatant – before Luna continued. "Your awakening won't be complete until we find all of our allies, and our princess is revealed."

"But, Luna…."

"_Konnichiwaaaaaaa_! How is everyone today!"

Dead silence. The long-haired blonde, either unaware or totally expectant, skipped inside with an air of glee. And if anyone noticed the uncanny resemblance she had to the drawing of Sailor V on the door window behind her, no one said a word.

Luna goggled, completely dumbstruck. In all honesty, her ability to gently ‘nudge' people away from a particular area wasn't perfect, and it was easier to just throw out the suggestion for people to avoid the place for an hour or two and hope it worked. But this was unforeseen; the long-haired blonde had managed to waltz right on in without the black feline even noticing, and even her somewhat-faulty magic should have at least told her someone was coming.

Usagi beamed a thousand-watt smile at the newcomer, oblivious to Luna's confusion. "_Konnichiwa_, Minako-chan! You know Ami-chan and Rei-san, right?"

The blue-haired genius nodded politely, eyes lowered slightly. The dark-haired girl tilted her own head in what was a polite, but aloof, bow, arms folding in obvious want to privacy. Minako's brows quirked up almost comically, and she flashed a wary smile to Usagi. "Ne, ne, did I interrupt something, ah….?" After a moment's pause, she finally settled on "Late-For-School-Girl?"

"Oh no, I never introduced myself, did I?" Usagi giggled nervously, bowing madly in apology. "_Gomen nasai_! I'm Tsukino Usagi, third year student at Juuban junior high." She held a hand up in further submission, waving it madly. "I didn't mean to be so rude, Minako-chaan!"

"Don't worry about it," Minako laughed, incredibly good-natured in the face of the _odango_-haired blonde's rampant apologies. She beamed radiantly at the quiet Ami and Rei, arms folding behind her back. "Ne, Hino-san, you're very contemplative. Did I interrupt a secret group meeting?" she queried innocently, twilight blue eyes all but sparkling with humour and something far more intelligent.

The blue-haired genius made a sound halfway between a squeak and a gasp, mouth twitching as she nearly bit her tongue. Rei, however, merely tilted her head to regard the long-haired blonde casually, as one might an interesting species of bug. It was a dominant sort of regard, one born of high-breeding that invariably made everyone else feel inferior.

Unfortunately, Minako didn't seem to be offset in the least, and merely smiled deeper, more amused. "Ne?"

"I was discussing my studies with Mizuno-san; Tsukino-san merely tagged along to play her video games, as I suspect she holds them in higher regard than her schoolwork." Grey-clad arms folded across her chest, as those purple eyes seemed to dare Minako to call her a liar.

Luna was nearly ripping the console beneath her paws apart with claws that continued to flex in and out of their sheathes. Being a mentor and guardian didn't give her any greater patience, especially when something this unusual and dangerous occurred, but what could she do? Cerulean eyes darted from the equally squirming Usagi, to the still-silent Ami, then to the stare-off.

"How dull! Poor Usagi-chan, having to listen to them drone on about homework…." The long-haired blonde exhaled dramatically, before flinging herself forward to grab Usagi's hand. "You need some games and fun!" And with that, she hauled the hapless _odango_-haired blonde away, in the general direction of some impressive game only she knew about.

Blinking followed them both, before Ami breathed rather sharply. "How did she guess, Luna?" she whispered softly.

"She didn't ‘guess,' Ami-san," Rei snapped imperiously. "She was simply acting the child, and better to get rid of both of them for now so we can talk business."

The black feline twitched her whiskers at Rei's tone, tail curling tightly around her paws. "Rei-san, our mission is as I've told you; even I'm hobbled by this lack of memory, of knowledge. It's up to all of you to remember, and to protect our princess and her holy stone!" Again did her paw slap against the console, even as she stared at them. Despite the obvious disadvantage of her height, both seemed to back down, though Rei did so hesitantly.

"And who is going to lead us in this mission, Luna? I think I can handle it." That imperious look returned, even fiercer than before. "I can sense the evil; I know it's there! This mission sounds too important to entrust to a childish girl who doesn't take anything seriously!" All three shifted their gazes to stare across the room, where two blonde heads peeped up over the game systems. Neither seemed to realize they were being stared at, and it was Ami who looked back first.

"Would Usagi-chan be our leader, because she was the first to awaken, Luna? Is that how it is?"

"It would be suicide!" Rei interrupted, looking from Ami to Luna. "She, who can't even properly fight those evil creatures you faced down? Let the spiritual guide the physical Luna, Mizuno-san. It's only reasonable."

Luna's tail uncurled, beginning to thrash in the air. She had a feeling this would happen; the dark-haired girl seemed too aloof, too high-class to accept anyone leading her. Although, to tell the truth, she'd been hoping that Rei would be reasonable about it. After all, Usagi had awoken first, and was by default the one with more experience.

That was the theory, at least. Luna stilled her tail. "And you think you have the spiritual knowledge to guide us, Rei-san? Would it be enough to make you worthy as a leader above Usagi-chan and Ami-chan?"

"I am a _miko_ at the Hikawa shine, Luna. Despite my father wanting me to…despite being forced to go to a Catholic school, I was raised by the belief in the _kami_ who allow me to see what others can't." There was a flash of anger, of resentment, before the dark-haired girl's cool veneer returned. Again did she turn that haughty look onto both of them, arms folding. "Can you afford to say no, Luna?"

The black feline opened her mouth, only to abruptly snap it shut with a click of fang teeth. "It isn't my decision, Rei-san. And I can feel, somehow…I can feel that it's still incomplete. Until I know it's right, all three of you will be equals." The blue-haired genius nodded softly in agreement, followed – after a moment's pause – by Rei. "It's our mission, Rei-san; not a burden, not a contest. And when everyone has gathered – I know not all of you stand before me – everything will make sense."

"Oh, that reminds me!" A blonde pigtail smacked both Ami and Rei in the face as Usagi vaulted back into their midst, Minako trailing behind. "Ara, did I do something wrong?" she inquired innocently as both girls yelped. When neither responded – though Rei glared around the red welt — she continued on. "I'm inviting you to a gallery Sunday afternoon! There'll be refreshments and cake and crackers!"

Minako seemed to be the only one unsurprised; everyone one else simply blinked before Ami managed a hesitant "Gallery?"

There was no morning paper delivery to the north Arctic. And that was just fine to the denizens living scant miles below the surface of the snow and ice; they didn't want to be disturbed anyway, thank you very much.

But when you're working for an evil, possibly crazy queen and trying to gather information about the surface world that rejects your kind, you have to improvise. Nephrite truly wished his crystal balls had ‘Zoom' somewhere in their list of abilities, but something was better than nothing, and spying on a Tokyo businessman reading a newspaper was as good as it got.

He just really, really wished for ‘Zoom' right now.

Scattered around him were other such crystals, all performing the same function: spying on the Tokyo citizens, most specifically the ones with newspapers on a sole topic. Some of them were nothing larger than a paragraph, mentioning an art gallery and a time; others were lengthy descriptions of the statues, and their supposed meanings.

Gloved fingers curled, gesturing but slightly to call a different crystal to his hand. The newspaper within held the only picture of a dwarfish boy, blond hair and green-ice eyes turned to muddled greytone. "Chouko Iretsu…you dream of our past. Do you truly, perhaps, know where the _Ginzuishou_ lies?" Another hand lifted, calling a different crystal. Inside, the artist's newest creation curved along the round swell of the ball. In its hands was a lump that would be, in real life, vibrant with sparkle.

"The _Ginzuishou_…tell me, Nephrite, my North American general, can you obtain it for our queen's glory?" So subtle was the sound of her gown on the stone floor, like a snake gliding. Even as he stiffened ever-so-slightly to attention, she remained as a predator and circled him slowly, staff in hand. "With it, we will have so much power, so much energy. Even Jadeite can awaken to our victory!"

Blue eyes spasmed with the memory of a clear-lidded coffin, so recently brought into the royal chamber. There hadn't been much left of the first general's body after Sailor Mars had burned him to death; all that lay within had been a blackened, warped corpse. Even his uniform had been destroyed, parts of it melted onto his flesh. "Jadeite…"

With an expansive gesture, he dismissed the crystals into oblivion, dropping to a knee in subservience to his queen. It was done so grandly that she allowed herself a smile, toothy and dangerous as it was. A taloned hand reached out almost languid, palm down; without looking did Nephrite take it, touching a kiss to the back. It was quick, light, before he released his gentle hold. "You please me, Nephrite. Don't fail as your predecessor did so badly."

If he looked up slightly, he could see the hem of her dress pouring onto the floor. When he did so, she began to walk away with that serpent's glide, and blue eyes followed the purple fabric until she was out of eye range. But he didn't dare move until well and long after he knew she had truly left the room.

"Finding such a sacred relic shouldn't be hard; after all, where could it possibly hide?" It was a rhetorical self-question, one he couldn't answer, as he stood straight. As a possessor of people, he could have searched through all of Tokyo, using citizens as his tools. But such a task was monumental and ridiculous, and hardly easy with three Sailor soldiers now out for their blood. "Possibly anywhere, fool," he added in a mutter.

"More the fool you, Nephrite, for thinking so casually about such power."

It wasn't truly surprising to find the generals at odds with one another; such power plays were common in the hierarchy. But this time, Nephrite barely spared a glance as Zoisite stepped fully into the room, shaking back a loosely tied ponytail over his shoulders. "You'll make the same mistake as Jadeite, and then, Beryl-sama will entrust your mission to me."

"Be quiet, Zoisite." Fingers curled again, bringing a crystal back into existence above his hand. "Do you know what the holy stone can do?" Again, a rhetorical question, but this time, it was stabbed with a sharp brutality into the ego surrounding the long-haired blond general.

The workings of a subtle power play.

Zoisite tilted his head, acknowledging, if subtle, the lack of real knowledge on the topic. "A holy stone, sacred to our enemies…..what could it do but give us their power?" Gloved fingers began to play with the strands of gold that tickled his sharp, impish face, twisting them about thumb and forefinger. A mimic of cat's cradle began to form.

The North American general caressed the crystal free-floating gently above his palm, a subtly haunted look creasing his face. "Beryl-sama….she told me that it can awaken Jadeite once more, give our great queen untold of power. The stolen power of our enemies' kingdom, what else could be so intense?" Again did his mind call up the image of his burned comrade; not even in death did he look at ease. It was a cold realization to know that Beryl still held the blond general's soul, and could torture it at will for displeasing her.

"Then I won't allow myself to fail."

Both generals stared one another down, Zoisite's reply still echoing through the chamber. "You may fail, Nephrite, with your weak ways and casual thoughts. But our queen won't tolerate such failure lightly, and once you fall, I will be in her graces with victory!" Before Nephrite could even call up a retort, the long-haired blond general was gesturing, ripping apart space to teleport himself elsewhere. "The _Ginzuishou_ will be in my hands long after you've failed!"

Silence, again. Nephrite flung the crystal to the floor, and the sound of its breaking masked the snarl that finally cracked his lips. _Kami-sama_, but he did hate that man.

  
"Minako-chAAaaaAAAn!"

Sometimes, the negatives outweighed the positives of having such a high-ranking public official as an ally.

If anyone had cared to look up at the Metropolitan Police Station merely five minutes previous, they would have spotted a flash of short skirt and supple thigh sneaking through the topmost floor window. Even though the long-haired blonde had an open invitation to walk through the front door, she preferred not to; the precarious climb was far less dangerous than the inevitable groping and pinching she was subject to from the officers, fans or no. Few of them were content with a simple autograph or candid photo.

Unfortunately, clambering through the window meant having to put up with the Superintendent-General's squeal each and every time she arrived. Apparently, Natsuna thought the whole thing was a terrific display of her idol's abilities, and gushed thoroughly once she was inside. "Oh, Minako-chan, I can always count on you for an outstanding performance!" the brunette finally sighed.

The sailor-suited heroine simply bowed, before winking rakishly. "Of course, _onee-san_!" She closed the window shade behind her, ignoring with poster of herself on its back with long-suffering talent. Whoever had permanently frozen her into that cheery smile and salute had cost her a lifetime of repeating it. "Now, why did you want to speak to me?"

Natsuna swiveled in her chair behind her desk, resting her chin in her palm. When in police mode, the usually flighty woman looked serious and businesslike; no horseplay allowed. It was a trait the long-haired blonde did indeed admire in her. "Have you seen the rash of thievery that's been taking place, Minako-chan?"

"_H-ai, onee-san_, but the police force needs something to do! After all, the dangerous elements are more my speed." V's levity was faintly strained as she blinked at the brunette, hands clasping behind her back. Through another window she spotted Artemis, who was pressing his paws against the glass in frustration.

(Pets weren't allowed in the station. It drove the white feline crazy.)

And he was indeed going crazy at that very moment. He didn't dare tap his claws against the glass, for fear of alerting Natsuna, though his impatience with human rules was sorely beginning to test his patience. The window sill was freezing, and, just like every night, the wind threatened to yank him off and spin him into the nauseating darkness with little chance of landing on his feet. He wore the badly-fitting headset he needed to hear their conversation through V's tiny microphone, tail firmly wrapping it around his skull.

The tapping of a ballpoint pen brought the long-haired blonde's attention back to the policewoman, who was frowning. "True, but these robberies are different, Minako-chan. Gems stolen, then returned the next night to their rightful owners in most cases. It's as if this person is looking for something."

"A-ano…" This was news. V began to nibble at a thumbnail, not bothering to remove her glove first, brow furrowing. "They…_returned_…the gems?"

"With few exceptions. And almost every gem stolen in the first place was a diamond, not exclusive to size or shape." With another spin, Natsuna had her chair tilted around to rummage in a nearby file cabinet, obviously looking for some of the police reports.

V had grown cold. She looked around quickly to Artemis, a look of panic obvious on her face, before she turned back around. Diamonds…clear, sparkling stones that looked pure and symbolic… But wasn't it too soon? She nearly bit right through the fabric of her glove by the time Natsuna swiveled about again.

"There were a few not returned, but one or two have been found. Sold, and by someone well practiced in covering their steps. Perhaps more than one person is stealing them, or it's merely coincidence….?" The brunette trailed off with a sigh, holding a folder up, thick with paper. "I made copies of the reports, Minako-chan. I hope maybe you can help us; you can go where my officers can't."

The long-haired blonde took the file gingerly, though she beamed brightly. "_Daijoubu, onee-san_! Sailor V is on the case!" She spent a few minutes fumbling with it, trying to tuck it decently into her skirt waistband, before flipping a jaunty salute.

Wind whipped through the corner office as she shoved the window open, squirming out with the hip wriggle of a seasoned pro. Natsuna applauded accordingly, cooing happily before the gale outside drowned her out; and thankfully too, V felt, as she scooped up her frozen feline companion. "Artemis, did you hear that?" she shouted.

Claws dug firmly into Sailor V's side, the white cat nodded. The wind grew steadily worse as she scaled the building, pointing upwards and calling out a "Love Me Chain!" to anchor them. "I heard, Mina. But if someone's looking for the holy stone, why return the stolen gems?"

Eyes of midnight blinked away tears from the stinging gale, though they were furrowed sharp in concentration. Artemis' continued questions went unanswered as they went higher, though after a while, she would have been unable to hear him had he screamed in her ear. Each pull upward was mechanical, smooth; chain wrapped around one wrist, the sailor-suited girl climbed as steadily as an elevator.

It had been a year since China, give or take. Since then, the long-haired blonde and white feline had known the truth about their pasts, and agonizing over what to do. The girl behind the mask had run into her former allies several times now, unable to hug them as friends and fellow soldiers; it hurt. All she could do was smile her vapid, bubbly smile, and wait with growing impatience until she could reveal herself.

"MiNAko!"

"_Nani_?" A snap of hair across her cheek had her blinking. "Neh, we're on the roof already…I mean, uh," she hastily amended, catching sight of Artemis' stare, "finally made it!"

The white cat leapt down, shaking himself briskly. "Mina, your daydreaming is really beginning to worry me…what if we had fallen?"

"Oh, Artemis, you worry too much! Sailor V isn't that careless! I would have caught us in plenty of time!" The long-haired blonde winked, turning around to survey the skyline. For an ugly building, the Metropolitan Police Station gave a fair view of the city. After a moment, Artemis joined her on the edge.

A long silence fell, punctuated only by the whistling of the wind around the building's sharp corners. Both had long reached that comfortable level in their partnership where nothing really had to be said; small talk was an irritant, not always a comfort. Still, V finally cleared her throat as the city lights twinkled miles and blocks off. "Usagi-chan invited me to a gallery tomorrow."

"That's great, Mina! You need to be more friendly…." Artemis trailed his happiness off as he spied his partner's expression. "Minako…you can't keep trying to be friends with them without holding the truth from them, just for this little while—"

"But it's so HARD, Artemis!" White paws immediately backpedaled as the long-haired blonde pounded her fists on the concrete edge, hard enough to bruise. "I just want friends, I want them to know me and for me to know them! Sometimes, I wish we didn't have such lives to live!"

Tears began to dot the chunky stone. Artemis stared at V with a look of similar pain, before he ventured a paw forward. "But as Sailor V—"

"Sailor V is NO ONE, Artemis! Don't you get it!?" She was screaming into the wind now, ripping at her mask. "Sailor V is Sailor Venus, but I can't be Venus until our princess truly needs me! I'm useless, Artemis, useless to my destiny!" The mask was stomped on by a strapped heel, ground furiously into the roof with her toe. "I'm chasing thieves and petty criminals! Not protecting my princess, not fighting with my friends, but scaring two-bit crooks into going straight!"

Now the feline drew his ears back, looking as small as possible. "Minako…"

And the long-haired blonde drew in a breath, quite ready to scream more of her rage into the night.

Then, a dark shape flew past two rooftops away, followed by another.

Wearing a cape…?

Artemis was nearly bowled over as Minako snatched up her mask, furiously tugging it straight and wiping it clean, before settling it back over her eyes. "Artemis, did you see that?"

"What, past your temper tantrum? At least you're not the lost cause I thought you were!" he retorted, relieved once she smiled.

"Nothing gets past Sailor V. And I bet I know who that was – Love Me Chain!" From an extended finger shot those glittering gold links, out into the skyline to wrap around gods knew what spire or flag pole. She tugged at it a few times to assure its solid state before leaping out, waiting in anticipation as she dropped down.

The white speck that was Artemis disappeared as the chain tightened, swinging her out. Another hoarse shout sent more chain links to fly, continuing her swing. She rode the winds at breakneck speeds, furiously keeping in pace with the two figures darting across the rooftops like lightweight leaves themselves. One lost what appeared to be a hat off their head during one leap.

Lost hat or not, the chase continued towards the middle of the city, nearing a monument every citizen knew well. "The Tower, how typical!" V muttered, reaching out to grab one of the metal supports as her chain ran out. She swung around, planting her feet as firmly as she could, mentally chastising whatever god had thought to fit her with high heels for the hundredth time.

"V! Did you follow them?"

"_Hai, Hai_, Artemis." Grip tight, the sailor-suited soldier looked down at the observation deck, the higher of the two. Neither seemed to notice she was there, though that may have been simply because they were too busy arguing.

The same thief V had rescued stood near the door, a wrapped bundle in her arms. "Ara, Tuxedo-kun, getting tired of chasing me?"

Clad in a wind-torn tuxedo, top hat lost to the winds, the other merely clenched a fist. "Searching for the _Ginzuishou_ like I am is bad enough, but stealing from people…! I say again, return what you've taken, or I will!"

Laughter spiraled up to the long-haired blonde, rather sweet. "I have bills to pay, Tuxedo-kun! Surely you understand I can't just give these back!" The twinkle of diamonds peeked out from the velvety bundle, before the thief parted the cloth herself. Inside lay five small stones, of varying worth.

"Artemis…! It _is_ her taking them, but…Tuxedo Kamen-sama!"

A small diamond was selected, and held up to the light. Tuxedo Kamen inhaled sharply as the thief turned it in her fingers. "Nice quality, though it won't get much on the market….maybe this will be the one you can return tonight, neh?"

"Or maybe you can return them all!"

Both black-clad figures leapt aside as the chain smashed into the pavement, missing its target. The thief crouched atop the outer edge, snarling. "Sailor V, I didn't ask you to interrupt!" She flung the useless pouch at the long-haired blonde as she leapt down between the two, the velvet now empty of its gems. They lay scattered on the roof, twinkling like stars.

"Sailor V…?" Finger raised, V paused as Tuxedo Kamen spoke. Bewildered, he stared at the soldier, even as she flinched. "You look familiar…someone from my dreams?"

"No one from your dream, Tuxedo Kamen-sama." She smiled comfortingly, before centering her finger on the thief again. "Take the stones to their rightful owners, while I deal with this thief." Gold sparked at her fingertip, coalescing.

"Ara…" The thief flung her arm about, aiming well; V staggered back as a tiny diamond sliced across her cheek, cutting her as surely as any glass. Even as Tuxedo Kamen moved forward to catch her, the thief leapt off the side.

Six diamonds, all told. They winked at the long-haired blonde as she began to giggle. "So she stole them…and you…you returned some of them…_kami-sama_…" At his blank look, she merely laughed harder.

There was a media buzz at the Ritzy Ditzy Art Gallery come Sunday. The owner, a stout American with graying hair and a middling grasp of Japanese, stood at the doors to graciously answer the interviewers. Next to him stood the center of the attention, though his eyes were unfocused and unseeing.

A walking stick kept the crowd from trampling the blind artist, but barely.

The news was absolutely frantic over Iretsu, gushing over his creations – made by eyes that couldn't even see! – and his claims of inspiration. Even now, a microphone was being shoved into his mouth as he repeated his fantastic dreams, several in the crowd cooing appreciatively. "And this fantastic kingdom of yours, Chouko-san…do you truly believe in it?"

"_Hai_." His response was automatic, and slightly tired. "People laugh at me for believing in it. But my silver princess, her kingdom, is real."

Behind him, the large bay windows showed the entire gallery, and its current arrangement of sculptures. With a slow gesture around, Iretsu pointed his walking stick in the vague direction of the highlighted piece, a small crystal glittering beneath the lights. Everyone immediately surged in close, noses and lips pressing against the glass.

Iretsu's princess was beautiful, no, elegant. Crouched in a flow of white skirts, she held a clear crystal between her hands, rainbows reflecting on every wall. Her head was tilted upwards towards the heavens, heavily lashed eyes closed against the harsh skylight. Hair coiled down from two ponytails on her head that lovely colour of white only the young can possess. "My princess," Iretsu whispered, breaking the silence.

"And now that we have your attention, the doors will be opened!" the gallery owner boomed, slightly slurring his words.

  
Everyone stepped back automatically as two workers inside unlatched the double glass doors, pushing them open simultaneously. Both held them open as they bowed.

Just as people began to file in, a bus rumbled to a stop at the sign twenty feet from the gallery. The door snapped open, and Usagi sprang out, bouncing from foot to foot. "Hurry hurry! The gallery just opened! Lucky!"

"This is so cool!" Minako bounded out next, nearly taking the odango-haired blonde down with her. "Chouko Iretsu is a student at your school?"

The blue-haired genius descended in embarrassed quiet, Luna draped over her shoulder. "_Hai_, Aino-san. He was just in an American magazine for his sculptures…he's very talented."

"Araa, to be famous…and what did I tell you, Ami-chan!" The long-haired blonde waggled a finger at Ami as Rei stepped out. "My name is Minako, not Aino-san! That sounds frumpy!"

Moriya was the last out, and she leapt to the sidewalk hurriedly as the driver snapped his doors shut. "Minako-chan, you know Ami-chan is still hesitant about such matters," she chided the long-haired blonde.

With a warble of "_Gomeeen_," Minako took off after Usagi, who was running to the back of the crowd. Moriya shrugged as Rei exhaled sharply, giving the two left standing with her a frustrated look.

"I think both of them were made for one another. How childish can they be!" the dark-haired shrine girl snapped, folding her arms. "They're embarrassing to be around."

Luna ground her teeth audibly in Ami's ear, resisting the urge to snap right back at Rei. The blue-haired genius flushed, lightly petting the feline. "They have their ways, Rei-san…please, just enjoy this afternoon."

"Yeah, Hino-san, don't be such a stick in the mud," Moriya added, sounding just as displeased. "Usagi-chan and Minako have good hearts. Just because they don't live up to your prim standards doesn't mean you have a right to judge them!"

Rei's mouth dropped open faintly as the red-head turned away, following the two exuberant blondes into the gallery. Ami shuffled past quickly, Rei's mouth snapping closed with a stare of pure shock as she was left alone. Though, after another long minute, she was walking stiffly towards the doors, head held high.

Inside, the large crowd had managed to cluster itself into mini groups around each statue; a set of _odango_ and a red bow were visible in the group that surrounded Iretsu. The dark-haired shrine girl moved off to the first statue, peering into the glass case as Ami was doing. "'Prayer Vigil'," someone next to her read off the plaque. "I don't get it."

The statue held arms wide as she stood before a tall tower of glass, seemingly molded into the floor by the flowing length of her tight-fitting dress. It was sculpted to be the inside of a room; at a far corner was a door, from which a face peered, seemingly not allowed inside. "It's a sacred prayer chamber," Rei murmured. Ami nodded, tucking blue bangs behind her ear.

"_Hai_, the Queen never allowed anyone inside—"

_Soft crystalline light bathed the hallway in a gentle glow. At only ten, the young soldier wasn't even allowed to fight in battle, and her uniform seemed a joke. Still, she looked solemn and grown up as she stared through the doorway, watching as the Queen prayed to their goddess of purity and light…_

"—Ami! Ami, what's wrong with you?" The blue-haired genius started, shuddering back against another patron as she shook her head. At her side, Rei had her shoulder, had been shaking it in an attempt to wake Ami out of her daze. Luna, on her other shoulder, unable to speak in the crowd, had lightly dug her claws into her skin. "Ami, what happened?"

"I…saw the chamber…" she stuttered, touching a hand to her forehead. "A hallucination that overtook my mind."

Whatever Rei would have asked was drowned out as a gaggle of reporters surged past them, heading for the doors. Their story apparently done with, they saw no need to stay. At least, that was the single driving force on each of their minds, though their superiors had told them all to stay until the end of the show.

However, Nephrite saw no reason to get newspapers involved. A little nudge here, there, saved him a lot of trouble in the long run. The room was crowded enough with civilians he'd have to casually kill if it came down to it.

Unlike Jadeite, the North American general was himself, as himself, casual in the back room reserved for the artist to take a breath. Almost arrogant as he settled himself into a folding chair, immaculate boots folding atop the table, he began to juggle a crystal globe between his hands. The image within warped and stretched, making a cruel parody of the blind boy as he made his way down the hallway towards the room.

Iretsu was tired, nearly stumbling as he walked. The reporters had been like ticks, unable to be shaken off, until they finally decided to leave. Though his show was a success, he found little pride in it when people still seemed to be laughing at his inspirations. All he wanted to do right now was get a drink of cool water and huddle on a chair for the rest of the night – or until the owner found him, whichever came first.

"Poor Chouko Iretsu. Your soul is tired…let me ease your turmoil." Green eyes that had never seen the light of day sparked for one instant as a vaporous cloud settled around him, and he saw everything perfectly for a second. Then his personality abruptly shut off as Nephrite's shadow filled him up, forcing his vocal cords to laugh. "Now, the _Ginzuishou_…"

  
Usagi was mystified.

Blond pigtails trailed in the spill of cheap wine someone had left behind as her impish nose pressed into the glass case that held Iretsu's newest creation. Crystalline blue eyes reflected a face in miniature that resembled her own, heart-shaped and sweet. For the hundredth time did she trace her forehead, outlining the crescent sigil that the figurine woman bore upon her own skin. "_Uso-o_," she whispered.

The entire time she had been here, it had been like a dream. Minako had wandered off ages ago, presumably to chase after a boy she had spotted. And then, she had seen this last statue, the finish product of the hunk of clay her classmate had been toying with only days previous. She never realized that while she pored over every detail, a familiar dark-haired man in the corner was watching her in turn.

"Neh, Usagi-chan, it looks like you're not the only one with a _tsukimidango_ hairstyle!" Moriya laughed, affectionately ruffling Usagi's hair as she came up behind her. "I wonder how Chouko-kun came up with the same look?"

"His dreams, Moriya-chan…remember?" Usagi stuck her fingertip into her mouth, nibbling in apprehension. Both stared at the figurine in silence, Moriya's expression twitching as the crystal seemed to twinkle brighter between the figurine's hands.

Then, glass shattered as someone screamed "Chouko-san!?" Heads turned as the artist emerged from the hallway, holding his walking stick like a bat. A female patron was sprawled nearby, a shattered glass on the floor next to her, fallen where he'd hit it from her hands. Everyone surged back and away from the swinging cane.

Usagi held onto her friend's sleeve even as she stared at the dark cloud that surrounded her blind classmate. "Moriya-chan, look at his head…!"

"I see it, Usagi-chan. We better get out of here before we're trampled by the crowd." Indeed, the mass of bodies was becoming thick and hurried as people began to scream, running from the seemingly possessed artist. He swung his cane at the nearest glass case, shattered a huge hole in its side, laughing the entire time.

Hands grabbed onto Usagi's shoulders, yanking her away from the red-head and into the crowd. "Usagi!" Moriya was shoved towards the door along with the crowd, twin _odango_ rapidly disappearing. Then, as a hand grabbed her own and yanked her clear of the doorway, both glass doors slammed shut hard enough to warp the frame. "UsaGI-chan!"

"Moriya-chan!" Minako shook her by the arm, still holding her hand in a death grip. "Moriya-chan, where's Rei, Ami, Usagi-chan?"

The glass had gone opaque, black. Both girls stared in horror, the only ones left as the crowd rapidly fled to their cars and bus stops. "Still inside….Usagi-chan, Ami, Rei! _Kami-sama_, they're still in there!"

A quiet click broke the following silence as the deadbolt turned in the door.

It echoed throughout the gallery as Ami, Rei, Usagi, and Luna huddled in the bathroom, listening for Chouko. "I sense intense evil here," Rei announced solemnly, purple eyes intent on the gallery.

Luna crouched in the doorway, whiskers trembling as she sniffed the air. "The boy is possessed, Rei-san. No doubt by the enemy! You must transform and fight the evil."

The _odango_-haired blonde sniffed softly, touching her brooch. "But what if we hurt Chouko-kun?" Under her hand, the brooch began to softly glow, a halo bathing the four in gentle wattage.

"You can drive the evil from his body, and then, the enemy will appear. I'm sure of it!"

A pair of pens were lifted towards the ceiling, one red, one blue. Usagi unclipped her brooch from her bow, raising it above her head. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

"Mercury Power, Make Up!"

"Mars Power, Make Up!"

Luna folded her ears back, a paw covering her eyes as brilliant streamers of blue, red, pink dazzled her vision in the small room. No doubt whoever was walking past the window at the moment was receiving quite a show. When it finished, her paw lowered to allow her to behold three similarly suited sailor soldiers.

The transformation went unnoticed in the gallery, as another glass case fell victim to Chouko's rage. This time, however, it was the case that held his newest creation, and he reached in greedily, unmindful of the broken glass, to rip the crystal out of her hands. "The mystical stone! I have it, Beryl-sama!"

"Begone, evil creature!" Iretsu turned to see Sailor Mars at the entrance to the hallway, an arm thrust out at him. "I banish you away from this innocent victim!"

Around his head, the shadow swirled, beginning to laugh. "What was that? The touch of a gentle summer's breeze, perhaps? Nephrite, the North American general, is not so easily vanquished!"

To the side, Mercury cupped her hands together, presumably to call forth her fog. They needed a diversion while they came up with a plan, and mist began to form in her palm. However, before she could call her attack, the blackness became absolute, oppressive. "_Masaka_…it's so dark, I can't see!" The bubbles were forgotten as she reached up to turn on her visor, eyes squinting. Through them, she could dimly see the shape of a cane coming right at her.

Mercury's cry of pain was the only sensory output in the room. "Sailor Mercury!" Moon cried out in turn, huddling in her corner. It was so dark….she wanted to cry again. Her hands felt across the wall, trying to find anything to hold onto to anchor herself. She clutched at what felt like a velvet curtain, choking back a sob.

"Don't give up so easily, Sailor Moon." Arms hugged the _odango_-haired blonde close as she whimpered, swallowing disbelief. "You can banish the darkness with your own light!"

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama? How did you find us?"

Mars shouted out her attack across the room. Not even her flames could shed light, though it gave Iretsu her location; a minute later, she cried out as she was hit. More glass broke as the artist began to swing randomly, searching for the last soldier.

Tuxedo Kamen held Sailor Moon tighter, touching her face in the darkness. "Call down the moon to expose the evil. It's your only chance against him," he whispered.

She felt safe, warm. She didn't even want to let go of him to do as he requested. But then, a whistle of air near her arm had her screaming, reaching frantically for her tiara. "_Iie_, Chouko-kun! Don't hurt anyone!" Fingers groped at the crystal in her tiara, centering her power. "Moonlight, shine your security onto me! Moon!" Another whistle of air had her stumbling on her words, freezing her still as Tuxedo grunted with the impact. "Moon Twilight FLASH!"

Bright light filled the room as the moon shone down through a skylight. Every corner was flooded with radiance as Iretsu screamed, tiny body arching as the shadow vanished. From his hands dropped the crystal, to shatter into useless pieces on the floor.

The doors were flung open, finally, as Moriya slammed the garbage can into them one last time. Minako ran in ahead of her, calling out their friends' names. She flat-out tripped over Iretsu, skidding across the floor with a yelp.

"Usagi-chan, Rei, Ami—Minako-chan, are you ok?!" Moriya threw the bent garbage can aside, running over to the long-haired blonde. "Chouko-kun!" Both were sprawled out, looking quite dazed, though Iretsu was completely unconscious.

From the bathroom, Usagi peered out. "Neh, Moriya-chan, is it over?"

"_Arigatou_, Tsukino-san," Iretsu moaned as Usagi pressed another cold towel to his forehead. He slumped in one of the chairs they had taken from the sitting room and arranged in the gallery. The police were still on their way, and the artist was nursing an intense headache that he didn't need worsened by questioning.

Ami and Minako had gingerly swept up the broken crystal pieces before Iretsu had told them to never mind it. "It was just a crystal I bought at a gem shop, entirely worthless." At their rather vocal surprise, he just laughed. "My princess needed a stone of power, but I'm only a junior high student!"

"So it wasn't the _Ginzuishou_. It's still out there…along with our lost princess," Luna sighed quietly, draped over Usagi's shoulder.

All of them huddled on their chairs, silent amidst the wreckage of art, waiting for the wail of sirens to break the night stillness. Only Minako and Moriya didn't exchange the look that all three soldiers had for one another across the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first entirely new act I wrote for the series, as everything changed but the characters involved. As time went on, I did it more often, but since act 4 was mostly a throwaway story, I felt no sadness discarding it. So, no silly masquerade ball.


	5. Act 05 : makoto - Sailorjupiter

##### 

Rain fell steadily to the ground as Tokyo slept.

In a recently rented apartment in Juuban, steam clouded the windows as its occupant bustled through the kitchen, humming a popular song on the radio beneath her breath. Hands sticky with vegetable juice wiped down the front of her apron, before she picked up a wooden spoon and began to stir a pot of soup on the stove. "Get reddy…get a chan-su, leddy…." She sang the few words of mangled English cheerfully before turning the heat off and removing the pot.

Though it was well past midnight, the small but sturdy oak dining table was set for a fancy dinner for one; well-polished china plate, sparkling fork, knife, and soup spoon, and a spot-free water glass. Salad sat in a small wicker basket next to a similar one filled with rolls, and a small plate with butter. On a round place mat she set the soup pot, lid tightly hold the steam and heat inside.

Hands were roughly scrubbed clean and dried.

The apron was neatly hung on a wooden peg next to the doorway.

And a beloved, framed photograph was placed at the head of the table.

In her own way, Kino Makoto was eating dinner with her parents. Even before she sat down, she bowed respectfully to the two ghosts in the picture, kissing each tiny face in turn. Then, after settling into her seat, she lowered her head once more and whispered Grace.

None of Makoto's previous classmates had ever known her parents had been Christians, finding Jesus after their daughter had been barely born after an extremely difficult birth. The religion had barely touched Makoto; after all, they lived in Japan. Belief was a many-splendored religion, and the brunette found more peace and understanding in the ideals of Shinto.

But she had gone to church with them, sang hymns in both English and Japanese, and knew the correct way to make the Sign of the Cross. Pictures of a white bearded man hung inconspicuous in the main room; neither side of the family approved of the belief.

And now, nearly nine years after their deaths – how rarely lightning brought commercial jets down to crash and burn – she still said Grace to appease their souls, whether in their Heaven or some other wonderful Paradise. It was the only time she ever did so.

"_Otou-san, okaa-san_…it seems like we only talk when I'm in trouble, ne?" Grace said, she picked up the salad and began to fork a generous amount of lettuce onto her plate. "I know you must be…disappointed in me, but it called me again. The wind.

"I know you don't believe in what I say," she added in a soft mumble, spearing a few sliced cherry tomatoes before raising her tone again, "but it's true. I have to be here, waiting." Some light dressing and crumbled cheese were added to the mix before she took a forkful, crunching quietly.

Lightning crashed outside, setting the lights to flicker. Green eyes regarded the white flash mildly, a sip of water taken. "I should fear the lightning because it took you away from me, papa." She looked away from the window to pick up her beloved photograph, touching the glass. "But I feel at peace with the electric tingle in the air, the rumbling noise….I feel as if it knows me, telling me the same secret as the wind."

The rain started to pound harder at the glass, rapid in its fall. The brunette hugged her parents tight to her chest and began to rock slowly in her chair, listening to the weather as it washed Tokyo clean.

  
_Neither rain nor sleet nor more rain…_ V thought ruefully.

In all honesty, yellow the colour of canaries did not make for hiding well in the shadows. But, as catching cold would have been detrimental to the job, the long-haired blonde had wrapped herself in an oversized raincoat and fisherman's hat, galoshes loose over her high heels. She looked completely ridiculous, a yellow blob against the faded bricks of the bank she was using as a lookout point, and Artemis wasn't above reminded her of it.

  
Shoving the pen in a thick rubber pocket had solved the problem.

As usual, the criminal element was doing the intelligent thing, and staying indoors; no way in hell would some hoity-toity Yakuza lackey be caught dead wetting his expensive suit in this horrid weather. Even the petty thieves and scattered pickpockets (how rare they were!) stayed inside, most likely with a girl or five. Only the lone soldier of justice was stupid enough to be sitting in the pouring rain, waiting for a crime that wouldn't happen.

"Artemis _no baka_," she grumbled under her breath, tilting her hat brim. A waterfall splashed onto her lap, dripping under the folds of the raincoat to soak her knees. "_Baka, baka, ba-KA_! I could be home, nice and warm and dry, reading my new manga, but noo!"

"…nak…hear me?…nus…"

"And of course there'll be crimes committed tonight to keep me busy!" Water was now sliding its way into her boots, soaking her high heels, making her itch.

"Mi….uuban….VE…..S….."

Water was just everywhere now, despite the layers of rubber. She was pretty sure it was soaking through her mask now, too! With a snarl of frustration, she ripped every bit of offending yellow off, flinging it over the edge. "I give up! Let the rain soak me, Artemis, you stupid ca—_SHIMATTA_!"

"Sailor V, do you hear me!?" The pen, freed from its pocket by freefall, shouted up at her. In stereo. In pissed theatre surround sound.

Golden chain spiraled out, snapping like a whip around the nearest flagpole, before the sailor-suited soldier leapt, dropping down after it.

"Minako, for the love of the _kami_, what are you doing, taking a lunch break!?" Artemis sounded as if he were hoarse from screaming. "Minako, answer me!"

"Eheh…_gomen nasaaai_, Artemis!"

"What the hell kept you?! And just where are you now?"

V looked up, squinting against the falling rain. "About five stories down…"

"_NANI_?"

"Nevermind! Everything's fine, Artemis!" Pen in hand, she swung with the wind four stories above the street, giving a stranded passerby a clear look beneath her skirt. Glaring, she continued talking. "So, what's so urgent you needed to scream about? Some foreigner try to leave a tip and get run over by a hit and run sushi chef?"

That was definitely a pronounced tic in his eye. Yep. He needed to get it checked out one day. Biting back what would have amounted to an hour's long shouting match, he tapped a paw at the computer. "No, Minako. As a matter of fact, an usual amount of dark energy has concentrated at a location near you."

"………ah."

"Would you mind, my ever-compliant soldier, checking it out for me?" The long-haired blonde eyed the pen suspiciously.

"You're using big words on me, Artemis." That said, she stuck the pen between her teeth and began the long climb upwards as the white feline exhaled miles away.

Eyeing the screen with a look amounting to plain ol' giving up, he paused to clean between his front right toes. "I wouldn't dare, Mina."

One excellent attribute of the change was enhanced strength, and V used it to her advantage as she hauled herself back onto the roof again, muscles straining to compensate for the recent climbing. There was no way Aino Minako, everyday Tokyo citizen, could have climbed five stories up a slippery magical chain. Hell, as Minako, she couldn't even climb a rope for gym class, and she had been picked as the best athlete for the games weeks back.

She took a moment to flex those muscles especially, making sure they were still limber, before she began her dart across the rooftops, a blue and yellow blur as she leapt from building to building. "Artemis, where exactly is it?"

"Juuban district. A small store that just opened, I believe…a fortune teller."

Arms and legs pumping, she pushed off from the last roof, spreading her limbs into a mock-airplane pose, riding the wind down. Despite the rain, she laughed joyously; she always loved the descent when she had the time to enjoy it.

Then, the impact of landing in the alley; knee down, a hand braced against the ground, a fist pulled back and reading to aim an attack. No matter what, she always assumed the same pose, because the _kami_ knew when someone – or something – could step out. Though once she surveyed the alley and found it empty of anyone else but her, she stood up.

From the front, the store looked almost gaudy next to its plainly advertised neighbors. A lurid eye-in-pyramid design hung above the door, silhouetted with a red starburst. The brickwork had been recently painted over yellow – as if she needed more of it tonight? – and the name of the store, Eye of the Future, was painted in white English block letters on the window.

But the aura was, to her soldier's sense, malevolent.

Twilight blues glanced skyward, narrowing at the swirling clouds that seemed to circle around the very building. "Definitely evil, Artemis," she said, tilting her head down at the pen tucked into her collar.

Nearby, a stray dog began to growl as she stepped closer to the window, trying to see inside. A gloved hand rubbed furiously at the rain and streaked dirt, clearing a rough hole, before her breath fogged it up again. "I can't see insid—"

And in the next minute, she hit the ground with a startled scream, teeth firmly biting in her leg.

Automatically, she kicked out with the other leg, heel aimed just right to catch whoever it was in the nose. She was rewarded with a howl, and she pushed off with the same leg to do a hasty roll forward. "Artemis, something bit me! A stray dog bit me…"

No…not a stray. She stared past her mauled calf at the five glowing red eyes that stared at her, the _youma_ in the rough shape of a dog, but not quite. Blood as blue as her eyes flowed from its nose where she kicked it, and its teeth were bared in a definite snarl. "Sailor V. Submit your energy to our great Queen, pathetic warrior."

"Venus!"

"I'm alright, Artemis!" the long-haired blonde yelled, pointing her finger as the _youma_ sprang. "Crescent Beam!"

The force of the beam shoved her backwards, as she only had one leg to brace herself with. As she hit the wall, elbow and head cracking with the impact, she heard the youma howl in pain, giving her a reason to smile. "Submission? Never!"

Despite her growing injuries, she pushed herself upright to glare at the creature. "Sneaking up on a soldier when her back is turned? Your big bad boss may condone it, but I sure as hell don't!" She pressed herself firm against the wall, bracing herself for another attack. "Codename: Sailor V! I don't give up that easy, dog boy! Crescent BEAM!"

The second missed as the _youma_ leapt, blood mixing with the rain upon her face as the wind carried it towards her. She spat and crouched, ignoring the screaming pain in her leg, to leap just above the creature's head as it neared, landing on her good leg on its head.

Again it howled. But even its injuries didn't slow it down, and it grabbed her ankle before she could leap again, flinging her across the street and through a window. She screamed as glass cut and re-cut her, bouncing across the linoleum tiles as she landed. Artemis was yelling her name outside, her pen having falling out of her pocket in mid-air. "V! V! Answer me, Venus, please!"

"Our kingdom will be victorious with your death, girl-child." The _youma_ was dripping blood nearly as much as she, though it walked seemingly without pain through the wall. All five eyes gleamed through the darkness as she madly scrabbled and clawed her way behind an aisle shelf – she noted vaguely that she'd shopped in this store as early as three hours ago – trailing red across the floor.

Something was dripping into her eyes.

Pressed against the shelf as she was, weak from blood loss and who knew what else, she simply waited, cursing silently. She hadn't fought a true _youma_ in almost a year, and she was so out of her league it was pathetic. And she had been the one to take on those first minions solo! Her inner monologue was not pleased with her, and was giving her a solid thrashing when the shelf simply splintered behind her.

Adrenaline sent her flying into the main aisle, the _youma's_ claws coming within mere inches of her uninjured leg. She hit the ground rolling, grabbing the first heavy, throwable object she could find, and flung it with what was, for her, uncanny accuracy.

She'd thrown a metal paperweight, solid and thick. And the sound it made when it made contact with two of the creature's eyes was pretty damn nasty, all wet and syrupy. But it stopped it long enough for her to do a hasty jog for the window, diving back out into the slackening rain to grab her pen. "Artemis, I'm in trouble!"

"Can you handle it, Minako?" The white feline sounded anxious and scared, despite being safe underground. But he would come running if he had to; she knew it.

The _youma_ was getting up; she could hear it. "I—I'm trying…but I hit my head, and I haven't fought them for so long, I…"

Lightning flashed, illuminating them both in the street: the _youma_, running, and she, too tired and nauseous to even run, frozen in its path. Her leg buckled just as they connected, flying back across the street as its clawed hand reared back, ready to rip her face off.

And she slammed her crescent compact against its face, whispering the words as she hit a wall for the second time, too weak to even concentrate the power through her hands. Light flashed brilliant against her eyeballs as the compact did its work within seconds; and she slid down, alone, to the ground. "….._baka_."

Dimly she recognized that Artemis was screaming.

The rain had slackened off during the fight; now it was merely a soft patter as the long-haired blonde crawled to her feet, unsteady. Taking a breath seemed like a chore, and she forced herself to inhale deeply just to remind herself she could.

"Mina! I'm coming to find you, dammit, if you don't answer me!"

"Don't shout, Artemis, you sound like an old woman," she replied cheerfully, her voice faltering on the last syllable. Tucking the pen back into her collar, she started to walk slowly, painfully, down the road towards the Crown, leaving incomplete bloody footprints in her wake. Thank the _kami_ it was only a block away… "I guess the enemy is growing stronger, ne?"

Artemis smacked a paw against his forehead, grinding his fang teeth together. "You could've been killed, Mina! Stop being so happy, I won't allow it on the job!"

"Ara ara, Artemis…Sailor V, die? Never!" She sounded a hell of a lot cheerier than she felt. Despite the abundance of building walls to lean on, she almost collapsed on the sidewalk just before the Crown's door. No, scratch that; she _did_ collapse, though inwardly as the door slid open for her, unlocked and powered by the underground computer.

Cool tile floor, mopped in the last five hours. She rested her forehead gratefully against the wonderful coolness before pulling herself forward on her belly. The door slid shut behind her feet as she crawled towards the Sailor V console, even as it slid back to reveal the entrance beneath it.

All she needed was a few hours' sleep; her soldier's body, seemingly perfect in all ways, recharged itself quite easily. It was the various injuries she'd have trouble explaining to her mother in the morning…

And thank the _kami_ she didn't have to explain the blood smears on the floor to the management.

Morning came foggy to Tokyo. It obscured the view from the window as Usagi stared outside from her desk, pouting. Around her, her classmates talked candidly in their small groups, waiting for the next teacher to come in and start class.

"Why do Naru-chan and Moriya-chan have to be sick on the same day?" the _odango_-haired blonde whimpered, tapping her fingers on her desk. Ami, in her classroom, was too busy reading books all of the time to hang out between class, leaving Usagi thoroughly alone and bored senseless.

So, property damage it was.

Taking up her pen, she began to trace a thick line around the outside of an already-finished pen scribble on the corner of her desk: a top hat, goofy smile, mask. Little hearts were added in a circle once she was finished. Then, she began to carefully inscribe the words "Tuxedo Kamen" above, though she couldn't remember the kanji for the second word to save her life.

"Tsukino-san, did you hear about Naru-chan?" The pen dropped as her classmate peered over her shoulder, and she dove forward across her desk.

"I, ahh, I wasn't….wait, Naru-chan?" Crystal blue eyes stared wide at the girl addressing her; Naoko? "What about Naru-chan? I heard she was sick."

The girl slapped her hands on the front of Usagi's desk, using it to lean on as she said, dramatically, "You didn't hear? Oh, it's most serious, a mystery!"

Class conversation ceased as Usagi gulped, leaning back as her classmate leaned forward. "I heard she was cursed by the fortune teller last night!"

Silence.

A cricket chirping would've been cited for disturbing the peace.

Notably, several girls gulped.

Then, one of the boys, who fancied himself a tough guy, busted out laughing. "Oh come on, Naoko, that's stupid!"

"Yeah, really dumb!" another added.

"But what if it's true?" a random female classmate moaned, looking reasonably distressed along with her little group. "We have to be careful about whom we ask the secrets of the future from…."

A rather wet snort echoed across the room, coming from the male's corner.

Usagi tittered as Naoko turned away to join the group of now-terrified females, their whimpering secluding itself near a window. "_Uso_…Naru-chan getting sick like this…" Fingers touched her brooch unconsciously, clasping it tight.

Then, the door slid open finally as their teacher walked in, greeting several students as they all filed back to their desks quickly but orderly, putting a stop to the talking.

Come lunchtime, however, it started up again. The rumour of an evil fortune teller was spreading faster than the fog still lazily, if weakly, drifting outside.

The _odango_-haired blonde fled post haste to the courtyard, bento in hand, crystal blue eyes unfocused as the thoughts whirled in her brain. Fortune tellers cursing Naru-chan? But why? The brunette had the usual disposition of a princess in Usagi's opinion; not many could conjure an ill thought in their mind about her.

But what if it hadn't been a random attack?

What if….

As uncustomary as the _odango_-haired blonde was to deep thinking, she quite literally ran into one of the other students outside. The impact, light as it was, took them both down; obviously, the other student hadn't been paying attention either, and once those swirly lenses stared back at her, she realized why. "Umino!"

"Shhh!" Normally the geek was content to babble and confuse his listeners to death, once he'd cornered them. But this time he felt the need to silence her, and slapped a hand over her mouth, fingertip to his own in the universal gesture of silence. "Be quiet, Usagi-chan, I'm in observation of a deadly new species!"

He removed his hand – which, oddly enough, smelled like prunes and other strange, medicinal things – so she could respond. Which she did, after she'd wiped her lips once he turned around. "A deadly new species? At Juuban?" she queried, sounding doubtful. Her fallen lunch was rescued, and she tiptoed over to her classmate's side to peer around the tree he had hidden behind.

At first, all she saw was a brown ponytail.

Well….not quite brown. More like a lovely, rich auburn just this side of brown.

Wavy, too. And since perms were not allowed, it had to be natural.

Then she recognized the slope of shoulders around it, in white, rolled-up shirtsleeves, a tan sailor's collar with two solid stripes. "Nani? That's not our school uniform," she muttered, squinting her eyes.

Umino's whisper was something close to a chicken scratch and a squeak, but at least it was within the range of acceptable quiet. "A new transfer student; the rumour is that she was kicked out of her old school for fighting!" No doubt every single detail about the poor girl was being mentally filed away for his extensive knowledge. "She's tall, and can't even fit into our uniform; that's why she's wearing her old one."

"_Sugo-oi_." New students were always a sure source of exciting news. "What's her name, Umino?" she added in question, even as she kept inspecting the girl.

Then, as he began to answer her, the girl turned her head just enough for Usagi to see – and recognize – a pair of beautiful, if clip-on, rose earrings. "Kino-san!"

"–Kino Makoto, in class…ne? Usagi-chan! You know her?" Swirl-lensed glasses found themselves staring at empty air. The nerd twisted his head around the trunk, spying a pair of blonde ponytails dancing through the air as she skipped towards the new arrival. "Usagi-chan!" he sputtered.

This was turning out to be a good day after all. Usagi positively glowed as she came closer to Makoto, intent on surprising the girl. Coming to a new school was difficult but she, Tsukino Usagi, Bearer of Goodwill, would make the transition easier!

Or so she kept humming to herself.

As she got close, she was suddenly aware of shouting going on to the right of her. The baseball field shared space with the common grounds where the students ate lunch, and at the moment, some of the students were playing a friendly practice game.

But why were they shouting?

Something hummed behind her, growing louder, and she turned to see what it was, only to have someone else loom up behind her. She shrieked, falling backwards onto her butt in the still-damp grass, as Makoto's outstretched hand held a softball that had been the source of the hum. The impact of it must've hurt like a bitch, but the tall brunette showed no sign of it. Instead, she brought her arm around, leg bracing like a pro, to throw the ball back where it came from. "Heads up!"

The softball team was in positive shock as the ball came back towards them, a few scrambling with their gloves to catch it, others shouting out praise. Once it had left her hand, however, Makoto just turned away towards the odango-haired blonde. "_Konnichiwa_, Tsukino-san," she said, smiling.

Hands dusting themselves off, the tall brunette then offered one to Usagi.

But something in her stance was slightly tense, as if expecting a blow. She knew Umino had been spying on her; knew her reputation preceded her. It seemed as if she expected Usagi to follow suit along with the rest and turn away from the troublemaker.

Knowing the nerd was going to faint or at least go into shock, the _odango_-haired blonde took the hand without hesitation, breaking into embarrassed laughter. "Kino-san! _Gomen nasaaaaai_, I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that!" Turning bright red followed. It was all part of the Usagi cycle.

Makoto pulled her up, her smile easier now. From the front, Usagi could also now see the rest of that unusual brown school uniform, though she realized it was more tan than brown. Laces pulled the shirt closed, though it was a sweater type of top that didn't seem very enhanced by a lace closure. The skirt, however, was long enough to nearly reach the girl's ankles, a length that would have drowned Usagi by inches.

Fallen nearby was the _odango_-haired blonde's well-beaten lunch, the bag untied to spill a bit of the contents out; apparently, the carton had opened on the last impact. "Iyaaaa, my lunch! Mama's special pickles!" Usagi dropped to her knees beside it, wailing forlornly at her now unpalatable meal.

Then she grew uncomfortably conscious of the fact that Makoto was staring at her, blinking in surprise at the outburst. Red once more colored her face as she scooted back, laughing loudly. "I mean, ah, I don't eat very much anyway! Hardly a bite at each meal!"

"You're funny, Tsukino-san," the tall brunette chuckled, looking considerably brighter in mood. She smiled brightly, motioning back at the bench she had occupied – and vacated in haste – a few minutes previous. "Would you join me? I haven't quite finished my lunch yet…"

"_Hai_!" Usagi chirped, bounding over to sit on the bench with what she managed to salvage of her bento. She smoothed her skirt beneath her thighs with a quick swipe of her hand, settled, then looked over at Makoto…

…who had already sunk her chopsticks into the most delicious and pretty lunch Usagi had seen outside of a commercial.

Crystal blues widened in the slow appreciation only a true connoisseur could do.

Then she began to drool.

Makoto paused in lifting a small rice ball, blinking at the _odango_-haired blonde. "What is it, Tsukino-san?" She plucked another rice ball out, holding it out for the other girl to accept. "If your lunch is truly ruined, you can share mine."

"Oh no, no, I don't eat much really," Usagi started to stammer. She didn't want to pig out in front of the tall brunette, but her food looked so good…

The rice ball hovered in the air for a minute longer. "Are you sure, Tsukino-san?"

"Wellmaybejustalittlebite—" Gone. Usagi barely took a second to breathe before inhaling the rice ball, which was as scrumptious as it had looked. The tall brunette barely escaped with hand intact, fingers flexing to assure themselves they still existed. "Ahhh, so delicious! Your mother makes lovely food, Kino-san!"

Chopsticks paused as Makoto picked at her rice. Usagi, still licking her fingers in appreciation, missed the vague look in her friend's green eyes. "I made it myself, Tsukino-san, actually. I like to cook."

One last finger, and crystal blues looked back to the tall brunette. "Ne, really? It was wonderful, Kino-san! And very beautiful too!" she added, motioning to the small pink heart design half-eaten atop the rice, and other small embellishments.

"_A-arigatou_, Tsukino-san," the tall brunette murmured in return, sounded so surprised Usagi did a double-take.

Green eyes stared out over the courtyard as Makoto silently and simultaneously cried for joy and in pain. "I try so hard to be womanly," she whispered faintly, looking down at her hands. Usagi surprised her again by sliding one of her own atop, and squeezing.

They looked at one another, and Usagi smiled.

One smile seemed to be all it took, as Makoto returned it, seeming to mentally open up like a flower to the sun. She squeezed Usagi's hand back before saying "So, Tsukino-san, do you know any grocery stores in Juuban I can shop at? Maybe, some arcades?"

  
The school courtyard vibrated with the sound of pounding feet and the last bell.

Atop the wall, Luna sat like the prim cat she was, tail curled comfortably around her paws, brown eyes scanning the crowd of schoolchildren. More than a few passing by – all girls, though one boy with a girlish giggle as well – tried to meow pitifully at her, their idea of enticing the feline down. She ignored them with her usual ear flick, though it never failed that she'd roll her eyes.

"Humans and their horrid attempts to be feline," she grumbled under her breath as one particularly grating meow was hurled up at her. "If they were born to purr or meow, they'd be born with rough tongues and hairball problems."

Finally, however, a familiar head of short blue hair appeared, moving slowly out from the main entrance. Alone, Luna noted with a snort of disappointment. No doubt Usagi had detention for the fourth time this week. Though Ami was not nearly as new anymore, only those matched to her intellect and test scores dared to talk to her; otherwise, she walked alone.

A textbook was up in front of the blue-haired genius's face as she carefully placed her steps, intent on the words but aware enough of her surroundings to spy the black feline. Once she cleared the wall, she turned to the left, Luna doing a light jog above her to keep up.

Once they cleared the crowd, however, Luna dropped, skillful enough to land on Ami's shoulder and curl herself without disrupting the girl's walk. "A little light reading, Ami-chan?" she queried, whiskers wiggling as the book brushed their tips.

"It would be nice, wouldn't it, Luna?" the blue-haired genius sighed softly, tipping the book so Luna could see the cover: Modern Surgery. "If I want to achieve my dream, I must keep my brain full of pertinent knowledge."

Up ahead was the crosswalk, and the usual motley crowd of businessmen, punks, schoolchildren, and what looked to be a very manly woman. Ami stopped a good couple of feet behind the group, turning a page with a finger of the same hand that held the book. Luna had noticed earlier on that the blue-haired genius avoided people when at all possible; the perfect stance for a soldier who could do nothing but defend in battle.

"Your dream, Ami-chan?" Luna finally asked after the light failed to change for an ungodly amount of time.

Ami smiled lightly at the sensation of a paw tapping in frustration against her shoulder. "_Hai_, Luna. To be a doctor like my mother…a lifesaver. To falter means to fail."

"I wish Usagi-chan had that attitude in battle," the black feline grumbled under her breath, mentally directing a particularly nasty curse word at the walk sign. Most assuredly it had company from the rest of the crowd.

"Usagi-chan is like an angel, Luna….perhaps, as ill-suited to be a violent soldier as I am to be a magical, violent soldier." There was a soft tremble to Ami's words that stilled Luna, though she stared at the girl nonetheless. "Perhaps, she is terrible at fighting this war, but she can win because she is good-hearted."

The light flashed green, and everyone began to parade across the road, putting Ami in the middle. Unable to respond vocally, the black feline instead stared ahead, a worried furrow in her brow. She didn't like the way Ami put it, how she sounded the tinniest bit angry at the fact magic had invaded her world. Or was it confusion?

And once they crossed, Luna still was unable to ask, as a couple of schoolgirls from the high school across the ward showed up behind them, laughing to one another. Close enough for her to smell their fruity lip-gloss, and for them to hear if she dared utter a word. Ami seemed not to care, her eyes intent on her book, though she was inwardly relieved.

In silence they made it the last few blocks to the Crown, the two girls passing on by when Ami stepped through the door. Her hand deftly snapped the book shut with a small snap, only for both feline and girl to stare, startled, at a familiar set of odango at the Sailor V game.

But Usagi wasn't playing. "Oooh, so that's how you beat the the villain!" she cooed, stabbing a finger at the console screen as Makoto jerked the joystick.

"It's just a simple combo: charm, get a chance, hit him with the death move." Buttons were hit with emphasis, and the little pixilated V did a bouncing dance of victory.

"Usagi-chan, you made it here before us—me?" Ami asked as she came up behind the two, the startled look having left her face. It came back for a split second as Makoto turned around. "Kino Makoto-san!"

The _odango_-haired blonde beamed as if she'd just been plugged in, grabbing a hand from each girl. "Isn't it wonderful, Ami-chan? Mako-chan, the talented cook, finally transferred to our school!"

Only Usagi could list a person's cooking skills as their only talent and leave everything else out, Luna mentally grumped. Outwardly, however, she purred in greeting at the tall brunette as Makoto flushed. "It's not really a big thing, Tsukino-san…."

"Usagi-chan, I told you! You let me call you Mako-chan, so I'm Usagi-chan! And this is Ami-chan, the genius of Japan!" She brought their hands together, pulling them forward in the process to nearly knock heads, or, rather, head and chin.

They shook hands, both managing somewhat graceful bows this time. "Mizuno Ami."

"Kino Makoto, though we've met, of course."

"_Hai_, but it's rude not to introduce oneself," Ami replied with a soft smile.

Makoto pulled her hand back, smiling slyly, though it still managed to be friendly. "You're much more talkative now than when we met at the games. Is Usagi-chan driving you to insanity and giving you no choice?"

Luna nearly fell off Ami's shoulder, body quivering, as the _odango_-haired blonde and blue-haired genius both blinked. Then, Ami started to laugh, Usagi's mouth dropping open as she finally digested what had been said. By that time, Makoto had joined Ami in the laughter, and Usagi was thusly defeated. It was when another voice, and male at that, joined in, that both girls stopped.

Furuhata grinned at them, holding his broom. "_Gomen gomen_, but she's right about that!"

"_Onii-san_, that's not fair!" Usagi protested, folding her arms as she pouted. It would have worked, had he not been around her enough to know her moods.

"_Gomen_!" he laughed, holding up a hand in protest, before turning it over and out towards Makoto. "And is this pretty girl another friend of yours, Usagi-chan? If you keep bringing them here, it'll be a girl's club soon enough!"

Makoto blushed, actually fidgeting. Instead of taking his hand, she bowed quickly. "I'm Kino Makoto. I just transferred to class six, of the eighth grade, at Juuban Junior High. _Hajimemashite_…?"

"Furuhata Motoki," he answered easily. Then, using his broom as a leaning post, he peered around her shoulder. "Hey, you're pretty good at Sailor V, Makoto!"

There was that blush again.

Ami tilted her gaze down at Luna, catching the black feline's return stare; the high score hadn't gone unnoticed. But Luna looked more confused than intent, looking away from Ami to stare at the score, then at Makoto.

"So, _onii-san_, your name is Furuhata Motoki? Is that what everyone calls you?" Usagi was asking as the feline finally turned to the conversation.

He thought for a moment, smiling. "Call me Furu-chan; everyone at college does," he finally answered, before picking his broom up. "I have to finish cleaning the store, now. Have fun, girls!" With a whistle, he was merrily sweeping his way down the aisle.

Makoto stared after him with an unfocused look of adoration. Ami followed his walk as well for a moment, before shaking her head. "Ne, Usagi-chan, have you heard the rumours?"

"Rumours?" the _odango_-haired blonde replied quizzically, scratching her head. The idea of Ami even discussing the idea of one was enough to throw her for a momentary loop. Once she got past it, however, she realized what the blue-haired genius meant. "Oh, oh! You mean the fortune teller!"

The tall brunette turned away to enter her name into a list of high scores as Ami nodded succinctly. "_Hai_. The new one, just a few blocks away." Subterfuge was not on her list of talents, but she tried anyway. "Maybe we could…just the two of us…go and…um…have our fortunes read?"

"Ano, Ami-chan, I thought you hated that sort of stuff?" Usagi scratched her head again, totally oblivious to the wince Luna and Ami shared. "Hey, Mako-chan, want to come with us?"

Thankfully Makoto still had her back turned, not seeing the frantic stare cat and student gave the _odango_-haired blonde, trying to mentally fire their plan into her head. "Why not? That is," and she turned, Ami re-assuming a pose of utter innocence, Luna licking her paw, "if you'll let me come, Mizuno-san."

No, Ami was not suited for this, at all. She stuttered out an affirmative, unable to be rude.

The three trooped down the sidewalk, Usagi casually looped around an arm each of her two friend's, skipping despite their stilted walk. "Look, someone splashed paint on the sidewalk!" she yipped, pulling them sharply around a pale red streak on the concrete.

"Usagi-chan, who would spill paint on the sidewalk?" Makoto laughed, finally getting into the mood and skipping alongside the _odango_-haired blonde. Poor Ami was just being dragged bumpily along, Luna's claws nearly dug into her skin.

At least the day had improved. The fog had finally released its hold on the city, and sunlight was beginning to shine through, drying patches of ground. Usagi's happiness finally won Ami over just as they neared the building, and the blue-haired genius began to move faster, smiling casually and joyfully. Even Luna seemed easier, happier.

Everyone, in fact, seemed to be happy around them as well. Crowds that had been muttering bitterly a block back were now smiling, joyous. A group nearby even burst into song, if badly off-key. It followed the trio into the shop, Luna hopping down to wait outside without even needing to be told. "Ara ara, so beautiful!" Makoto gasped.

Other people milled within, though sparse enough for the girls to take full view of the vibrant painted walls, hanging crystals and silks, elegant lamps. It was as if they'd stepped into a jeweled temple, complete with several different Japanese mythological statues here and there. A lucky black cat waved its tail and paw above a glass case, marking the time as five o'clock.

Usagi left the huddle to dance through the shop and people, her gasps of shock and pleasure managing to echo. With her absence, Ami rubbed at her arms, feeling the smallest bit cold; Makoto, as well, seemed to be lost. Still, they began to look around curiously, happiness coloring their demeanor as they came closer to the case.

"Ooo….Mako-chan, Ami-chan, it's so pretty!" Usagi pushed between her two friends as they leaned to look into the glass, hands cupping her ears. "Ne, ne, listen to the music…" she sighed, eyes closing.

"It's very nice, Usagi-chan," Ami mumbled.

"_Hai, hai_, pretty," Makoto added. Her fingerprints left a trail of smudges on the glass, adding to countless others already smearing it cloudy. The pendants inside were nothing spectacular, just melted glass, but obviously interesting enough for almost every visitor to take a look.

And did one just glow?

The blue-haired genius felt disoriented, no longer so happy, as she eyed the necklace that had flashed. An almost generic swirl design, it was now as dead as anything else. She squinted; it did nothing. She deliberately let her eyes unfocus, staring at the darker colours of the case, trying to catch another flash. It was a trick her father had shown her, an artists' attempt to see only the darkest parts of a picture, to better gauge shadow and shade. Nothing.

"Ami-chan, the fortune teller is going to tell Mako-chan her fortune!" Usagi's voice cut into Ami's unfocused study, and she startled, releasing a sharp breath. The odango-haired blonde took her hand, yanking her along towards the door next to the counter, leading presumably to the back room. "She says our auras were super special, isn't that neat?"

"Usagi-chan, don't you think something strange is happening?" the blue-haired genius whispered haltingly, even as she was unceremoniously pulled into a dark room where Makoto and a robed woman already sat at the table. No longer feeling happy, Ami let her face fall into a generic, bland, studious stare as she sat next to Usagi. Being an ostracized genius had its advantages, when one wanted to dismiss attention.

The look seemed to upset the woman, despite her smile. "Is something the matter, miss? You seem unhappy." The last word seemed to hang in the air, as if something terrible had been uttered.

Ami, however, simply smiled a generic, bland smile to go along with the stare. "No, merely a tiring day. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with my friends," she said smoothly, folding her hands. Maybe she could get better at subterfuge after all.

"Mou, Ami-chan, you need to relax!" Makoto laughed. The personal suffix had Ami's eyebrow rising a notch, and the smile wavered. The tall brunette, however, seemed not to notice. "Tell my fortune, please, I need luck!" she added, clasping her hands in begging to the fortune teller.

Two small crystal balls, instead of the usual singular, sat in front of the woman, and she set a hand on one of them. Fingernails painted crape myrtle purple tapped the glass to produce quiet, echoing rings. "Please touch the other magical crystal, Kino-san," she purred. "I need to see your aura."

Ami was glad her rolling eyes weren't noticeable in the darkened room.

Usagi leaned close enough to practically touch her nose to the crystal nearest her as Makoto complied, resting her hand lightly on the smooth surface. It began to darken, swirling with neon colours. "Ara ara, you have a vibrant aura! A most lucky sight, Kino-san!"

There went Ami's eyes again. Her two friends, however, were mystified.

Magic was, as Luna had long noted, dismissed in her life.

When the fortune teller began her long, practically trademarked spiel of how Makoto would have a long, happy life, Ami let her vision drift around the room, looking at the silks hung over the unpainted walls. Her earlier elation was totally stifled and gone, leaving her suspicious as hell, and trying to find any clue as to the source of her changing mood. But if the enemy was the source of it, she could feel nothing. Not the persuasive happiness; it was as if once she fought it, it forgot her existence.

Now the woman was babbling on about auras again, though she had already long since taken her hand from the crystal. She was instead holding out a pendant to Makoto, the reason for Ami caught the tail end of: "….focus your energies. Your luck will be immense and bountiful, immediately!"

The blue-haired genius slowly shook her head, closing her eyes with a sigh. More waste. She opened her eyes just as Makoto settled the chain around her neck, the pendant lost within her blouse. "It's so pretty, are you sure I should have it?"

"Of course! Only the luckiest auras are deserving of such a piece, and you should take it with goodwill!" the woman replied, clasping Makoto's hands. Though, she did slide a look towards Ami's frown. "Even if your friend there disbelieves me."

"Ami-chan, aren't you enjoying this?" Usagi asked, looking…well, surprised. With the surprise came the smallest flicker of hesitancy and doubt in those crystal blue eyes.

Smiling tightly, Ami stood up. "I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, but I believe Rei is expecting us….? Perhaps we should let her get back to her other customers." It was a genial statement, but still, at the core, it was a dismissal, and the fortune-teller knew it. She glared with open hatred at Ami as she stood as well, smiling with joy in the next second just as easily at Makoto.

"I enjoyed our time, Kino-san, but I suppose it must end. Come and visit me again, I would love to repeat this."

Makoto looked almost devastated. She grabbed the woman's hands as Usagi and Ami moved for the door, pumping them enthusiastically. "I will, I will! Thank you for making me feel beautiful…."

"Makoto-san, we should be going," Ami stated a bit harder than she meant, and opened the door pointedly. The tall brunette slowly opened her hands after a minute, and nodded. With a bow, she followed Usagi through the door, letting Ami close it behind them. Once her hand left the knob, however, she quickly slid her palm against her skirt, trying to rid herself of the slimy sensation.

The room was stifling now, though the crowd had thinned. Ami walked with brisk steps for the front door, scooping up Luna with a practiced swoop once she was on the doorstep outside. Luna, purring with joy still, melted into her arms as Ami waited for Makoto and Usagi, who was beginning to look a bit disoriented. "Let's hurry; we can make the 6:15 bus to the temple if we walk fast," the blue-haired genius said, already beginning to walk.

"Wasn't it wonderful?" The tall brunette wasn't even paying attention. Hell, she was turned entirely away from them, staring blissfully into the sky. Usagi had to grab her arm and literally yank her around.

"Mako-chan, we have to visit a friend, Hino Rei, you remember?"

"Hino-san? Oh…sure…."

"Do you want to come with?"

Ami was a block away by this point, and Luna was looking confused. Usagi looked back at them, then at Makoto, who had turned away again. Taking it as a yes, the _odango_-haired blonde started to pull and cajole her friend down the sidewalk.

Makoto was humming something beneath her breath as she was pulled along, uncaring. Though once they made that block, the tall brunette quieted down. In fact, she stopped dead in her tracks, something Usagi hadn't expected. As she had been pulling hard, she was snapped back like a rubber band, smacking into Makoto and rebounding off. "_Itaaai_! Mako-chan, tell me next time!"

"U…Usagi-chan? Where are we going?" Makoto looked around, confused and worried. "Oh….Hino Rei-san's, right? I can't go, I have to go shopping."

"Ano…alright. I'll see you at school tomorrow, then?" the _odango_-haired blonde asked, looking up at the girl curiously. Makoto stared down at her for a good minute before reaching out to help her up, as though she'd had to put a lot of thought behind the action.

Something seemed to flash beneath the tall brunette's uniform.

"Sure, Usagi-chan. Tell Hino-san I said hi." Some of her sparkle seemed to return as she smiled, waving as she walked away into a different part of Juuban.

Usagi watched her walk for a long minute, before she ran to catch up with Ami and Luna at the bus stop.

Darkness. Usagi, bottomless stomach that she was, had settled herself into Rei's bedroom with ease, gorging down a tray full of muffins. Despite the dark-haired shrine girl's displeasure towards her new ally's ditzy demeanor, she had caught on right away on how to keep her occupied.

It left her, the blue-haired genius, and the black feline outside on the porch, watching the city lights. Rei was dressed in the usual miko outfit of red and white, a radical departure from the Catholic uniform Ami was familiar with. She was sweeping lazily with a straw broom, thought the courtyard was essentially spotless by now. "I could feel it as I walked home from school, today, an aura of something amiss. But no rumours like that," and the distaste was obvious in her voice, "have spread through my class."

"And no one missed school today, Rei-san?" Ami ventured, hands clasped in her lap. Luna nodded in agreement to the question, though bathing her paw was a priority at the moment.

"There were…a few absent…." the dark-haired shrine girl admitted, looking towards the screen door of her bedroom. "But they were all sick from the flu, except for one."

Luna swiped her paw over her brow, shaking her fur into a neater, fluffier state. "The flu could merely be a lie, Rei-san. If the fortune teller is behind this, how could any parents aptly describe the problem?" The black feline swiveled her head to fix both of them beneath her stare, catching their attention. "Our enemies desire energy which, when drained, leaves the person in a state not unlike flu. If all of the children missing from Juuban called in with the flu as well…"

"…then it could be a possible epidemic," Ami whispered softly. "But so many people visiting a fortune teller?"

The dark-haired shrine girl shrugged, pausing in her sweep. "We are an influenced society, Ami-san. You should see the lines of people coming here for charms and prayers; people take such things very seriously in this city." A hand motioned down at her outfit as if to make her point. "It doesn't seem too surprising that so many would see this woman, wanting to be bestowed with lucky futures."

"People make their own luck, Rei-san," the blue-haired genius stated in reply, a bit stiffly. "Not charms or potions. It saddens me that so many would believe that foolishness, but we're not here to discuss that." She carefully avoided both their gazes, instead looking down the newspaper folded in her lap. "So many reporting in sick…."

The fusama that separated Rei's room from the outside slid open, omitting a still-munching Usagi. A few crumbs trailed in her wake, and around her, the mess she'd left on the table was visible. Rei visibly bit back the coming yell as Usagi asked, innocently, "Has anything happened?"

"No, Usagi-chan. We were just discussing the problem, not the solution quite yet," Luna replied a bit tartly, eyeing the mess inside.

"But, Luna, we need to stop this person! Everyone says Naru-chan saw her, and she's sick now, and, and, Moriya-chan didn't meet me today for school…" Her words were like a spring brook, babbling one over the other until even Ami looked perplexed. "And why do my friends keep being hurt by these people? They aren't even soldiers, it isn't fair!"

The swish of Rei's broom was the only sound.

Then, Ami reached up to take her friend's hand. "Usagi-chan, that's why we were chosen, to fight the battle. Because innocent people are hurt by evil all of the time." She smiled weakly, gently guiding the _odango_-haired blonde down to sit. "Remember, my mother was hurt by them. Even though the methods are unorthodox, I'll still fight with you."

  
"You truly dislike magic, Ami-san?" Rei sounded incredulous, breaking the tender moment before it had even truly been born. For her, a girl raised among a religion that spoke of worship of natural forces that couldn't always be seen and a psychic in her own right, it was nearly blasphemy. "But it exists in everyone, everything, even if you don't see it. You can't deny it—"

"Does it, Rei-san?" Ami replied, calmly. "A force that cannot be seen, or tested? Science can be proven. What doctors do every day can be a miracle witnessed by the eyes, and that I do not question. But magic? Hai, I dislike it, because I couldn't prove its existence not even a few months ago." Her eyes, usually so square and studious, took on a sharp tilt of anger, which the _odango_-haired blonde pulled back from.

But Ami seemed not to notice. Instead, she smiled bitterly. "I was secure in my belief of science and structure, Rei-san, not touched by anything miraculous. My father was the dreamer, the one with his head in the clouds about art and magic and belief. But now…? Now, instead of worrying about my exams and my books I have to constantly worry that one of these battles will kill me. I have to remember a few choice words that will, despite my disbelief, convert my molecules to a super-heightened state, my clothes to a skimpy fuku."

"But there's your proof, Ami-san!" Rei motioned towards the blue-haired genius almost foppishly, taking control of the conversation. "Magic has proven its existence to you, given you powers beyond humanity, yet you question it? Science can be just as surreal as magic; hypotheses can be disproved, long-held standards destroyed by a few new calculations. Even now, another human skeleton is being found that refutes evolution!"

Usagi was, wisely, for once, quiet. Luna padded her way into her lap, staring with unbridled curiosity at her two allies as they stared down one another.

And Rei still continued before Ami could open her mouth, shushing her with a jab of finger. "But still you hold fast to your belief that science is everything, the answer to all? Yes, maybe it answers some questions, but not everything is meant to be known in this world. The things we can do, the powers we can wield….! Will you lock yourself in your room and study yourself, transform and pierce your skin to calculate how fast you heal?"

The look of disgust, mild loathing, was visible on both faces. Usagi, however, held a look of open astonishment, though it was tinged with a veneer of sorrow. In her lap, the black feline was rigid with tension; in all of her preparations and searching, never had she once considered finding a soldier so at odds with her magical destiny. Nor one who may have had such strong doubts that she could have, sensibly, tried to experiment on herself to find the cause.

If Ami hated her new form enough…maybe even a cure.

But the blue-haired genius was furious now, though fury looked out of sorts on her usually mild face. "How dare you? I've accepted myself now, if with hesitancy and doubt, enough to fight our enemies!"

"But there's still doubt! And doubt doesn't win wars, Ami-san." The smile that rose was smug, triumphant. "Perhaps we chose our forms in our own way; perhaps that is why you wield nothing but cold, numbing fog. All the better to hide yourself with."

Someone was crying.

Surprisingly, two.

Though the tears that dripped down Ami's cheeks were silent in comparison to Usagi's hiccuping sobs, both of them cried nonetheless. The dark-haired shrine girl, her victory no longer in doubt, looked hesitant. Apparently, she hadn't meant to produce the result she had, and immediately she held out her hands. "Ami-san, I…_gomen nasai_…I didn't mean for you…"

Luna was flung out into the courtyard as Usagi leapt up, doing what Ami should have done for herself, and the echo of hand hitting cheek was painfully loud. Even though the _odango_-haired blonde was not an experienced fighter, she managed to put all her weight behind the blow, throwing Rei to the ground. "How can you do such a thing, Rei? You're terrible, terrible to say those things to Ami-chan!" Her nose had begun to drip thickly, and she swiped at it with her sleeve messily. "You're cruel, mean, and you don't care about anyone but yourself! At least Ami-chan is trying her best!"

The blue-haired genius looked lost, staring at Usagi with a slightly gaped mouth. Rei, spilled in her ungrateful heap, looked even more confused and disoriented. "I don't like being a soldier either; I can't fight very well, and I'm a crybaby, and I keep being hurt, but I try! And if you don't like Ami-chan and me being soldiers, then you can do it alone and see how well you do!" she yelled, scrubbing at her face with her sleeve. Then she promptly all but leapt on Ami, hugging the girl tight with a fresh sob.

"Some soldiers of justice and love," Luna's bitter voice said from across the yard, where slitted brown eyes glittered amidst the blackness. "I know periods of adjustment have to happen, but this is ridiculous."

Incredibly, Ami giggled.

It was an instant icebreaker.

The black feline gaped dumbly as all three suddenly broke into spontaneous laughter, going from bitter sobbing to gaiety in less time than it takes to change a light bulb. Ami and Usagi hanging onto one another were joined by Rei, the three rolling across the ground in each other's hold, laughing joyously.

When they finally stopped rolling, still giggling, Luna jogged over to jab her paw into Ami's side. "I suppose this is some human bonding ritual I'm still unaware of?"

Ami, her blue hair tousled and arrayed with bits of leaf, smiled. "Perhaps, Luna. I guess we all just realized how silly we're being. Ne?"

Rei, her robes now gray and darker magenta, shook some of her own hair out of her face. "_Hai, hai_. Questioning Ami was silly of me; despite her doubts, she's as strong as soldier as me."

"Though I do doubt magic, Luna, that's true. But I accept it."

"_Itaaai_, someone's on my arm!"

Both girls rolled away to reveal Usagi, her _odango_ slightly lumpy and squashed, blonde ponytails darkened by dirt and leaves. She cradled her injured arm, sniffling piteously as Ami nodded to Rei. "Besides, we have Usagi to protect, ne?"

"She definitely needs it." This time, there was no hint of malice or bitterness, emotions which seemed to have previously coloured her speeches about the girl. She stood up, brushing at her dirtied robe as Luna hung her head.

"Isn't that the truth…_nani_?"

The black feline cocked her head as Ami helped Usagi up behind her. Pointed ears tipped forward, only to sharply pull back as she did the same with her paws, stepping backwards towards the girls.

Atop the red torii that marked the entrance to the shrine, something landed.

Just as the sun was setting, Mamoru felt the unease. But it was wispy, inconsequential almost, leaving him restless. Restless enough that studying was out of the question, despite the pile of textbooks on his table that spoke of far too many hours needed.

He removed his reading glasses, toying with them over and over again in his hands. In setting them down, he picked up something else; a picture, framed, of two adults and a little smiling boy. Tucked into the frame outside of the glass was a newer snapshot of the same boy, grown a littler older, grinning as he held a baseball bat alongside a younger, red-haired girl. Though both were banged up, she had the bigger bruises.

The memory never failed to induce a smile, even now.

But even after he set the picture back, he couldn't entice his mind to study, or even attempt to. The entire day had been bugging him, and it had started right after he'd found out Ittou had stayed home ill. Nothing serious, but he hadn't been the only one sick. His fifth hour class had been reduced to a self-study for lack of students.

And now, for some reason, he had the urge to visit his old friend. "You reminisce too much, Chiba," he grumbled, though good-naturedly. Just the travel time alone would deprive him of a good half-hour. He looked at the pile of books, imagining how his night would go; study Chemistry, study Geometry, write History paper, study English, write English paper.

He was dressed and stepping out of the door in record time, even with the little voice in his head shouting at him to do his work. A quiet bout of whistling tuned it out, and he stepped into the elevator, nodding pleasantly at his neighbor.

It was in his car that the voice disappeared, only for a face to take place of it. A lovely, if shadowed face, dress streaming in the wind. And the same whispered plea over and over again, like a beautiful song in repetition. How the hell was he to know what a ‘mystical silver crystal' was, anyway? And even if he did, how could he find it?

Usually he pictured it like a diamond. He'd even taken to visiting jewelry shops, looking at each and every stone, hoping that if he saw it, it would give a sign. Grow arms and wave, maybe, or flip him off. And in the night…

He frowned, cutting himself off mentally. The thief he had…followed had been, astonishingly enough, looking for the crystal was well, but he was positive by now that finding it wouldn't take theft or retail bargain hunting. He had told the girl as much, as he'd found her attempting to find it once last time, after Sailor V had interrupted them. She'd laughed, calling him naïve.

A motorcycle cut him off, bringing his focus to the present again, and he beeped the horn angrily. A sandy-blonde head looked back at him, smirking, before revving and cutting off another car ahead of his. He scowled. "Someone always needs to spoil a good hobby."

He then realized, embarrassingly, that he'd driven past the turn for the orphanage blocks back. A coloured curse filled the interior of the car as he took the next exit, exiting a U turn on a vacant street to go back. "Thank the _kami_ for side streets," he sighed, turning his signal on again as he approached the correct turn.

The first thing he noticed as he pulled into the parking lot was that no one was playing outside. Unusual, as the courtyard had a light for nighttime basketball. As he turned the engine off, everything settled into the dark twilight of the evening; only one light, over the main entrance, burned brightly. Juggling his keys, he stepped out of the car and locked it.

Someone had heard the door slam, because the front door of the building opened before he even got to the stairs, spilling light from the foyer out onto the street. "Mamoru? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Sakkaku-san? And here I thought the place was deserted!" Mamoru was relieved, and it was obvious by his voice. But as he got closer, he saw the worried look on the woman's face despite the shadows. "What's wrong?"

The woman pursed her lips, stepping aside to usher him in. "You haven't heard about the epidemic, Mamoru? It's terrible, and it's spread here! Moriya is…very sick."

That alone was enough to spur his footsteps faster. Moriya was hardly ever sick, and when she was, it was usually a light cold. But Sakkaku's tone spoke of something much worse. "How sick? You know Moriya; she'd beat a cold to death if it even set eyes on her," he said laughingly, though it was a bit forced.

Sakkaku, however, didn't laugh. She just shook her head, hurrying down the hall. At the end he could see the door, still familiar despite the fact he no longer had to pass through it daily. "I'm worried, Mamoru. Almost half the building is ill, but Moriya is so much worse, as if she has no energy to even breathe."

She missed the look in his ocean blue eyes; they grew steely, sharp. "As if she has no energy, ne?"

The door opened before him as Sakkaku stepped aside, letting him go first.

Inside, the room was as empty as the last time he'd seen it, save for the last bed. The blankets were in disarray over a lump in the very middle, a few pillows on the floor. A few straggles of red hair were visible against one of the white sheets. "_Kami-sama_…Moriya," Mamoru whispered faintly, moving towards the bed.

Once he got there, he realized the lump wasn't Moriya at all; the girl in question was slumped beneath the half-open window, as if she'd tried to crawl out. She'd pulled on some black jeans and a matching sweatshirt, though she was pale to the point of opacity, and sweating.

"Chouno Moriyakumi, what in the name of the _kami_ and their devils are you doing?" Sakkaku gasped behind him, rushing around to haul the nearly unconscious girl up. Moriya was like a rag doll, her head lolling on her neck. Though once she saw Mamoru, her eyes fixed steadily on him.

"Need help on your homework, Mamoru-chan?" she asked, trying for jest, and getting what sounded like broken glass over iron grating.

Something glowed out of the corner of his eye; a glass pendant, sitting on her desk. A soft fog hung about it, like a smoker's cloud. "It's from the fortune teller in Juuban," Moriya answered without needing to be asked. The black-haired man turned away graciously as Sakkaku undressed his friend, studying the necklace in silence.

The fog around it was thick, heavy; he brushed his hand through it, feeling a small rush through his body, as if he'd just done a quick run down the street. Energized. "I'm sorry you feel sick, Moriya…I'll go then, because you need some rest."

"No problem, Chiba…" She sounded sarcastic, though grateful, as he left her room without another word. Though she noted the pendant was now gone, she said nothing as Sakkaku tucked her into bed, even though they both knew she wouldn't get any sleep again tonight.

Outside, Mamoru stood in the unlit courtyard. The pendant, held by its cord, was dropped onto the asphalt; he brought his heel down to shatter the glass into a hundred tiny pieces.

The rush of energy that flew past him towards a certain window in the building made him smile.

Another twist of his ankle ground the glass into powder, leaving only the cord it had hung by as proof of its existence. That accomplished, he smiled into the night, eyes closed as he felt the surge through his veins of another sort of energy. It was brought on not by emergency, but choice; he didn't need to open his eyes to know the domino mask was again on his face. The wind whipped the ends of his cape into a frenzy, nearly carried off his top hat.

He'd never brought the change on by his own choosing. But, he supposed, knowing that evil was at work and that someone needed to stop it was enough. He jingled his keys, smiling at the irony of Tuxedo Kamen driving to find the soldiers.

Thank the _kami_ his change brought with it an internal homing device, or he would have been driving semi-blind. He knew where they were by simple concentration, and within forty five minutes he parked a block away from the Hikawa jinja, staring at the red torii that towered over the trees. A running leap brought him onto the branch of the nearest oak, another to the next, and so on, until he felt his feet touch the hallowed wood of the arch.

And down below he heard the sudden cry of "Tuxedo Kamen-sama!"

  
Luna was thanking every god in the pantheon that the girls were shadowed by the temple, or three secret identities would have been blown to hell. As it was, the black feline stared up at the tuxedo-clad man atop the torii, whiskers twitching. "_Konnichiwa, koneko_," he called down. "May I borrow your soldiers for a few hours?"

"Mrrroowww," she crooned in return, affecting her innocent kitty pose. Behind her, she could hear the trio scrambling for Rei's bedroom, hopefully – if her gods were listening to her prayers – to transform. When she realized Tuxedo Kamen was waiting for her to respond, she cursed. "Meeoow?"

He doffed his hat, though it was difficult to distinguish against the sky. "_Gomen ne, koneko_, I was assuming you would share your ability to speak Japanese with me. Does another cat have your tongue, or should I try English? I warn you, though, it's terrible."

A small wind ruffled her fur, and she knew without turning that multicolored lights were flashing through the fusama. Giving it all up, she stood on all fours in an attack stance. "You could be our enemy. Why would I simply allow you to take my soldiers with you?"

"He can't be the enemy, Luna," Usagi, no, Sailor Moon, whispered behind her. Tuxedo Kamen jumped down to the stones below as the three soldiers emerged from what seemed to be a nearby bush, Mercury and Mars slightly ahead of Moon. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama, why are you here?"

The smallest smile curved his mouth upwards. "I need a cure for an epidemic, Sailor Moon. A fortune telling epidemic."

"You have proof she's causing it?" This from Mercury, who took a step forward.

"I have ways."

Mars spoke for Luna when she said, "How do we know this isn't a trap?" She was the only one in an openly defensive stance, hands ready to call her flames.

Tuxedo Kamen took a step back, doing an incredible leap back atop the torii that would have made an Olympic athlete salivate and sell their soul. "Your leader trusts me. And besides, we don't have all night to debate the subject." He disappeared down into the trees that lined the hill, though the sound of his departure lingered.

  
Luna frowned, shaking her head as she turned around. "I don't trust him. We shouldn't just rush of—Sailor Moon?"

Both girls started, turning around violently as Luna bounded towards them. The space behind them was empty, and had it not been such a tense situation, the black feline would've been proud that the girl had managed to leave so quietly. "_Shimatta_!"

Yards over the courtyard wall, a familiar pair of blonde ponytails darted between the trees, before the soldier finally made it to the sidewalk. Just within her sight she could still make out a black blur racing across the trees, leading her, though she knew how to make it to the fortune-teller on her own. But it was a small pleasure to know Tuxedo Kamen had found her, needed her help despite her clumsiness in battle.

She rounded the corner and saw the Crown up ahead, along with another familiar figure, who was slumped against the door of the fortune-teller's with a cloud of energy surrounding her head. An open can of soda lay at her feet, as if she'd dropped it. "Mako-chan? Mako-chan!"

"_Nani_…?" The tall brunette looked up as Sailor Moon approached, eyes heavily lidded. She was shaken, though not hard, the cloud of energy not even disturbed. "Sailor…Sailor Moon? So pretty…"

Tuxedo Kamen dropped silently next to the soldier, doing the most unorthodox thing imaginable; he jerked open the ties on Makoto's shirt, exposing a plain white bra and a glowing glass pendant. Sailor Moon shrieked, the pendant not even registering in her mind as unusual as she smacked the man across the arm. "_Ecchi_! What are you doing to Mako-chan!"

"Saving her!" he yelped, grabbing his arm where she'd hit him. Then, intent on his task, he turned back to grab the pendant by the cord, lifting it over Makoto's head. The energy cloud followed it like a puppy on a leash, and he stood, stepping back. Sailor Moon had to hold the tall brunette upright as she fell over, no longer strong enough to even sit properly.

Someone hissed within the building as Tuxedo Kamen dropped the pendant onto the concrete, shattering it in much the same way that he had the first. The rush of energy was not as strong as the first time, but it still jarred him as it blew past, absorbing itself back into Makoto's body. "_Sugoi_," Sailor Moon murmured. "How did you know…?"

More glass shattered, but this time, it was the windows of the building. They blew outward and past the two girls who huddled safely on the doorstep, and below Tuxedo Kamen as he leapt upwards and onto the roof of a nearby building. He could hear Mercury and Mars' shouts of surprise as they ran up the street, hearing and seeing the explosion.

And then, something that had once been the fortune-teller stepped out.

She was damn ugly. Her body was now twisted and pitted, furry in patches here and there. The robes she had worn earlier was now a simple loincloth; hell, she was no longer a ‘she,' but a ‘he.' "More of you irritating little girls? Tch. You already destroyed my watchdog, which is worthy of punishment enough." A sickly greenish glow began to form in the _youma's_ hand, and Sailor Moon, for once sensing the danger beforehand, pulled Makoto with her off the doorstep and just out of the way of a stereotypical bolt of energy.

Already Mars was bringing up a counter-attack, fire racing to impact with the green glow to detonate with enough force to blow Sailor Moon and the tall brunette down the alleyway, and the _youma_ backwards into the store. "_Gomen_!" the dark-haired soldier said immediately to Mercury and Luna's displeased stares.

Both soldiers ran into the store, leaving Luna with the task of finding the third. She turned away as Mercury called out her attack, and even from the street, she could feel the fog creeping its way through the store, cold and thick. Down the alley she darted, though it was so dark she slammed into, and tripped over, Sailor Moon's leg. "Sailor Moon, you have to join Mercury and Mars to fight the enemy!"

"Ooohh, my head...ne? Luna? Where's Tuxedo Kamen?" the _odango_-haired blonde asked instead, though she quieted at the stare the cat gave her.

"He could still be the enemy, Sailor Moon; don't trust so casually!" She swatted at the offending leg with a paw, producing a yip. "Now go help Mercury and Mars fight the fortune-teller!"

Beside Sailor Moon stirred Makoto. She blinked oak green eyes lazily, though coherently, at the black feline. "The fortune-teller is evil?" With the pendant smashed, her energy had returned, and she was quicker to stand then Sailor Moon. "She led me astray?"

The heat in her expression was enough to make Luna step back. Sailor Moon stood as well, though she was slightly unsteady. "She was leading everyone astray, Mako-chan…"

Luna scratched her leg quickly at the slip, though the tall brunette didn't even noticed. She clenched and unclenched her fists, staring at the side entrance with a fierce set to her jaw. Then she put one of those fists through the small window in the blink of an eye, the door swinging open. Sailor Moon jumped and shrieked, not stopping Makoto as she ran into the building.

Human and cat stared through the doorway in shock. Then, hesitantly, the _odango_-haired blonde ran inside as well, Luna at her heels. They emerged in a back room full of boxes upon boxes of the same swirled glass pendants Makoto had been wearing. "She must have been giving everyone one of these," Luna observed, tapping a claw against one on the floor. But it lay dead, not even bothering to try and suck out her energy.

Without some sort of trigger, apparently, they were as lifeless as normal glass.

They left the boxes untouched, running through another door to find themselves in the small room the fortune-teller had used. The door had been hidden behind an opaque silk hanging, which Sailor Moon promptly tripped on and ripped off the wall. "What a lousy place for a door!" she whimpered, untangling the silk from her legs as Luna yowled in exasperation, running on ahead of her.

Picking up one of the glass balls to throw, the odango-haired blonde stepped into the main room and promptly slid to her ass again as she stepped on another smaller, round crystal. Her cry of pain went unnoticed as a spate of fire flew over her head, neatly melting a few other silks, but missing the _youma_.

But the real surprise was Makoto. Hell hath no fury like a brunette pissed, and she was dodging the youma's now-clawed hand like a whirlwind, going so far as to pick the creature up and lobbing it across the room. "You trickster! You lied to me!"

Mercury barely had time to duck and dodge as the _youma_ hit the window frame, screaming in anger and pain as broken glass cut its back.

The tall brunette stood, panting and furious, awash in a warm green glow. Against her forehead glowed a green sigil, which faded as she started to cool down a little bit. "Of course! Our fourth ally!" Luna whispered, taking a step back. She closed her eyes to concentrate, ignoring Moon's yell as she threw her tiara across the room.

Makoto turned as she felt Luna work her magic, only to have a green pen flying at her face. She caught it automatically, staring in confusion between the pen and the cat. "Am I supposed to scribble it to death?" she asked quizzically.

"No, no, say the words, Makoto!"

"The…words…?" The pen felt warm between her fingers as she stared hard at it, warmer still as a burst of recognition overtook her. She knew the symbol atop, knew it had flared into existence on her forehead a minute ago. "Jupiter. I'm Jupiter."

Across the room, the _youma_ had Sailor Mars by the arm. She was airborne a second later, though both Mercury and Mars interposed themselves between her and the wall as fast as they could, stopping her flight with their bodies. All three went down in a tangle of limbs and yelps of pain, even as Mercury called up more fog with a hurried gesture.

Lightning flashed across the sky outside.

Then it hit the building.

The fog cleared as if a giant hand had brushed it aside, revealing a Makoto clad in the green fuku of a soldier standing between the youma and the girls. "You tricked me, and countless other innocents. I won't let you live for that!"

"Yare yare," the _youma_ sighed, picking at its teeth with an especially long nail. "Your speeches bore me. How you snuck up on me is unimportant, but you'll be destroyed the same as they!"

It barely had the time to bring up an attack before lightning had it airborne, flying through the wooden door and out onto the street, smoking. Luna smiled proudly. Mercury, Mars, and Moon gaped in rather unladylike fashion. "I guess I'm Sailor Jupiter, _minna_," the tall brunette announced grimly, before she ran towards the splintered door. She jumped out, fist catching the _youma_ in the chin before it could get up.

But surprisingly, this time it didn't put up a fight. Before Jupiter's astonished eyes, the creature seemed to shrivel and shrink, leaving behind what looked to be a crude…doll? "_Nani kuso_? It's a fake!" she shouted, kicking it.

"You destroyed it, Jupiter?" Mars questioned as the trio came up behind her, though various cuts and bruises slowed them down. The black feline came around to sniff at the doll, nudging it with her nose.

"I think it was a decoy," she announced gravely a moment later.

"Of course it was a decoy, you silly little animal. Look upon the face of your death, sailor soldiers, I'd hate for you to miss it!"

Four faces turned up to the roof, where Nephrite stood, arrogantly balanced on the edge. A dark nimbus of energy surrounded his head, jagged with spikes. It was an ugly sight. "It doesn't take much to fill such a thing with my shadow. All the better to lead you into my grasp with no real effort!" The general's laughter was triumphant and harsh as he stood, arms folded.

Jupiter stepped forward before Mars could speak, cutting her off. "So you're the cause of all of this!" Her hands came up, pink energy forming its own circle around her fingers. "Flower Hurricane!"

Despite the name, the flower petals that slammed into Nephrite were anything but gentle. He screamed, bringing his arms up to cover his eyes in pain. "My eyes! You little bitch!"

"I'm not finished yet! Jupiter, my guardian, hear me!" She was on a roll. Her allies watched in stunned silence as lightning arced down from a now-cloudy sky, connecting with the antennae that graced her tiara. As Nephrite busied himself with flailing the petals away, she gathered the lightning between her hands. "Supreme Thunder!" she shouted, letting it go.

The impact was blinding. Only Jupiter didn't look away, staring resolutely as the general screamed one last time, a charred body falling from the roof to hit the sidewalk, dispersing into chunks of ash.

Silence descended, only to be replaced by the gentle sound of wind carrying off the ash. "This…is my destiny?" Jupiter whispered softly.

"_Hai_, Makoto-san. You hold the power of Jupiter, the powerful giant. Like everyone else, you have your special powers as Sailor Jupiter," Luna said briskly, padding up to the tall brunette. She seemed to be the only one not slightly shell-shocked by the fact Makoto had just charbroiled Nephrite in much the same way Mars had Jadeite.

Her head turned carefully away, Makoto felt tears fall down her face as she stared at her hands. Lightning. The same element that had brought down the plane…_kami-sama_, was this some sort of celestial mockery? "I…I knew I had something calling me here, but I didn't know…I didn't know…."

"_Daijoubu_, Mako-chan. You have us now!" Sailor Moon said happily, hugging the tall brunette from behind. She allowed it, though she kept her head away. Her vision was blurring rapidly to the point of near-blindness, and she swallowed a sob.

Because of it, she didn't see the sudden glow Luna was now giving off, until the silence grew to be too much, and she looked around. Sailor Moon, still holding onto her, exhaled sharply at the sight. Mars stared dully, Mercury with piqued interest. But Luna had eyes for no one but her odango'd charge, and it was towards her she stepped.

"Sailor Moon. You have four of your allies, now; something in my heart tells me now is the time."

"Ano…why are you glowing, Luna?" Mercury finally asked. The black feline tilted her head to look at the blue-clad soldier, the glow so bright now that the girls had to shield their eyes and step back.

The glow then took shape, solid, on the concrete in front of Luna, forming a small stick with a crescent at the end. "You are the leader now, Sailor Moon. To protect our princess, to find the _Ginzuishou_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where I stopped fucking around, and planned to finish the epic. Before, I was mostly dabbling, getting back into the spirit of writing after a few years of mostly shitty drabbles. Also, there's a Project A-Ko reference.


	6. Act 06 : tuxedo kamen - Tuxedo Mask

##### 

Something was happening.

In dreams, things changed.

Aino Minako always dreamed in the softened shades of black, gray, white. Now they were brilliant technicolour, each detail wrought in three-dimensional perfection.

People were moving into position to play the millennia-old game, and again, she revisited the past.

It was painful to know, at the tender age of 13, that your life is nothing more than the second chance of another soul. The set had broken around her; the castle pillars had burned; the floodgates had opened. She had seen the most beautiful girl in the world smiling at her, calling her name with the gaiety and innocence of a child. Four girls who knew her as their leader and fellow soldier, their trusted friend. They shared the special knowledge of children grown too fast, with powers unique to themselves.

She knew the names of Japan's three islands, Tokyo's wards, who had won the national volleyball game two years in a row.

And then she knew how the Venus-Jupiter's trade alliance had strengthened both planets' meager resources, because both kingdoms existed solely on floating asteroids.

When she surrendered to REM sleep, she walked the hallways of her castle in her uniforms and dresses, alone on the main asteroid save for the other royal families. Around them spun the other five colonies, on which their kingdom's inhabitants lived and farmed. Jupiter had a similar setup, air and atmosphere created by the shared magic of the _Ginzuishou_ and powerful wizards.

Of her parents, the king and queen, she remembered only fondness. From an early age she had been trained as a sailor soldier, too busy to spend any real time with them; and just as she approached her teens she had been whisked away to be part of another kingdom's court.

And now, she was walking those halls with surer clarity.

Eyes opened to the dark, blinking away sleep lazily.

In orange fleece pajamas embroidered with volleyballs and, for some strange reason, frogs, Minako crept to her window. Opening it wide, she curled onto the frame to breathe in the cool night air. "The moon is a sliver tonight…."

If she concentrated, she could see its corona, pulsating gently like a heartbeat. Though Artemis had warned her against going out tonight, so injured she'd been, she could still feel the battle. It lingered like the touch of a hand against her arm, just the lightest brush.

She knew what had been conjured, and it frightened her to death.

  
Out of a mass of tangled bed sheets dangled a pale hand, fingers lightly curled. A ray of sunshine warmed the skin, and after a moment, the fingers curled into a fist as Usagi stretched, a foot poking out from the opposite end. The following yawn was kittenish, muted, before the _odango_-less blonde tumbled from the mattress onto the floor.

A hand swatted at her alarm clock, turning it off a minute before the buzzer would have sounded. It was an usual event, but not as abnormal as it once had been; Usagi was early to rise. Not that it made her any more coherent; she stumbled around her bedroom in the early morning light like a blind woman, tripping over more than a few articles of dirty clothing. Pulling on her uniform and knotting the bow took an excruciating amount of time.

Teeth brushing and a frantic scrub at the face took less time than dressing, and Usagi walked down the stairs slowly, fingers pinning up her hair with expert twists. By the time she reached the first floor she'd inserted the last pin into the left mound of hair, smoothing it out into its usual round shape. With a lazy yawn she stepped into the kitchen, only to stop dead at the sight greeting her.

Moriya, swallowing almost an entire slice of toast, nodded in agreement to Shingo's boisterous descriptions of his nearly work-free school day just twenty-four hours previous. The redhead was far more talented than Usagi at placating her loud, annoying younger brother. But it was the mere presence of her friend that send the _odango_-haired blonde flying across the threshold, culminating with descent of Moriya, still in her chair, backwards onto the floor.

"Moriya-chan!"

"_Itaaai, baka_ Usagi!" the redhead laughed, hugging her friend tight. "You're up early!"

Usagi reluctantly peeled herself away upon seeing her mother's displeased stare. "_Hai hai_….I was so worried…I didn't think I'd see you again…"

"Yare yare, _tsukimidango_," Moriya sighed as she pulled her chair upright, "You're as bad as an American hen."

The _odango_-haired blonde nibbled at her lip, crystal blue eyes swimming. Again, the guilt gnawed at her that she couldn't even hint to her best friend what she knew. That every time she fought the enemy, she was terrified of losing and knowing instinctively that everyone's life was on the line. If she and Ami and Rei ever lost a fight, it wouldn't stop; it would be a domino effect, their spirits broken. The enemy would win.

But, she had to amend, now Makoto was a soldier as well. The tall brunette was a furious ball of energy, and a brutal fighter; even Rei had seemed a little cowed by Makoto's handle of the youma, in human form no less!

"_Moshi moshi, baka nee-chan_!" When Shingo added a yank to her ponytail, she immediately snapped back to the real world, shrieking. He stuck his tongue out to her cries, snickering. "You daydream too much! It's no wonder I'm the smarter one in the family!"

Moriya, her expression mildly ironic, just sighed. "And so passes a normal morning in the Tsukino household." Usagi, still sniffling, stole her brother's gesture and razzed her friend, before grabbing a piece of toast.

Being relatively early, all three students ate without hurry and silence descended, broken only by Ikuko's questions: "More toast, Moriya-chan?" "Shingo, don't you want some more orange juice?" "Usagi, stop swallowing such large bites!"

Well, maybe not all questions, but hey.

Just as Usagi, Shingo, and Moriya got up to go, the former two collecting their lunch from their mother, Kenji walked into the kitchen, folded newspaper under his arm. "_Ohayo_, Moriya," he cheerfully greeted his daughter's friend, before kissing his wife on the cheek.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_, Tsukino-san," the redhead replied, waving to the assembled family members before following Usagi to the front foyer and their shoes.

As usual, their father sat down with the paper already opened, the unroll and flick gesture needed to get it that far done before he even made it to the table. Ikukko set a plate of toast and waffles in front of him without needing to be told, the click of the plate coinciding with the slamming of the front door. "Usagi waking early is rare, but it does happen now and again," she observed to her husband as he turned a page.

"_Hai_….sometimes, I really think she's growing up." A hand reached around the paper to grab the glass of orange juice. Rarely, if ever, did he put the paper down to eat with both hands. Most often, Ikukko pushed a plate or glass into his reach, neither ever commenting on it. Such was the perfect life of a married couple. "Another article on those strange young girls…"

He folded the paper just so, turning it around so his wife could see it. A picture was the top centerpiece, consisting of a montage of places: a damaged school roof, the fortune-teller's decimated building, a mutilated hospital wing. The caption, worded more for affect than actual truth, proclaimed in bold lettering "Catastrophe! Are These Mysterious Sailor Girls Behind It?"

"I don't know, dear," Ikuko murmured, picking up Usagi's glass. "It seems all a bit too strange for me. Why did they appear, and so suddenly? Are they dangerous?"

She nudged her husband's plate closer, and he picked up another piece of toast. "No one knows, but for them to leave such damage behind….! This isn't America. Maybe the police will handle the situation soon, and these strange girls will leave."

Ikuko stared at the pictures, unaware of another pair of eyes watching her from the doorway. "But they have no pictures of these troublesome girls…how does anyone know who they are?"

"Cameras have been checked; none of them appear on them clearly, all blurry shapes. One wears all blue, and another wears red, and one wears both of them. But no one can give good details, except that one looks like an angel…."

Luna, crouched back behind the doorframe, scooted back further.

"They're just like that girl a year ago…Sailor V? Is that what they called her?" Kenji's head nodded behind the paper, a finger moving down the writing.

"_Hai_, people think there's a connection. And now, here, there's a proclamation of confession from someone named ‘Tuxedo Kamen.'"

The black feline's tail stood up straight, frizzing like a bad case of static. Had she heard Kenji properly? Again, she nudged her head out, looking like a kitten waiting to pounce the ball of yarn. Metaphorically, even, in this case.

With a practiced swoop, Ikuko picked up her husband's now-empty plate, balancing it atop three others, and dipped them into the sink. She turned on the faucet, adding some soap, before she asked, "Tuxedo Kamen? Sounds suspicious as well!"

"Whoever he is, he says he was the one behind all those recent diamond thefts, in search of something called the _Ginzuishou_?" With a snap of his wrist, he folded the paper into a small rectangle, insides turned out in total ignorance of the original folds. "Suspicious indeed. Maybe that Sailor V and those other girls are involved, like petty thieves."

The disdain and loathing in Kenji's voice was nearly tangible. Luna, her heart sinking, padded her way back to the stairs, heading up as silently as possible.

She prayed to every god that she knew that any further discussion about the soldiers would hopefully never be in Usagi's presence. The _odango_-haired blonde would be devastated.

  
With equal loathing did Zoisite stare at the floor of the throne room.

The view was not any better than what stood above him.

Beryl knew how to make even the most egotistical of her generals squirm; all it took was patience. And patience was not the blond's strong suit. So, the queen took pleasure in stroking her conjuring globe, fingernails long enough to curve around the smooth surface with no resistance. Beneath her skin swirled images still distorted and foggy.

This went on for a good five minutes, before Zoisite was ready to scream. "You called for me, Beryl-sama?" he shamelessly groveled, inwardly cursing the pain shooting up his knee. Jadeite had always been the most talented at this motionless act of subservience; he could have knelt for hours, never making the smallest sound of displeasure.

Jadeite….

Ara, he had been the weakest of the four. Nephrite's death at the hands of the awakened Jupiter had shocked the long-haired blond general more, simply because the North American general had been a pain in the ass and almost his equal in power. (Not that he would admit it out loud, of course!) But for the brown-haired, pompous bastard to perish by the hands of a Sailor soldier who had awakened not even a few minutes prior to his arrival was a blow to the power structure. It implicated the two survivors as weak.

Though, Zoisite had to admit, Beryl had been at least impressed by the girl's power before her transformation. Viewed again and again through her globe, the young brunette's first attack on the _youma_ had coaxed a smile out of the sour-eyed sovereign.

Now, as the European general, Zoisite was next to attempt the obliteration of the four soldiers, and the identification of the _Ginzuishou_. It irritated him that he had to leave his post to pursue this, but he had no choice.

At first, the _shitennou_ didn't exist, in a conscious sense. When Beryl had first awakened on Earth, it had been as a normal human. But just as in the past, a buried, nearly powerless Metallia called to her, teasing her with the promise of power.

It had taken years to acquire the wealth needed to follow the voice.

But finally, Beryl breached D Point in the Arctic Circle, a frozen wasteland perfect for hiding, and there, she had found the hidden kingdom beneath the snow. Dying animals lay all around, their meager energy contributing to Metallia's building of the underground tunnels and caverns. Upon Beryl's entrance, her human persona had ceased to be.

The magic she had known a millennium prior flooded back, changing her soul.

Metallia dubbed her ‘Queen,' showed her how to create the first _youma_ from the few living animals still on the surface. And then, because the _youma_ were stupid, and Beryl desired to order someone around who had a brain to rightly fear her, they awoke the generals.

Because their magic was so tightly bound to the darkness, fed by the energy of living things, it was limited. Metallia still existed as nothing more than a small cloud of black, held together in a glass cage, of sorts. But with the generals awake, they had the ability to spread out, to gather more energy, to remember the wrongs done to them.

The _shitennou_ were the most powerful, their souls willingly given to serve their queen, those souls then bound to the stones that they were named for. Beneath them were a few other traitors who had dedicated their lives to Beryl; but there were a small number who had simply been trapped.

Under Nephrite's command, _youma_ had spread into the North American continent, leeching the energy of frantic, restless Americans. No one even noticed.

In Europe, Zoisite had been sly, sneaky, on infiltrating the continent with his _youma_. Transylvania had been a literal Hell, with paranoid villagers trying to stab wooden toothpicks, as many had described them, into the creature's non-existent hearts.

For Kunzite, the Middle East had been a breeze; after all, death and weakness was a common occurrence in a place where religion had killed more than disease.

Jadeite's command took over the Far East with a little more effort behind it; after all, the East was a place of mysticism. And after a _youma_ in Tokyo had been suddenly, and shockingly, obliterated, it had been necessary to send aid, in the form of a lesser general named Danburite.

And it had been Danburite's original report of a blonde girl-child, dressed in the flashy uniform of a sailor that had shattered everyone's illusions.

He had reported directly to the most powerful of the _shitennou_, despite the East being Jadeite's territory, but all four of the generals witnessed, via Beryl's globe, Danburite's curse and his defeat.

Now, after two generals following his fate, Zoisite was the next to give up his division to a lesser general and try defeating four ‘little girls.' Truth be told, the blond had an ego, and a temper to match. But even he was leery at this assignment; death was not a thing he wished to experience again.

But, considering the fact his queen's whim could kill him just as quickly, and far more painfully, he wouldn't complain.

Finally, after another two minutes of silence, Beryl laughed. And it wasn't a kind laugh, like a normal person might do. Oh, no. This was a cat's claw on tinfoil, utterly grating. "Ara ara, my general, are you showing fear for your assignment?"

Well, fuck. Zoisite felt the small bead of sweat drip down his nose, and nearly bit through his tongue to keep from brushing it away. "_Iie_, Beryl-sama. I am honored that my queen would allow me to succeed where others have failed—"

"Lies." Beryl sounded far too content for the blond's liking. The tip of her staff nudged Zoisite's chin up, forcing green eyes to meet yellow. "But I allow them for now, Zoisite, if only because I'm forced to concede that these soldiers are indeed powerful. Awakening as I did…perhaps, they know where the _Ginzuishou_ is hidden?"

"Their mysterious companion wishes to know as well," a corner seemed to reply.

Zoisite didn't dare move his eyes away from his queen's, even to acknowledge Kunzite's presence in the room. As the most powerful of the _shitennou_, the silver-haired man was an egotistical dick, to put it bluntly. His uniform was lax in appearance, the top button left carelessly undone to show a smooth expanse of chest. Shoes took the place of the flawless boots the other three wore, and a cape had been added for dramatic flair.

Beryl barely moved her own gaze, and it was a quick flicker, a subtle acknowledgement of her general. He crossed the room in quick, precise strides, sweeping low to kiss his queen's outstretched hand. Shamelessly kissing up, and proving his invaluable nature as she didn't strike him down for his appearance. "Repeat this for me, Kunzite," the queen purred, rusty.

"As my queen wishes." The silver-haired general conjured up his own viewing globe, holding it aloft for all three of them to see. Within appeared a silhouette of black; Tuxedo Kamen, caught in the act of protecting Sailor Moon. "This ally of theirs, this ‘Tuxedo Kamen,' he proclaimed his search for the _Ginzuishou_ in a human newspaper this morning."

"If we let him do the work, he could find it for us," Zoisite interjected, a bit too hastily, as Beryl froze him with a serpent's glare. "By my queen's wishes, of course."

But Beryl ignored him and, surprisingly, took the globe from Kunzite's hand. Sharp nails balanced the glass as she stared into it, at the image of the ballroom-ready hero. "His face, those eyes…like the deep Earth oceans….Tuxedo Kamen, you say?" When her generals nodded, her expression, surprisingly, grew more intense, focused.

"Queen Beryl-sama?"

Piss-yellow eyes finally lifted, and the queen tossed the globe into a nearby wall with a quick flick of wrist. "Watch him. But he is human, and flawed; do not expect him to lead you to the object our master desires. Scheme to find it yourself, Zoisite, or I will make your death a descent into _jigoku_ itself."

"_H-hai_, my queen," Zoisite stammered, bowing his head so low and so fast he nearly beaned himself on the stone floor. He pressed his forehead to the coolness, eyes closing in relief, as he heard Beryl step away slowly, their session obviously at an end. Though the sight that greeted his eyes upon opening was no less pleasant. "Kunzite."

"Don't fail, Zoisite. Don't show your weakness as Nephrite and Jadeite did; the _shitennou_ have been already disgraced." They stared at one another for a long, tense moment, before Kunzite followed his queen's lead out of the room.

Left alone, Zoisite commenced to shudder in relief, before picking himself up. Eyes closing, he simply ripped himself across the kingdom, from throne room to his quarters, sly mind already plotting an elaborate trick, at odds with the visions of bloodied, impaled girl-children in scanty uniforms. "_Shi ne_…"

  
"This is terrible," Ami solemnly announced, staring across the paper at her friends. Gathered in the relative quiet of Ichinohashi Park, the four girls had arrived promptly after school, even Usagi, all carrying a copy of the paper and with Luna in tow.

The day itself had been unusually frantic. Once arriving at school, Moriya and Usagi had been nearly attacked by Naru, who used them as bodyguards against the students who suspected her mother, the owner of a fashionable jewelry shop, had the mystical crystal in her hands. It had taken the combined efforts of Moriya and late-arrival Makoto to convince them otherwise, but the damage had been done. Suspicion was everywhere.

"I don't get it!" Moriya had finally shouted in exasperation and anger. "What kind of idiot really thinks such a powerful stone would be in a damn jewelry store?"

Usagi's mood had darkened noticeable throughout the day, severely inhibiting her attention span, which had already been a weak, gasping creature to begin with. Several times she drifted off into an uneasy dream, only to wake up so suddenly she disturbed the class. It was only the fact that half the school was suffering from exhaustion still that her unusual behavior was excused.

Now, after convincing Moriya she would be fine in Makoto and Ami's company, she had joined them at the park, huddled on a bench with the news twisted and mangled between her hands. "It's so terrible," was all she'd say, leaving the other four to create conversation.

Easily done, as Luna immediately began to curse out Tuxedo Kamen's stupidity. "The nerve of that man! Enemy or ally he may be, now he's created a witch hunt!" She stamped her paw on the sidewalk, pacing in an irritable, irregular circle around Ami's legs. "As soldiers, you could have searched just fine on your own, but now….!"

"And who says the enemy can't read?" Rei added, looking just as furious as the black feline nodded. "They might be looking for this stone now too!"

Makoto, her expression mildly crazed as she watched Luna, leaned over to scoop the cat up to keep her from pacing. "But what exactly does it do, Luna? The _Ginzuishou_, I mean…"

The _odango_-haired blonde finally looked up at this pivotal question.

In Makoto's arms, Luna looked uncomfortable, cramped. Embarassed, perhaps. "I….I remember only certain things. But I do know that it is incomparable, perhaps, in power; it could destroy a planet if it was wielded so."

"_NANI_?" The black feline winced as all four shouted the question in unison.

"_Hai_…our princess, and the _Ginzuishou_, missing. Maybe there's a connection, but I can't recall it….I curse this faulty memory of mine daily, but I…can't….remember!" Her tail began to lash halfway through the harangue; now, it was so bad that Makoto rather unceremoniously set her back down.

Ami looked worried, staring down at the paper. "And such a terribly powerful stone we're supposed to find? For what purpose should we allow it to exist?"

"To protect our princess, and to keep it from the enemies, Ami-chan," Luna snapped, circling her legs once more. "And if the enemies are who I believe…if they are indeed the same evil entity…"

"So we have to save the princess." Usagi stated it so simply that it quieted her friends down, all of them staring at her. She smiled somewhat demurely. "Well? To defeat the enemies, we need the princess on our side, and the _Ginzuishou_, don't we?"

Makoto sipped from a can of plum juice she'd brought along, frowning. "This is all so confusing and strange…my dreams were terrible last night. I felt like I was someone else…"

"Maybe your memories of your true self are coming through," Luna replied mildly, settling onto her haunches. "Though, everything is still so confusing, jumbled." Her head tilted as she stared at Makoto, then at Rei. "As if someone is deliberately keeping me ignorant, and just nudging me along to find the truth.

"I remember when I first met you, Kino Makoto. I felt only the smallest twinge of power, but it was so muted, I thought I was mistaken. Then, I thought it had been because Rei was a soldier to be awakened, but now I realize that it was like a puzzle; it could only come together in a certain way. Usagi was meant to awaken first, to give her a small time of adjustment, then Ami, the genius, to give stability. After that, Rei and her spiritual guidance, and then brute strength and fighting ability in Makoto.

"But even though I felt it the right time to call you leader, Usagi-chan, something is still missing. I'm not sure what it is, but the circle isn't yet complete. Perhaps that is due to the missing princess…."

"Or maybe it's Sailor V," Makoto cut in suddenly, staring at her paper. "Ne, Luna? Who else could it be? The game at the Crown, her appearance a year ago…maybe she is our fifth ally?"

"Or maybe," Usagi murmured softly, "she's an enemy in disguise."

Luna dipped her head in agreement, her tail curling around Ami's ankle. "_Hai_, Usagi-chan; now you're thinking like a soldier."

"Suspicion is a poor way of life, Luna," the blue-haired genius said stiffly, studious eyes drifting through the park as a high school student walked their way. "Next, you'll accuse this poor boy of being involved."

The black feline frowned at Ami's accusatory tone, but said nothing as the student came closer, his head tilted down to the book in his hand. Makoto sipped from her juice can, shrugging at Rei, who stared off into the woods. Usagi, still comfortable in her silent mode, moved only her eyes to stare at the man; then, to promptly do a reversal and scowl. "You!"

Mamoru paused, tipping his reading glasses down. "Yare yare, _odango atama_, are you doing this just to scare me?" His humour didn't seem to reach his eyes; deep in their depths he was closed off, serious.

Only Luna seemed to notice, however, and it had her frowning as Usagi bolted upright and on her feet. "Stop calling me that!"

"You go to the Moto Azabu school!" Ami proclaimed over Usagi's yell, startling the _odango_-haired blonde into silence. Mamoru blinked at the blue-haired genius, as if finally realizing there were others gathered around the girl he seemed constantly to torment.

He pushed the glasses back up, nodding curtly. "_Hai_. It was a trial to be admitted, but well worth it. But I'm surprised you recognized the uniform." Shifting the book to his other hand, he held his left out. "Chiba Mamoru."

"Mizuno Ami." She took his hand with a small shake, putting more energy into her bow. As usual, around strangers, she was wary of touch.

"Mizuno Ami? The girl genius of Japan's junior high system? I'll be disappointed if you don't enroll at my school within the year!" Even though he smiled to blunt the statement, the humour still seemed to stop short before his eyes; they remained as untouchable and cold as before. But the blue-haired genius seemed flattered enough, blushing as she nodded.

Rei was nodding to herself as well, before she bowed curtly to Mamoru. "As part of the group, I should introduce myself as well. Hino Rei, miko of the Hikawa _Jinja_." In company not consisting of her father and his associates, or her classmates, she always referred to her personal practice; never her forced schooling.

"Kino Makoto, _hajimemashite_," the tall brunette added, shaking Mamoru's hand firmly. So firmly, in fact, that the first sign of life appeared in his eyes as they widened in surprise. He took his hand back with a mild smile.

"You have a strong grip, Kino-san."

Usagi looked ready to either commit mass homicide, or a single murder on the spot. The dark-haired student looked more than perceptive to it, and he stepped back with hands held up in a placating gesture. "I see I'm not wanted, _odango atama_, I'll go."

"I am not….my name is Tsukino Usagi! Tsu-ki-no U-sa-gi!" She pronounced each pair of syllables separately, grinding her teeth at him. All she received in return was a short, dry laugh, and he was walking on his way again, opening his book. "Moooouuuu! I hate him!"

Luna rolled her eyes, though her head did tilt to follow the man's path down the sidewalk. "You have more to worry about, Usagi-chan, than some adolescent flirtation with a boy several years your senior."

The _odango_-haired blonde gaped.

Makoto nodded her head thoughtfully, before nudging her dumbstruck friend. "He's a handsome guy, Usagi-chan, but not your type! Ne, Ami-chan?"

"Oh, perhaps not," the blue-haired genius murmured, though she didn't seem to really be paying attention. Rei, in opposition, snorted loud enough to dislodge mucus.

"Men are a waste of time and energy, Usagi. Don't even bother. Besides, we have to search for this damn stone—"

"I do NOT LIKE HIM!" Usagi cried. "I do not even like to be in the same city as him! He's a jerk, he's mean, and I hope he gets hit by a bus!"

The dark-haired shrine girl snorted again, rolling her eyes away towards the park in general as Makoto snickered. "_Kami_ save me."

Even though they were on a rather remote path, another person was coming towards them again, this one a jogger. Luna, lapsing back into silence, leapt up into Ami's lap as she settled onto the bench next to Usagi. Makoto affected a lazy sprawl on the grass, balancing her empty can on her stomach, as Rei stood where she was, arms folded, looking as unhappy and haughty as ever.

As the jogger came close, they could hear the small radio clipped to his belt. "….an amazing discovery, the _Ginzuishou_! Now, sources say it contains the power to make the user immortal, immensely wealthy, and impervious! On TV, a professor of the foreign school in America claims to be a student of this fabulous stone, and swears by these abilities…"

Static drowned out the rest, as did distance, as the jogger passed them by.

  
Hours later, Mamoru would have laughed to hear Ami's accusation. Laughed in irony, maybe, but he definitely would have laughed.

Clad in the solemn black of his phantom persona, as Tuxedo Kamen, he stood atop the Tokyo Dome, holding a newspaper tightly between his gloved hands. Even with the wind whipping the paper hard enough to rip the edges into jagged peaks, he could see the declaration of his crimes in stark print. Somehow, knowing everyone would now look for the _Ginzuishou_ for him, he still felt horrible.

It just wasn't as bad a feeling when he was Tuxedo Kamen; then, he felt justified in his actions, as if he were two separate people. Chiba Mamoru, though cold and aloof to most, would never have revealed the existence of such a powerful object to the populace.

Then again, Chiba Mamoru wouldn't have known of it, if it weren't for the dreams that created Tuxedo Kamen in the first place.

On that thought, he released the paper, watching it fly away over the parking lot and its cars. It was crammed full, some vehicles even parked in the driveway, their owners stuffed and pressed inside the Dome beneath his feet. The professor, named Izono despite her American birth, was giving a lecture on the miracles of a stone no one but himself, a thief, and a scantily-clad girl had known about only a few days prior.

So he was a bit skeptical, obviously.

The event was being televised, but he felt more ease at being here in person. He had seen the woman arrive, long blonde hair tied back in a sloppy ponytail, dress jauntily cut and far too showy, in his opinion. Even from his vantage point, she looked like a charlatan, but as he offered nothing to the population in ways of an explanation of the stone, they were taking whoever seemed to have knowledge.

Down to a ledge he carefully slid, knowing there was a service entrance for some of the workers that checked on the roof periodically. No one really bothered using it, as the roof was well constructed and hardly needed servicing.

But someone stood there now, back to him, giving him an unobstructed view of her panties as the wind lifted both skirt and long-blonde hair.

Mind you, he wasn't a letch, but he wasn't about to say anything and ruin the view either. So he stepped down onto the ledge and waited, until V realized he was there on her own. Then, he cleared his throat. "You claim to not be from my dreams, Sailor V-san, yet here you are, same as I."

It was hard to look defiant when the wind kept lifting her skirt to flash him every few seconds, but she managed. "How could you be so stupid? What did you expect to learn by telling the city about the stone?"

"Well, seeing as I couldn't exactly check out a book from the library on the subject, I figured I may as well lure out an expert," he replied drolly. "And from your words, you already betray knowledge."

Now she simply looked frustrated, both her hands moving to her hips. Thankfully, the emboldened stance helped to hold her skirt down in the process. "You don't know what you're asking me," the long-haired blonde snapped, though there was a thread of fear in her voice. "You don't know what it's like to be me, to have the answer to so many of all of your questions, and to be unable to tell you!"

"And then, do you know how I feel? I see a princess in my dreams who pleads with me to find the _Ginzuishou_, and I know in my heart that it has the answers to so much!" She flinched at the mention of his princess, but he kept on, lashing her with his words even as he stepped closer. "You know everything, Sailor V, but does it keep you warm at night, keeping me – us, apparently – in ignorance? Does your superiority guard you? I keep changing at the witching hour into his guise, like a sleepwalker for the ball, and I risk my life to guard Usa—Sailor Moon, without knowing why!"

Startled twilight froze as he grabbed her upper arms, holding her tight. Her mouth fell open as she tried to say something in reply, only to have it die in her throat. "You have the answer to our secrets, Sailor V, for the love of the _kami_—"

"How do you know?"

"How do I know what?" The sudden vehemence of her words was enough to kill his rant, and he let her go as she began to twist violently. She shoved the palm of her hand into his chest hard enough to stop his breathing, pushing him back several steps.

And as she stood in the glow of the Dome beside them, he realized she was crying. "You said her name. _Kami-sama_, you said her name, you know who she is!"

Now he was the one to stare dumbly, feeling as if he'd been stripped naked. Defenseless. "It's true….I thought maybe I was mistaken, that the proof wasn't enough, but now, you've just proven…"

"Sailor Moon is Tsukino Usagi, yes," she whispered, her voice hitching.

The world was turning upside down around him. Behind his closed eyelids he could see the odango-haired blonde laughing alongside his oldest friend in the world, looking like the most perfect angel. He remembered her angry face as she yelled at him, her vacant stare earlier that afternoon as he'd come close. And if he felt within his breast pocket, he could feel the wrinkled, but carefully folded, piece of notebook paper that bore his cartoon likeness, and the scrawl of kanji: Tsukino Usagi, Class 2-1.

Dimly, he recognized that Sailor V was still crying, and verbally abusing herself. "I've failed everyone. I can't even protect their identities…"

"Stop being so stupid, Sailor V," he shouted over the gusting wind. "It isn't your fault. I found out on my own, as myself…but I suppose you know who I am too?"

Wiping away tears while wearing a mask was difficult, but he could see the bitter smile she wore. "I know who you were, but not who you are."

"_Nani_?"

"You said it yourself, Tuxedo Kamen; I know the answers. I know why you feel the need to guard her; I know the names and identities of each sailor soldier awakened in Tokyo at this very minute. But of who you are, the other half of you, I don't have a name. It wasn't information I needed." The bitter smile grew in intensity before she turned away from his shocked expression, opening the door. "So now, perhaps my ignorance will keep you warm at night."

She slid in, crawling onto the inner catwalk rather gracefully, despite the wind giving him one last flash. It gave him a minute alone to absorb all of this, before he followed her inside, doing a less graceful job of it; capes were not made for crawling.

The long-haired blonde said nothing as he stood behind her, closing the door; she simply began walking, her heels carried in a hand. He looked down at the catwalk to realize it was a latticework of metal, like a cage beneath them; her heels would have fallen right through. It made him smile, for some reason.

At the halfway point, a set of stairs led down to another catwalk, which was just high enough over the topmost seats for someone to patrol the crowd, yet be out of arm's reach of anyone with the whim to attempt a climb. She continued to lead him along the lower catwalk, until it went no further; it ended just to the top right of the stage. Dark as it was, no one could see them, and it was here she crouched, shoes in her lap.

Below, they could see the audience, attentive in the meager light. Raptured, some of them. The professor was droning on about the eternal life that the _Ginzuishou_ would bring, but the dark-haired man was too busy scanning the crowd to listen. He knew Sailor V was doing the same; it always helped to assess the potential situation before acting. If the higher levels of government were actually listening to the banality and acted rashly, they could be trouble.

Sure enough, he spotted the mayor, and more than a few high-ranking police. He could hear Sailor V hiss in shock next to him, whispering "_Onee-san_!" but in reference to whom, he didn't know. But it did have him looking at her in wary surprise; did she know someone of high office?

Whatever. Izono was fielding questions from the audience now, and flawlessly egging on the emotions of everyone involved. The gathered energy in the room was thick enough for both of them to feel swallowed, hemmed in. "And, yes, you young lady, in the fifth row! The one with the pretty red hair?"

The redhead that stood was just lowering her hand as she asked, loud and precise, "Does the _Ginzuishou_ unlock memories?"

"_Shimatta_!" Tuxedo Kamen whispered, staring across the rows of faces at his oldest friend. Beside her sat Sakakku, looking uncommonly troubled, and alone amongst a sea of excited, exuberant expressions.

But what he didn't expect was Sailor V's return whisper of, "What is Moriya doing here? _Baka_!"

He was rather sure that he couldn't take any more surprises by this point, but instead of asking the sailor soldier just why she knew his friend, he strained to hear Izono's response. This was the very reason he searched for the _Ginzuishou_; he would know something, even if it were a half-baked response.

The professor, however, surprised him as well. (He didn't die of heart failure, thank the _kami_.) "Of course. The _Ginzuishou's_ awesome power can read a person's soul, and release memories you didn't even know you possessed!" She sounded…smug?

Moriya's expression was troubled, but she nodded in agreement anyway, sitting back down in her seat. Next to her, Sakakku patted her knee in a motherly fashion, leaning in to whisper in the orphan's ear; Tuxedo Kamen would have given anything to know what she said at that moment.

Instead, he felt Sailor V's hand on his arm, lightly tugging his sleeve. Before he could turn his head, he felt the brush of her mouth against his ear. "I think we should go."

"Why's that? Maybe she hasn't answered my questions yet," he replied quietly, tilting his ear away.

A spotlight suddenly blinded him.

"Ara ara, it's the very man who started all the commotion, Tuxedo Kamen himself!" Izono crowed into the microphone, laughing shrilly. The entire Dome erupted in a cacophony of noise as he held an arm up to shield his eyes, too momentarily disoriented to escape.

Beside him, Sailor V was rigid, covering his head with both her arms, bowing down into the smallest ball possible. But it wasn't enough, as Izono spotted her next. "And the pretty little soldier, Sailor V! Here, I was told you had retired!"

Someone was yelling at the host to have the light turned off; the Metropolitan Police Superintendent-General. But it shone steadily on them despite the order, and finally, the crowd began to quiet down enough for Izono to be heard again. "Tuxedo Kamen-san, do you have anything to add to my lecture? Surely you have knowledge on the _Ginzuishou_!"

A hard object clunked into the back of his head, and he looked up to see a black wire trailing down from the top catwalk. It retreated high enough for him to see what hit; a microphone. Now properly situated, it slid back down again, low enough for the petrified Sailor V to speak into it as well. "I…I mean, I…"

"Imposter." Maybe the long-haired blonde wasn't petrified after all. She lifted her head, looking like the wrath of the gods had been given for her to wield. Furious and pissed off, she reached up to yank the microphone down, completely ignoring her companion. "Imposter! Only my allies and our enemies know the _Ginzuishou_! Anyone who claims knowledge is a fake, and a charlatan!"

Izono laughed, and that shrill voice sent chills down the dark-haired man's spine. Crouched as he was, he took a step back, as if he could avoid the sound; Sailor V was rigid. "Yet you would covet it for yourself, little girl? Yare, yare…how do we know you aren't lying as well?"

"A soldier of justice, lie? Any one in this audience knows I've protected the city, and put my life on the line for it! And who are you, but some foreigner intruding on us?"

Oh, yes, it was time to go. Tuxedo Kamen didn't even bother telling his companion, simply grabbed her wrist and yanked her up to stand. While the audience began to argue amongst themselves again, growing louder and louder, the TV cameras watching only the two on the catwalk, he swung her up over his shoulder and ran. "What the hell are you doing?!" she screamed, bouncing against his back, her shoes forgotten.

"Running for my life, what does it look like!" he shouted back as he pulled himself up the stairs. She was a good struggler; he nearly dropped her once or twice as he ran for the door to the outside, the spotlight trying its best to follow. Izono's shrill laugh stayed with him no matter where he went, however.

He could see the technicians running towards them from the other side, and he put on a burst of speed. Sailor V swung to her feet as he released her, and she had the door open with one good kick, her slim body darting through and out. He went in too high and cracked his forehead against the frame, reeling back into the railing; his hat spiraled out into the crowd, lost below. Despite the pain he shoved himself through, kicking the hands of a technician away from his ankle and slamming the door shut.

"Crescent Beam!" The sudden arc of energy singed his glove as he yanked his hand back, the door handle melting and welding shut. On the other side, he could hear cursing. "This is a mess."

"Spoken like a true realist," he retorted blandly, watching her release her Love Chain into the Tokyo sky. Blood was starting to drip into his eyes as she pulled him close, directing his arms around her waist. "You can't possibly handle my weight, Sailor V."

Several people were kicking the door. Any moment it would give, and they would be caught, but he still caught her suddenly brilliant smile. "Watch me."

They stepped off, and the world tilted again. But this time, he loved it.

Izono laughed until she was nearly sick, leaning against the controls of the TV station. Before her were rows and rows of screens, each replaying the events of the last night. "Ara, Queen Beryl-sama, humans are truly a useless lot." Again did she pause it on the shot of Tuxedo Kamen's face, Sailor V huddled beside him.

With a gesture, the dress was stripped, hair unbound. Zoisite kicked the clothes aside carelessly, twisting a strand of blond hair around his finger. "I can already see the city under darkness," he sighed, his flair for the dramatic kicking into overdrive.

Beside him on the control panel was a thick stack of papers, detailing the search for the crystal. The museum had been nearly ransacked by an eager mob. Workers had scaled the palace walls, digging holes in the emperor's gardens. Dozens of jewelry stores had been robbed on a scale unknown to the city. And, after last night's fiasco, he was sure people were causing chaos even at that very minute.

The flare of a teleport behind him disturbed the careful stack, a few papers fluttered down. Kunzite retrieved them, settling them back into place without a word. "Queen Beryl is impressed with the situation, if still upset that the _Ginzuishou_ has not been found."

"It doesn't matter, Kunzite-sama," the blond general sighed, gloved fingers caressing the buttons along the wall. "To make up for it, I will have vast amounts of energy, the energy of frantic humans running themselves ragged to find our prize! Not even Nephrite's time in North American produced a bounty like this!" A single button was pushed, as the general laughed his shrill, encompassing laugh. "Businesses are letting people go home now, schools are letting out for the day. Everyone will be expending energy in one way or another, and it's all ours!"

Indeed, the bell was chiming the time in the junior high's courtyard. But the crowd that filtered out of the school was small, half of the students skipping to continue their search. Most of the classes had been self-study, and the few teachers untouched by the recent news were growing worried that the school year was wasted. An epidemic, and now, a rash of theft and skipping class? How much more could they take?

Ami walked slowly, searching around for any sight of her friends. Having cram school in her normal routine allowed her to leave a bit earlier, but she had seen neither Makoto, Usagi, Naru, nor Moriya during lunch. True, she'd come out late, having been discussing the latest blow to the curriculum with a favoured teacher, but it worried her.

Halfway to her second school, she began to feel tired, almost impossibly so. "What's happening to me?" the blue-haired genius moaned, touching her fingers against her forehead. No fever. But now dizziness began to pound at her brain, and she stumbled into a wall, leaning against it for support. "_Kami-sama_…I feel so tired…so very, very tired…!"

Then, she could see it. If she lifted her hand, she was sure she could touch the white energy floating before her, descending onto the other people walking along the street. Most of them were struggling to keep upright, though a few had given up and collapsed, leached of their energy to keep on going.

Her path to the school took her past the Crown, and she knew she was only a block away. She pulled herself up as every last person finally fell, and she pushed herself into a run, muscles screaming. Nearly tripping over people in her path, too tired to jump, she was about to collapse a few feet from the doors when they opened.

Luna kept them open as the blue-haired genius finally did collapse halfway over the threshold. "Luna, the city…!"

"_Hai_, everything's going mad. The enemies are infiltrating at a greater degree than before…it was careless of me to not investigate further!" The cat nudged Ami up and inside, the doors closing with their usual quiet swoosh. "When I heard the silence, I didn't think at the time it was something so severe."

Ami huddled where she stood, school case held to her chest. "I couldn't find Makoto-san or Usagi-chan, Luna! They could be affected!"

"Then let's find them," the black feline said briskly, striding towards the Sailor V game. With no TV screens in the Crown, Ami could feel her strength returning, her energy no longer being leeched. But when Luna began to speak, Ami's breath caught in her throat; it was so unusual, so alien, that it took her a minute to register the movement of the console, and the gaping entrance beneath.

When Luna vanished into it, Ami followed, though slowly. Studious blue eyes saw only pure black, unadjusted to the difference; then, details emerged, and she gasped. "Luna, this technology is incredible!"

"It's from the Moon," the black feline replied, struggling into her headset. "These things were needed for investigation, and for contact; all is connected to the host computer on the Moon itself."

Ami's mouth opened and closed as she stared at the vacant main screen. Then, she reached out to settle the headset properly over Luna's head. "Such amazing things, from so long ago…?"

"_Hai, hai_. Now, to find out what's going on!" Paws began to tap at the keyboard, a map of Tokyo proper appearing on the screen. Calculations and estimates began to pop up, highlighting the gathered amounts of energy in every ward, and their path. "The Tokyo Tower is the center of it!"

"It transmits TV signals…they must be using it to spread their evil!" Ami looked as though she was ready to pop, either from excitement or sheer exhaustion.

Then, on a side table, she spotted what looked like watches, each a colour matching the four soldiers: red, blue, green, pink. Luna, noticing the switch in gazes, answered the unasked question. "They're communicators. I hoped to find a subtler way to give them all to you, but there's no time. Take them with you, Ami-chan, and try to find everyone!"

Without asking, Ami strapped on the blue watch, sliding the other three in a pocket. "_Hai_, Luna!"

The twilight gloom of Mamoru's bedroom, lit only by the glow of the computer behind him, was a normal comfort. But now, the silence outside and within was oppressive, and it paused his pen above the paper.

Pen still in hand, the dark-haired man moved for his balcony, frowning as the silence continued up until he opened the sliding glass door. No birds chirped. No buses growled past. And when he stepped outside, the touch of his socked foot to the concrete was almost screamingly loud.

Before his eyes danced clouds of stolen energy, tendrils connecting them all. One of them snaked away, sensing his intrusion, and began to spiral towards him. With a shout, he ran backwards into his bedroom, slamming the door shut so hard the glass rattled. "_Masaka_…they've attacked the entire city!"

He set the pen back neatly beside the paper he'd been writing on. Just because he was in a hurry, it didn't excuse slovenly practices. He selected a jacket for the outside temperature, and left his apartment quickly. No one jostled him in the elevator, because everyone was holed up in his or her home.

Downstairs and outside, everyone lay in piles on the ground. Energy was thick in the air, nearly stifling, but this time, none of it attacked him. Maybe it was his sudden anger that kept it away, but he didn't ask. He simply ran, looking in desperation for any life.

Blocks away, a single life stumbled across the street.

"My head hurts so much," Usagi whimpered, clutching her school bag tightly enough to hurt her fingers. It was the only real control she had left in her body, as the rest of her slowly succumbed to the waves surrounding and attacking her defenseless form. "The enemy is…the enemy…"

Her bag was growing heavier by the minute. Finally, it fell from her hand, popping open on impact to spill the contents across the sidewalk. Papers fluttered away, tangling in her feet; books cracked their spines, pages fluttering.

And, glowing like a star, the moon stick Luna had given her bounced into the street.

Moments later, she followed it, lying unconscious and half-sprawled off the sidewalk.

She would have been happy to remain thus, falling into a darkened dreamscape that felt comfortable and calm. Despite the painful arch of her spine against the concrete, her mind was long gone into this other world, away from the aches of her physical being.

But it abruptly grew stormy. Voices began to scream in earnest, pleading for their lives in a language alien to her, yet…familiar. Flashes of bright light streamed out of the shadows, and she felt her hand being grabbed. "Come on, this way, we have to escape…"

"…no, I have to see, I have to see it…!"

"I won't lose you! Everything has been forbidden, but I won't see you die!"

It was another one of her troubled dreams, where everyone was shadowed and dark to her eyes, unseen but heard. She screamed, "Endymion!" feeling a sudden sharp, stabbing pain in her stomach. Something wet trickled over her fingers, and she screamed until she felt her throat tear.

But her scream was echoed in the real world as well, stopping Mamoru dead on the corner. "Usagi!" He felt her terror, the same as he did when she was Sailor Moon; and it invoked the same transformation it always did. His eyes, closing at the scream, didn't need to open to know the domino mask rested over them again.

No one was conscious to see it, thank the _kami_. With a whispered prayer, he dropped to his knees next to the _odango_-haired blonde, lightly slapping her cheek. "Wake up….wake up! Tsukino Usagi no Sailor Moon, wake up!"

He was loath to really hit her hard, but each successive slap grew a little more violent, shaking her head from side to side. She was whimpering, writhing in his arms, her phantom pain more real and captivating than the physical pain he was inflicting.

Then, she died.

And she opened her eyes. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama?"

His gloved fingers cupped her cheek as she frowned, confused. "It's my fault this has happened. I wanted the _Ginzuishou_ desperately, but not at this cost!"

"What are you saying?" Her strength was still lacking, but she felt warm and comfortable. She leaned into him unconsciously, not even noticing his sudden inhale at her closeness. "Everyone's fallen…their energy has been taken?"

Next to them, the moon stick still glowed like a beacon, a halo of light surrounding them. The energy kept away, unable to pass, and, seeing it, he picked it up and pressed it into her hand. "Transform into Sailor Moon! You have the power to fix this, where I don't."

He braced himself for her reaction, and it was pretty clockwork. Moon stick in hand she pulled back violently, staring at his face. "How do you…." Then, she stopped. Staring at the stick in her hand, she nodded decisively. "I don't have time to waste asking questions!"

"Not really, no," he replied, rather sardonic. He helped her stand up, though now she had the energy to do it on her own. She smiled, touching a hand to her brooch.

"Moon Prism Power! Make Up!"

The transformation was brilliant, and it drove the energy nearly a block away. The dark-haired man brought his arm up to block his eyes, the light nearly blinding. And when he lowered his arm, crystal blue eyes stared at him through a white mask similar to Sailor V's, almost shyly. His surprised stare prompted her to take it off. "It comes and goes."

"Maybe it's unconscious preference?" he joked lightly, and was pleased to see her blush. But her expression sharpened into something close to stark terror, and she held the moon stick tightly to her breast. "_Daijoubu_?"

Her head turned downwards towards the concrete, shoulders slumping. "I can't do anything. I'm not like Mercury; she can make fog. Or Mars, with her fire, or Jupiter with her lightning…! How can I do anything without them anymore?"

"I believe in you, Sailor Moon."

She trembled, holding the moon stick out in front of her. When Luna had given it to her, she had taken a shine to it instantly, only because it resembled a weapon used in the Sailor V game. On a console, she was proficient at destroying enemies with it.

But how did a game have the same weapon?

Dimly, she remembered Makoto mentioning that Sailor V could be their ally. She could feel pleasant warmth again as she thought of the long-haired blonde soldier, smiling from the covers of manga and game posters. "Oh, please, help me save everyone…!"

Tuxedo Kamen stepped back as the glow abruptly blasted from the moon stick, enlarging the corona surrounding them. But this time, the reverse happened, as the energy was sucked back into people's bodies with blinding speed.

People began to stir on the ground, crying and moaning.

To the right, a light flashed, signaling Zoisite's escape, but he didn't notice. His hands were full catching a suddenly unconscious sailor soldier.

  
Again, she dreamed. But now she was happy, content. Someone she loved held her close, whispering those random phrases any lover longed to hear. Snuggling close, she gathered up the folds of her skirt and leaned in to kiss….

But something was poking into her arm, waking her up. Upon opening her eyes she realized she was still Sailor Moon, and that she wasn't in her bedroom.

It was her brooch pressing into her arm. So she rolled over, staring out of the sliding glass door on this side, watching the sunlight stream through the clouds. She could see a few familiar stores, so she knew she was still in Juuban. But she wasn't in any room she recognized.

After taking a moment to realize she couldn't fall asleep again, she slipped from the bed to circle the room, trying to find a clue to her whereabouts. On a dresser sat an analog clock, a comb, and a lovely star-shaped pocket watch. It was the latter she picked up and touched to her ear, listening for the tick.

Silence. She pulled it back and frowned, only to notice the crack running across the glass face. "How sad," she murmured, tracing a finger across it. So she put it back down carefully, in the same place as before.

Nothing else in the room seemed remotely personal. The closet was the only thing that gave away a gender; men's shirts and jackets took up not even half of it, as if whoever lived in the room didn't care for appearance or creativity.

Another circle of the room, and she gave up. She'd have to search the rest of the house (apartment?) to find her mystery male, but she couldn't very well do it as Sailor Moon, could she? Thinking about that had her pausing as she touched her brooch, her eyebrows drawing close together in a frown. "Tuxedo Kamen knew who I was….is Luna right? Is he the enemy?"

Mysteries for another time. Her eyes closed as her transformation reversed, leaving her momentarily vulnerable; and it was in that moment that the door chose to open.

The colours were still receding from her vision as someone said, "You're awake?"

A starched white shirt was the first thing she truly registered, tucked neatly into black dress pants with perfect folds down the legs. A tuxedo, missing the jacket. What looked to be a crown and a medal hung at the throat, two small objects she'd seen before, up close.

But the man she'd expected to wear them was not Chiba Mamoru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say about this one. Half of it is original, half is basically the same. Mostly, I had fun with the generals, because who knows what they did inbetween ass kickings?
> 
> Well. We can guess.


	7. Act 07 : chiba mamoru - Tuxedo Mask

##### 

For an hour, Chiba Mamoru had paced.

When not pacing, he'd stared with impatience at the school case he'd so haphazardly thrown onto his couch.

In the bedroom he could hear his unconscious ally toss and turn above the sheets, speaking so softly it was like listening to a brook. He had to fight not to turn the handle of his door and slip inside to wake her up himself, to ask her questions…the temptation to open her school case was a lesser evil, but barely. And he was more a gentleman than this, surely.

It took him half that time to realize he hadn't bothered to drop his disguise. Though his hat hadn't reformed as always – dimly he recalled it falling off in the Dome – he removed his mask, cape, and jacket, tossing them on a nearby armchair. He had a feeling that he'd need at least part of it for the oncoming discussion.

His forehead throbbed, reminding him of the jagged slice light across his skin. Though being Tuxedo Kamen gave him an added boost in his physical attributes and healing, the cut had been deep enough the first night to still remain. He was surprised he hadn't felt it before.

Of course, it would be while he was making a pot of strong coffee that he sensed her waking up. Awake, and still Sailor Moon; he didn't feel the sensation of released magic that followed the reverse transformation. He turned the coffee maker on, letting it work on its own, and went for the door of his bedroom, opening it just as he felt that magic, and saw the blinding light.

"You're awake?"

  
_Kami-sama, this can't be true…._ But it was. There was no doubt in Usagi's mind as she stared at Mamoru, and he watched her back, thoughtfully. She backpedaled slowly, sinking onto the side of the bed. "Why am I in this strange room? Where am I?"

"You're in my bedroom. You collapsed so suddenly after healing the city; I suppose, because you expended so much energy," he answered, glancing around in a trivial, careless way. Covertly he noticed what she'd moved, and touched; the watch was pointing in a different direction, as he distinctly, anally, remembered facing it to the north.

Against her red bow sparkled her brooch, still faintly arcing with tendrils of energy. Huddled in her seat as she was, she looked lost, kittenish; he made a motion towards her with his hand in what he assumed was a comforting gesture. Both of them were shocked when the energy spun around his fingers and hand, but it didn't hurt. "_Nani_?"

Staring at his eyes, the colour of the deep ocean, she could feel the energy meet with his own, melding; accepting. They fit within one another like a glove, and it was his sudden fear at the bond that snapped it back to her, racing to hide again within her brooch. "My magic…knows you? But why didn't I realize it before?"

Now the fear was mirrored on his face, as she splayed her hand at him. But she didn't touch him; instead, she traced an invisible mask over his face, imagining those eyes staring through the holes at her in the hospital ward. Deep ocean water…. "Your eyes drew me in, but I kept pulling away. Now it's you keeping away from me."

"I'm surprised you haven't asked yet," the dark-haired man stated, bluntly ignoring the unasked question of the reason for his fear.

"Asked what?"

"Why I've done this. Why I'm Tuxedo Kamen, of course, _odango atama_." The nickname was done in obvious humour, but he was startled to see tears in her eyes.

He no longer blocked the doorway, and she took the opportunity to spring from the bed and free herself from his room, running into the living room. There she paused, staring around at the understated wealth of his furniture and sparse decoration. Of course he had to be rich, how else could he have been a student at Moto Azabu? Still, it was a vision at odds with the sarcastic teenager she kept verbally dueling with.

The coffee smell was obvious. Mamoru slowly extracted himself from the bedroom, moving around the _odango_-haired blonde to pour two cups of the steaming brew. Then, thinking of the sweet tooth she most likely had, he pulled out a bag of sweet bean paste rolls. Arranged on a tray, he carried it all into the living room and deposited it on the table. "Coffee?"

"Mm."

"Snacks?"

"Mm."

Clearly, this was getting him nowhere. Frowning, he collapsed onto the couch, seeming to ignore her totally as he took a deep swallow of the scalding liquid, opening the bag of treats. Behind him, he could hear her stomach rumble.

"Um….Chiba-san? Those look kind of…yummy…"

"Delicious, actually." He ate one for emphasis, taking a sip of coffee. It was a bit of a messy slurp, but it got her attention; the next he knew she was all but jumping over the couch, peering at him with those crystal blue eyes in pleading. If he had died at that moment, staring back into them, he would've been a happy man.

But he knew what she desired most in that moment, and it was in his lap.

With a faked sigh, he handed the bag of sweets over. She squealed with delight and immediately shoved two into her mouth, chewing with obvious relish. It was a childish glee he would've expected in a five-year-old, not fourteen, so he watched her like one would an endangered species; carefully, and with one eyebrow arched high in disbelief. "_Arigatou_, Chiba-san!"

"Technically, I'm still Tuxedo Kamen," he muttered, brushing a few scattered crumbs off the cushion onto the floor for easier vacuuming. So engrossed he was in getting them off, that he didn't notice her pause.

"_Hai_…you haven't…changed yet, have you?" She was still having a hard time with this; she could barely even mention his transformation. But he nodded as if nothing was wrong, idly plucking a sweet out of the bag.

"Not yet. I thought removing the mask would make it easier on you…to be Chiba Mamoru, but also Tuxedo Kamen." Like two men in the same body, he thought sourly, glancing sidelong at the armchair that held the other pieces of his costume.

The _odango_-haired blonde noticed his look, following it to the source. Her stomach felt swimmy when she saw the domino mask; even though proof had been nearly constant since he'd walked through the door, the mask clinched it. "Chiba Mamoru _no_ Tuxedo Kamen," she whispered.

"Tsukino Usagi no Sailor Moon," he replied without hesitation, turning to face her again. "With those silly _odango_ and clumsy ways…"

"_Demo_…why are you Tuxedo Kamen? And that cut on your forehead…I remember seeing it on TV, you hit your head escaping with Sailor V!" Her fingers touched the cut before he could tell her not to, and he flinched back hard enough to rattle the couch. But she followed him, kneeling on the cushion to bend over him, fingers probing the wound. "I saw you with Sailor V, but why? Is she your ally? Does that make you both our enemies!"

He hissed as the oil from her fingers intruded into the wound, burning. "I'll tell you why, but first, stop poking me!"

She pulled away, and he was even more hurt to see suspicion on her face. Though her identity as Tsukino Usagi made her seem vulnerable, he had the feeling she would hurt him somehow if she could, if she had reason. "Do you know what Luna doesn't? Why the _Ginzuishou_? You could have endangered us—"

"I lost my parents on my sixth birthday." The flat monotone stopped her dead, and she stared at him. "A car accident. Do you know what a traumatic event like that can do to you? And I'll bet you have two healthy parents…."

The guilt on her face was immense. "_Hai_."

"Then don't you dare judge me!" He was angrier, harsher than he meant to be, but it was a long-buried wound re-opened. "I lost everything; my parents, my home, my memories. When the car fell down the cliff, however short it was, I was thrown free and to safety, even though I hit my head. They were crushed within the frame.

"When I woke up in the hospital, it was a cold, unfeeling nurse who told me they died. She didn't care; she did this a hundred times before. No one held me as I cried for them, realizing I didn't even remember their names, or even mine!"

Anger had him standing up without thinking, and he began to pace back and forth in front of the table, hands clasped tightly behind him. "The doctor told me my name was ‘Chiba Mamoru,' that I had been in a coma for over six months. It took several more for them to realize I had no family to claim me, or no one who wanted me; I spent all of that time in a sterile hospital bed, in a ward full of coma patients.

"When I was released to the orphanage, Sakakku-san took me to the field where my parents were buried. The last name matched, but it invoked no memories for me; the crypt was a family one, with only ‘Chiba' carved into the stone." He laughed shortly, staring anywhere but at her stricken face. "Anyone who could have helped me was buried beneath it."

Usagi busied herself almost fastidiously with taking her shoes off, neatly setting them beside the couch. She couldn't bear to meet his eyes, though he was making it enormously easy by not even looking in her direction. "Moriya was my only friend, the only one…the only one who knew the pain I'd gone through. We held fast to one another in a tiny world hemmed in by chain-link fence and crumbling walls; the orphanage was so old, it dated back to just after the World War, to take in the children left parentless.

"And when I found out about the inheritance left to me, I laughed. I really did. To have been ripped out of a life of obvious luxury, not even remembering it, and to be dumped into such a bleak world…I left as soon as I was old enough, and moved into this apartment, enrolled myself in school. My grades were as good as Moriya's, but only she was lucky enough to have public schooling; I was tutored."

Nibbling on a sweet, Usagi was amazingly silent. Moriya had mentioned nothing about Mamoru, really, except that he'd been her friend at the orphanage; all of this was shocking. And, as if overcome by the emotions, Mamoru lapsed into momentary silence.

He looked at her, really looked, for the first time since he'd begun to talk, and smiled faintly. "And then, I began to have dreams, starting a few months ago. Maybe a week or so before I heard about your first appearance, and felt it; but I didn't know the cause at first. I thought maybe stress had finally done me in, because every dream was the same….always the same shadowy girl, begging me for the _Ginzuishou_.

"Somehow, I thought maybe it would help me regain my memory, to tell me who my parents were, and of my life before age six. Another life began for me; that of a masked man, clad appropriate for the ball, sneaking around the rooftops at night to search. I don't know why I chose this form, but it came to me the first night, cape and costume draped over my chair; it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized I could transform myself into it. And it wasn't until the night you awoke Mercury that I found you for the first time, needing my help."

"That's so terrible…"

With a quick gesture he had the domino mask in his hands, and he turned it over and over again. "And why do you look for the _Ginzuishou_, Tsukino Usagi?"

The _odango_-haired blonde paused, sweet halfway to her mouth. She looked at it forlornly and set it back down, sighing. "I don't know. Luna says we have to find it, and protect it, along with our princess….but she can't remember everything, and half the time she isn't even sure of what to do." Lip caught between her teeth, she nibbled it gently in confusion. Was it wise of her to tell him their secret, when Luna had pronounced him a possible enemy?

It would've been nice if time had stopped right then for her, fixed like the hands of his watch. She felt warm, and safe, but it warred with her mentor's instructions. So engrossed was she in wondering what to do, that she didn't realize he'd left the room.

Then, she felt something dangle next to her head. "Take this with you, Usako; remember me with it."

"Where am I going?" she queried, puzzled. Though her heart was surely going to burst out of her chest with his proximity, he dropped his pocket watch gently into the pool of her skirt, moving away to pick up her school case.

"_Kuroneko_ must be wondering where you are, ne? And I wouldn't like to give you a bad image." He held out her case, though with a gentle smile. It was such a change from the angry, petulant boy-child he had been minutes previous. She took the case carefully, turning her face away to hide the blush that threatened to give her away.

Fingering the watch, she stuttered, "This is so nice, but I have nothing to give to you in return…." She popped the latches on her case hesitantly, looking inside; the moon stick lay within, where he'd dumped it for safekeeping. School papers were crushed beneath it, along with her handkerchief.

"_Daijoubu, odango_. I have your portrait of me." He removed a folded piece of notebook paper from his jacket, opening it to reveal the cartoon sketch she'd done one day during math class.

Her face was burning like an open flame. Hastily she closed her case, standing up so fast that the forgotten bag of sweets tumbled onto the floor. "I have to go now…!" Hopping on one foot, she pulled her shoes on as he watched, the most infuriating, amused look on his face. She didn't bother to lace them, and simply walked as fast as she could for the front door.

Even though he walked at a casual pace behind her, he made it to the door in time to open it for her. The gentlemanly gesture was too much; the _odango_-haired blonde averted her face sharply, holding her school case before her like a shield. "Ano…you called me ‘Usako' before, Chiba-san…"

Now it was his turn to be embarrassed; though he hid it far easier. "I thought it would make you more at ease then calling you ‘_odango atama_,'" he muttered, the edge of the door held tight between his fingers. "But if you dislike it…I suppose I did go too far."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see him change, withdraw into himself; putting up the barriers between him and the world. Before his story, she never realized everything was a front to keep people away. Now, she was hurt to see him close off again. "_Iie_, Chiba-san, I like it! ‘Usako.'" She took his other hand suddenly, her face opening like a flower, full of joy. "But perhaps, I should call you something else as well?"

Clearly he hadn't expected her sudden gesture, because he pulled back so sharply she was jerked against his chest. The medals clinked against her eyelashes, and she breathed in quickly, deeply, to smell the night air still lingering in his shirt. "Mamo-chan…"

"_Gomen nasai, odango atama_." His chest hitched inward as he took a breath, gently dislodging her, and escorting her, pointedly, for the door.

It was too many surprises in one day for Usagi; at his obvious dismissal, she seemed to wilt, drooping like the flower ready to die. "I…_gokigenyou_." _So long_. To her, it was obvious; there was only Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen. Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru simply couldn't be.

She broke into a frantic run for the elevator, spurned on by his silence; the watch, as silent as its owner, was clutched to her chest in a death grip.

A gloveless, shoeless Sailor V sat in front of the monitor, drumming fingers atop the console. With legs tucked into a Buddha's fold on the chair with her, she watched through Ami's communicator as she'd run out, finding Makoto and Rei; all together, they'd found Zoisite, who had promptly escaped. But it had been hours ago; Usagi was not among them.

She made a frustrated moue, twilight blue eyes narrowing as she replayed Zoisite's teleport away. All three soldiers had decided an hour ago that Usagi must have been safe at home, avoiding the fight (or so Rei had surmised, much to Luna's consternation), and they had gone home themselves. The long-haired blonde had no ready answer herself as to Usagi's whereabouts, but as the enemy hadn't come back crowing about how they'd captured Sailor Moon, she had a few guesses.

Abruptly, a small alarm sounded, and the screen blacked out. "Warning: someone is approaching the game. Warning: someone is approaching the game." The game center had closed an hour ago, and she knew Motoki had gone home already; only one other could be in the darkened room above.

The flip of a switch later, she stared though the Sailor V console's monitor, as Luna made the leap atop. With confirmation, she turned on the visual, though as usual, she was nothing more than a silhouette.

Though the brain of the computer, so to speak, resided beneath the Crown proper, the entrance – the Sailor V game – could also be used as a limited terminal and monitor system. It worked both ways; usually, the long-haired blonde stood in the dark game center, talking to the black feline as she worked below, unaware. "Luna, report?"

"The enemy is growing more dangerous. And the girls…they've been awakened, but they don't remember their lives as sailor soldiers, particularly Sailor Moon. Though they act on instinct, they're still only partial soldiers." Atop the console Luna paced, her tail lashing from side to side. "I need more information!"

The angry, accusatory tone reminded V of last night, when Tuxedo Kamen had said, essentially, the same thing. She was glad Luna couldn't see her bitter smile, a feature she seemed to be wearing far too often lately. "I wish I could, Luna, but there is so much factoring into this—"

"And the enemy is approaching us! I haven't the time for them to fully realize themselves!" The same song and dance as before. And frankly, the long-haired blonde was just tired of the whole thing. If she could've, she would've thrown her pen to the bottom of Tokyo Bay the first time she realized the truth and walked away.

But of course, she wasn't allowed.

Above, Luna seemed to be taking her silence as an end to the conversation. Their talks were so short, it wasn't a surprise; when V looked up, all she saw was a furry black butt disappearing out of the front door. No good-byes.

Teeth clenching tightly, V turned off the monitor and turned away as well. "Where are you, Aino Minako? _Kami-sama_, I wish I were still you." Silly, without a care in the world. Thirteen years old and only having bad dreams now and again. Playing volleyball with her gym class. Not running around rooftops in her ridiculously short skirt, with a head full of knowledge that she couldn't share with the people involved.

No tears had been shed for the death of Aino Minako, thirteen; instead, they'd fallen at the time for the deaths of four girls she'd known a thousand years ago. And she hadn't the time since to truly mourn the loss of any of her innocence.

She pulled her gloves on with sharp tugs, feet slipping into her high heels expertly. They clicked angrily as she exited the command center, a solitary figure in the Crown with a lot on her mind.

With a perfect leap, she was on the rooftop, affecting a stance far at odds with the cheery pose and salute on the posters below. She knew Artemis hadn't planned for her to be on patrol, but to hell with him. All it took was the usual point and whisper, and she was flying on the winds, golden chain tight between her hands.

The flickering flash of her magic would be enough. She simply traveled across the city left to right, top to bottom, twilight blues intent on her surroundings. At the merest sign that he'd seen her, she paused; then, with surety, she headed for the Tower. With its observation decks closed for the night, it made a welcome meeting place.

Despite her foul mood she took pleasure, as always, in her mode of transportation. The night was especially calm for spring, with no errant winds blasting her around like a rag doll; merely a mild, tickling breeze that insisted on lifting her skirt. And her landing was a bit of a show-off; she flipped into the sky after releasing the magic of her chain, turning over nearly four times in the air before landing in the middle of the deck.

"Ara ara, the girl has no end to her showing off." The snap of a velvet cloak carried on the breeze, before the click of shoes signaled his landing behind her. But the jest in his voice was forced; beneath it, she could hear something close to anger, maybe even fury.

"_Mochiron_! Sailor V is the best at the game," she retorted playfully, spinning around expertly on the toe of her high heel. Sensing his anger quelled her own rather fast, and she graced him with a sunny smile.

He looked pissed off, all right. At his sides clenched and unclenched his hands, and without his hat, she could easily see the furrows in his forehead, brows drawn together and down. What in the world had angered him so much? "Well, you obviously wanted my attention, so here I am. Going to insult me for last night's ditch and run?"

Her mouth formed an ‘O,' a hand pressing to her chest above her heart. "I? The sailor suited soldier, Sailor V? Hurling insults?"

"I don't have time for this!" The dark-haired man didn't even bother playing her game, just turned away in preparation for the jump. And he was halfway in the air before he felt something snap around his waist.

His fall was spectacularly inept, considering the take off. All she could see was a lump of black, a glittering length of chain peeking out here and there. "Excuse me, I haven't even said what I wanted to yet! Mou! You men are all alike!"

"_Kyapi kyapi gyaru_…" It was muttered so quietly she most likely didn't hear him, which was good; he was pissed enough to say it, but not to have his reputation slandered for doing so. Sometimes, he was just driven to be a dick. He just sighed, "Sailor V," and left it at that.

He felt the golden chain disappear, his cape and coat falling loose once more. Managing to get up with some remnant of grace, he eyed the huffing blonde. Shoulders squared and arms folded, she stared right on back. "You have to help me deceive Sailor Moon."

"_Iie, wakarimasen_…deceive Sailor Moon?" By the tone of his voice, she'd just asked him to all but pick up the entire main island of Japan and relocate.

"I can't do this anymore." She held up a hand for patience, staving off his inevitable question. "You know I have the answers to so many secrets, and I still can't reveal them all, but I want to be by their sides. I want to finally place myself into the game, but to do so, I have to be a decoy."

Now she had his attention, fully. Sweeping his cape out of the way, he took a seat on one of the many park benches set around the deck. May as well be comfortable. "A decoy for who? The enemy knows who Sailor Moon is."

"But not the princess." She stared him down as he started, lifting himself right out of the seat he'd just settled down into. "_Gomen nasai_, Tuxedo Kamen, but you can't know. Not yet. It would do more harm than good, but especially, the enemy must not find her either!"

"You know far too many secrets, Sailor V," he growled, slowly sitting back down. "And just how will you deceive them into thinking this way? They've fought you, haven't they?"

Gloved fingers reached up, brushing against the crescent moon on her forehead. He followed the gesture with his eyes, puzzled. "Someone thought of this ahead of time; the one who triggered my awakening to be the first, to give me all of the knowledge of our past lives…by wearing the crescent moon all this time, I can proclaim myself as the moon princess easily."

He frowned. "I don't get it. What am I to do, then? Fall into your arms in front of them, kissing you passionately?"

"That's not a bad idea," she replied musingly, hiding her smile behind a hand.

All he did was stare at her. She finally laughed, waving it away foppishly. "Ya no! I plan to show myself to them tomorrow night; most likely, as Zoisite is a vain creature, he'll try to attack them head on. I'll kill two birds with one stone, literally and figuratively." The long-haired blonde sounded almost bored, as if she were describing the scenery instead of killing someone. "He's far too dangerous and egotistical."

Zoisite…the name sounded off the faintest ring in the back of his memory, far back in the bottom bowels. "Isn't ‘zoisite' a stone?"

"_Hai, sou desu_; it's also the name of the third of the _shitennou_. The blonde lady last night was no lady, but a man in disguise." She was watching him carefully, though subtly so; he had affected a vacant stare off to the right somewhere, turning the information over in his head.

"So you'll make your appearance, killing this ‘Zoisite' person."

"And I know you'll be there, because you protect Sailor Moon," she added, continuing the thread, "and I want you to act surprised when you see me."

There was the frown again. "Surprised."

"I'll expect nothing less than movie quality acting! I want surprise, I want shock, I want you to act as if you've seen the person of your dreams in real life!" Her fingers formed the universal snapshot symbol, and she stared through them at him with a smile. "Because, Tuxedo Kamen, the princess is the woman of your dreams. Ne?

"And this way, they'll think there's something even more special about me than the fact I'm Sailor V, sailor senshi extraordinary; and when I reveal myself to be the moon princess, they'll accept it, because of your performance!"

"I'm thinking you're crazy right about now."

"You're just jealous that I'm such a mad brain!" she purred, striking a pose of victory; it wilted when he replied, flatly, "You mean a mastermind."

Silence. They were reduced to staring at one another again as a bird flew by, dropping its usual hello directly between them. Tuxedo Kamen's mouth quirked upwards as the white splatter spread across the concrete. "I suppose I have no choice in the matter."

"You have all the choices in the world, Tuxedo Kamen," another voice announced.

The dark-haired man had never seen Sailor V spring into action so fast; but it wasn't fast enough. Even as she was spinning around, her glowing fingertip pointed and the words halfway spoken, a lasso of rope dropped down over her head. It yanked tight almost immediately, pinning the long-haired blonde's arms to her sides. "_Shimatta_!"

Down from the railing stepped the thief, clad in her usual black clothes, hood drawn tight and scarf wound carefully around her mouth. It was pointless, obviously, as Sailor V had seen her…and the thief had seen Sailor V's true face. She, not surprisingly, held the opposite end of the rope. "Yare yare, Sailor V, such language."

"In response to such a dirty trick!" The thief smiled, though she made no move to release the soldier. She simply pulled it a bit tighter, waving a finger at the long-haired blonde as she struggled.

Tuxedo Kamen made no move towards them to help V; he looked hesitant, wary, to even attempt it. "What do you want?"

"A lot of things, Tuxedo Kamen. Peace of mind most of all." The girl brought a blade up to the light, an antique stiletto, and held the tip beneath the blonde's chin. "Peace, Sailor V. I owe you my life, perhaps, but you know many things I want to know as well."

Sailor V's head arched back painfully as the blade forced it so, twilight blue eyes closing. "I can't ever say sorry enough for carrying this burden." Her sudden hiss betrayed the cutting of flesh; Tuxedo Kamen could see a small drop of blood wind its way down her neck. "To reveal everything to you would put everyone in jeopardy, doesn't anyone understand that!"

"I don't care about that!" the thief hissed, pressing the blade just a little bit deeper. "This isn't my problem, this isn't my cause! Why do I know about a stone that has nothing to do with me…a holy stone, that no one can give me answers of!"

The sudden impact of Tuxedo Kamen scratched the tip of the blade back nearly to her ear, but it was only a surface wound. She fell backwards as the blade went one way, and they went the opposite, rolling on the ground; she could hear them yelling at one another incoherently as she scooted along the concrete painfully, trying to snap the rope.

Someone's head hit the railing with an echoing thud as the rope snapped, and the soldier leapt up to see the thief pressing her arm into Tuxedo Kamen's neck. "Crescent Beam!"

It was a weak surge of magic, but the thief screamed nonetheless as it collided with the back of her ribs, bending her backwards over the pain. A gasping Tuxedo Kamen threw her off and she rolled, the back of her jacket smoking. What wasn't obvious right away was that she was crying, loud, hoarse sobs that had nothing to do with her injury.

The long-haired blonde invoked her chain, wrapping it around the thief's arms in a mimic of her own bondage minutes earlier. She didn't fight it, and bowed her head as she knelt there, nearly choking on her tears. "I can't forgive you for that," V said quietly. "But I am sorry you feel this way."

"…I'm not a soldier…I'm no one special…!" The thief's voice was strangled, desperate. She lifted her head, staring at them both with a tear-streaked expression of utter loss. "I'm not one of you; why am I involved in this!" she screamed, "why do I know these things!"

Tuxedo Kamen gathered her in his arms and simply held her, rocking her back and forth. She went limp almost immediately, crying loud as a child against his chest. "We'll know the truth soon, I swear we will…soon, we'll all know the truth."

Sailor V's expression was unreadable, as closed off as a wall. "_Hai_," she agreed. "I promise; I'll even tell you myself, if I have to, _kami_ forgive me." She fingered the cut on her throat, not meeting Tuxedo Kamen's stare. "Serenity forgive me."

  
Despite the late hour, Usagi was still awake, though not by choice. Curled in the window, snug in her bunny motif pajamas, she held her hands over her heart in nearly physical pain. It had woken her not even ten minutes ago, a sudden sharp, stabbing sensation deep in her heart; slowly subsiding, it left her breathless. And she had no idea of the cause.

Coming home just before Luna had returned from the Crown, she had ignored all family stimulus, not even coming down to eat the leftovers her mother had saved for her. She had curled on her bed in the tightest ball possible, confused as to how she could feel so suddenly lost in the span of an day.

Mamoru's brush-off was the cause, obviously, but how could a man who hadn't shared a decent conversation with her previous affect her so deeply? Not even two days ago she had yelled at him, feeling nothing but animosity towards him. Now, she felt as if she'd lost her leg or something else as vital. And Luna's suspicions of Tuxedo Kamen had only heightened the feeling, moreso when she realized she couldn't tell the black feline where she'd been.

Finally, the pain was gone. She uncurled from her pained ball, touching her fingers to the glass to trace the image of her own face. "I wish I understood everything," she sighed, watching a lone car drive past. There was always something in the back of her mind now, since Luna had given her the moon stick; if only she could remember it….

The black feline had told her they still had so much to remember about being sailor soldiers. But while the other three fit into their personas like a glove, memories or no, she still felt the slightest bit clumsy, as if it was a forced identity; like something inside of her rejected ‘Sailor Moon.' Not Tsukino Usagi, normal girl, but something deeper; something from the very past Luna wanted her to recall.

And Mamoru's attitude that day had touched on it.

"Endymion." Even saying the name made her heart flutter, the syllables rolling smoothly off her Japanese tongue. It was like tasting a sweet treat, letting it melt…even though she had no body or face to go with.

Behind her, Luna began to stir, tail lashing against the covers. The _odango_-haired blonde smiled affectionately, turning towards the cat; and the moment was ruined as she yawned long and loud. Soon, she was blissfully asleep again, her mind allowed to drift.

And in her dreams, someone was singing.

It took her a moment to realize it was Rei – or, more precisely, Mars.

The dark-haired shrine girl was singing her heart out, arms raised to the sky as if in worship; the song was a generic, happy tune to the beautiful day, beautifully interwoven and spiraling higher and higher with each note.

In a lazy circle around her sat five others, all of them reclining on marble steps that led up and off into colourful blobs of scenery. The _odango_-haired blonde could make out no real details past the girls; one of them, who bore an orange hue, was just as formless as the trees behind her head. Jupiter, sprawled across an entire step, looked joyous, her head fallen back as she hummed along with the music.

Beneath her sat Mercury, posture perfect, her entire pose suggesting a self-confidence and assurance that Usagi had yet to truly see in Ami. Her studious eyes were slighter cooler as they watched the shapeless landscape, hands on her knees. The girl next to her melted into the steps with no true shape, the smears of orange suggesting that she was on her back, arms folded behind her head.

Between them all sat Usagi, wearing a loose white dress with long sleeves, her hair loose. She was weaving with the song, eyes closed, nose buried in a handful of roses and tulips that she held clutched in her hands, freshly cut. The sun glittered off the gold circlet around her head, a simple band with no ornamentation. Above, the _odango_-haired blonde puzzled.

Then, Mars finished her song. She bowed with a shy tilt to her body that Rei would have scoffed, folding her hands before her once she was straight again. "Well?"

"It was beautiful, Mars!" Jupiter cheered, clapping her hands in appreciation. Mars blushed, looking towards Mercury and the still-shapeless girl, waiting.

The blue-haired genius tilted her head mechanically, lifting her shoulders. "It was lovely, Mars, but how do your parents feel about it? After all, with your people so warlike…"

"Mercury, stop that!" the girl beside her chided. Her voice was familiar, but Usagi couldn't place it; it was through her head like so much smoke. "Mars, it was as good as anything my court nymphs could sing, maybe better!"

But the damage was done. Mars seemed to slightly expire, wilting down onto the step with her clasped hands dropping between her knees. "My father is displeased about me learning from the high court's musicians; he regards song as nothing more than noise."

"Stop that; with my mother's influence, he wouldn't dare tell you to stop!" From the middlemost steps Usagi saw herself reach up, taking Mars's hand gently. The look that passed between them was of utmost affection.

What followed next was a soft din of noise as they talked amongst themselves, acting like the closest of friends; even aloof, frigid Mercury. Usagi felt herself waking up as the orange-clad soldier laughed, saying "Even Prince Endymion wouldn't condone that, and he's of Earth!"

Endymion!

"Ne, let me sleep longer, I want to see the rest of it!" Her body twisted on the windowsill as she heard the alarm clock ring, dimly echoing through her dream. Jupiter said something so outrageous that the girls shrieked in unison; and then, everything exploded into black.

Sunlight was streaming through the window, warm on her face, as she felt the shudder of her door slamming open. Her mother was furious in the doorway, wielding a spoon like the flaming sword of an angel. "Usagi, wake up, you lazy girl!"

"_Hai, hai_, mama," she moaned, stretching carefully. Ikuko waited to watch her daughter slide to her feet, wobbling for her uniform, before she left the room.

Luna did her own luxuriant stretch, a spot of nothingness on the utter pink that was Usagi's comforter. Brown eyes watched sharply as Usagi stripped off her pajamas, doing her usual morning routine across the room as she wriggled and danced into her uniform skirt and socks. She had her spring shirt halfway on before she remembered that the winter uniform was still in use, and spent another minute exchanging the two.

The whole charade was more clumsy than usual, and the black cat frowned as she watched Usagi re-knot her bow nearly three times. "Usagi-chan, _daijoubu desu ka_?" She waited for a response as she watched her charge wander to her dresser, rifling through a top drawer. Totally ignoring Luna, of course. "Ne, Usagi?"

A glittering gold lamè ribbon was finally selected out of a handful, which were dumped back into the drawer. Luna stared, now dumbfounded, as Usagi wrapped the strip tight around her head and over her sleep-tousled hair, like a headband. "Ano, Luna…who is the princess?"

"If I knew that, don't you think I would tell you?" the feline replied, exasperated and confused. She dropped off the side of the bed, padding around Usagi in a slow circle.

Usagi tilted her head, re-adjusting her bangs. Didn't she have some sort of mark on her forehead in the dream? It had been covered mostly by her hair, but she remembered seeing it now, a tiny speck of yellow… "Iie, Luna, I mean…what is she the princess of? Earth? America? Where is she from?"

"The moon, of course. She is the heir to the Kingdom of the Moon, and by default status, ruler of our solar system."

"And I'm the soldier of the Moon?"

"_Hai_. Usagi-chan, what's with you today? Is this a result of your disappearance last night?"

She looked just like she had in the dream, if in the hottest fashion for Tokyo's public school system. With a smile she untied the ribbon, curling it atop her dresser. "Just wondering, Luna. You never really told us." She began to tie up one odango, ignoring the questioning stare the black feline had for her in the mirror.

For all the right reasons, Sailor V was dead on.

Zoisite was an egotistical bastard of the highest caliber, and being forced to retreat by girls too young to even drive a car had really rankled him.

Of course, Kunzite's biting, derisive comments had not improved his mood, but had greatly increased his want to aim properly. Shooting icicle spears at the general had done nothing but leave a gouged hole in the side of the meeting room.

The blond slouched in his chair, a boot up against the edge of his small dining table. As one of the _shitennou_ he had an immense amount of space, and lots of time to fill it. Most of the furniture that required legs simply had been molded from the rock walls, including the table; the chairs, the bed, and a cabinet for clothes were sturdy wood. He had no hobbies to consume his free time as the other generals had, or once did.

For a male, Zoisite was long and lithe of limb, almost girlish. He studied himself now stoically, annoyed that his charade as a woman had born rotten fruit. If only those damn soldiers hadn't burst in on him! Teeth ground as he gripped his chin painfully, his elbow balancing expertly on his knee. A contortion only he could master, it was one he often found himself twisting into when he thought.

Already he was tired of the game, of pretending to be human.

But what else could he do to lure those girls to their certain deaths?

He summoned a viewing glass, though his preference was not for balls, but for mirrors; and one seemed to grow from the rock wall at his gesture, opaque. The snap of fingers turned ‘on,' so to speak, and the blond general stared out over Tokyo. "South."

Magic traveled at the speed of thought, or in the time it took to mentally compile the spell needed. It was like flipping channels as he spoke his bored, tired directions, green eyes unseeing until… "Stop!"

That brilliant smile…that playful pose…

Sailor V flirted with pedestrians passing by the Crown, painted forever into the salute she threw off at abandon. Though it was only a poster, and somewhat crudely drawn by realistic standards, Zoisite homed in on it.

No general had seen the girl fighting alongside the sailor soldiers who kept halting their progress. None of them had even so much as seen the girl, period, since Danburite had been defeated; only a solitary _youma_ had recognized her in recent weeks, and hadn't lived long enough to alert them.

But what if?

"Yare yare, Sailor V," Zoisite cooed, a devilish gleam sparkling in his eyes. "To flush out a little rabbit, one needs the proper bait…"

"_USOOOOOOO_!"

The house shook to the foundations. Artemis, sleeping comfortably atop Minako's bed, was rudely bounced across the mattress and onto the floor with a perfect bellyflop. Thinking it was an earthquake and not seeing his owner, he sped for the doorway, panicked.

The long-haired blonde, coming in to find him, stepped right onto his head.

Thankfully, her thick socks blunted the impact.

He flopped over with visions of mice dancing around his head as she squealed, oblivious to his pain. "Artemis, have you seen the news!?"

"You'll have to excuse me, my life is flashing before my eyes…a Siamese has the lead role…."

"ARTemis!" Minako picked him up by the scruff, impatiently holding a folded newspaper in front of his eyes.

Dangling, still in a daze, the white cat's blue eyes didn't quite focus right away. Then, he shook his head fiercely, mouth gaping to reveal a hint of fangs. "The auction of the demolished set of ‘The Chinese Princess'? Pieces are going to be sold to benefit another star from the Dark Agency who is sick?"

The long-haired blonde set him down, gentle this time, and began folding the newspaper into smaller and smaller squares. "Do you think Ace…_iie_, Danburite…is alive?"

"You know it isn't possible, Mina. He dissolved; he was defeated by the soldier of Venus." He stared at her, a perturbed look passing over his furred face. "But Danburite was a minion of the Dark Kingdom; and surely Zoisite had knowledge of the mission."

She bowed her head, effectively hiding her face behind her hair. As she folded the newspaper, she thought of what she had told Tuxedo Kamen last night; that she would lure the egotistical general out for defeat. But now, it was obvious that it had gone the other way around, and that Zoisite had one-upped her.

Dimly she recalled Danburite's curse, his mocking tone as he asked her what the problem had been; without successful love, she could be a successful soldier. Just as she had in the past, when she had never noticed him, or his love for her. "It's a trap."

"Of course it's a trap; but why would Zoisite want to lure you? The others wouldn't recognize the significance, and hardly no one even remembers the idol Kaitou Ace!" The white feline's tail lashed the carpet in anger as he stared at the long-haired blonde, who stared out of her second-floor window. "Mina, the enemy remembers that you exist now…"

"_Baka neko_," she remarked offhandedly, and far more acidic then she meant. He flinched as if she'd physically hit him, backing up a step; and she seemed to finally realize her surroundings, smiling down at him gently. "_Gomen gomen_, Artemis. I'm just…in shock, I guess. I never expected to hear of the movie ever again."

They had been friends, partners, for over a year now, and he could tell when she was lying through her teeth. But he wisely stayed silent on that, instead taking a different angle as she perched on the edge of her bed. "What do you think we can expect, Mina? If Zoisite wants to find you, there must be a reason."

"Bait, of course! Don't be lax in your duties as a guardian to the princess, Venus!" Boss had been silent for a while now, apparently deciding Mina and Artemis could do the job on their own. Hearing the pen in her pocket talk again after such a long time had the long-haired blonde squawking, her butt sliding off the comforter as she spasmed in shock. She landed ungracefully on the floor in a heap, legs tangled beneath her. Artemis sprang into her lap, fumbling to pull the pen out of her sweatshirt pocket.

"Boss!? Boss, what did you say?"

The long-haired blonde groaned, rubbing a hand against her tailbone. "_Itaai_! This had better be important," she muttered.

Artemis swatted at her to be quiet with his tail, holding the pen clumsily between his paws. Boss sounded perturbed on the other end, a voice neither of them had ever seen a face for. "Be sharper, Venus; obviously, this is an attempt to capture Sailor Moon! Perhaps, they've even deduced that she could know where the _Ginzuishou_ is hiding—"

"_Masaka_….! How could they be so bold as to think that?" Minako whispered, exchanging a worried look with the white cat huddled in her lap.

"Maybe they've remembered more then our allies have," Boss announced solemnly.

Minako took the pen from her friend's paws, twirling it slowly between her fingers. Huddled on the floor, she nodded slowly to what Boss had said. "_Hai_. Or, maybe, they're more intelligent then we were thinking." She planted a hand against the carpet, pushing herself up from her kneel. A bittersweet smile decorated her face as she wandered to her closet, selecting a more colourful and clean sweatshirt, exchanging the one she wore already. Socks came next, and she pulled them on with a wriggle of toes.

The white cat watched all of this in silence until she untied her hair, brushing it out. Then, he stood up on all four paws. "Mina, you can't seriously be going!"

"I have to reveal myself to them sooner or later, Artemis. It's been planned already." She tied her red bow with a flourish, smiling at him in the mirror. "_Daijoubu_."

"You've done what?!" the cat yelped, doing a mad hopping dance right there on the carpet. Boss was strangely silent in Minako's hand, and Artemis had a feeling that the pen would be that way for a while to come, unneeded. "Mina, you can't do this!"

"_Gomen_, Artemis, but it has to be done. I hope you'll be my friend in this." So saying, she exited the room without heading his calls, softly closing the door until only a small space was left open; just wide enough for a cat to pass. But if he followed her, she didn't hear him as she went down the stairs, pausing near the front door to slip on shoes and a light jacket.

And as she left, she had no way of knowing that Usagi held the same paper in her hands at the same time, holding it out to the others. "Look, look! Do you remember this?"

"'The Chinese Princess'….oh, that was the promised movie of Kaitou Ace!" Makoto was the one who answered; Rei looked disdainful, Ami oblivious. Neither girl had ever invested time in idols.

But Usagi looked gleeful that the idol had been recognized, and she held the article out to the tall brunette. "We should see this, Mako-chan!"

The dark-haired shrine girl huffed, lightly tossing her hair. "Trivial pursuits! Men are untrustworthy; most likely, that auction is to benefit him in his unpopular state." As they had gathered at the shrine, she held another implement of cleaning in her hands, this time a rake. She drew it across a small pile of dead leaves as she spoke, brushing briskly, angrily.

"Mou, Rei-san…!" Usagi whimpered, hiding slightly behind Makoto. Despite knowing the girl for several weeks now, the _odango_-haired blonde still addressed her in a respectful manner, as if she were still wary of the haughty, private school _miko_. The tall brunette reached back to lightly pat Usagi comfortingly.

Luna, who sat comfortably on the edge of the porch, tilted her head in thought. "The Dark Agency are the ones holding the auction, Usagi-chan?" When the odango-haired blonde nodded in the affirmative, Luna made a noise not unlike a purr. "Dark Tech Corp….Dark Agency…"

  
All four girls lapsed into silence, watching the feline as she obviously put some seriously deep thought into it. Her face twisted into a parody of someone in immense pain, ears slanting back against her head. She went on in this fashion for a good four minutes, before she slapped a paw against the wood loudly, pronouncing "That's it!"

Everyone jumped. Hesitantly, Ami asked, "What's it?"

"Too many ‘Dark' companies is it! Think of it, _minna_; what better way for our enemies to gather energy than to infiltrate under cover?" The cat danced along the edge of the porch madly, watching the realization dawn on their faces.

"Ano…."

Makoto was frowning, nibbling at her thumbnail. When she realized that everyone had heard her murmur, she flushed brightly and held up the article. "Did you read further into the article, Usagi-chan?"

Obviously she had not, as she snatched the paper back and began to scan the print. When she reached the paragraph Makoto had her finger to, she began to read out loud, haltingly, unused to doing so. "Few may recall the destruction of the set, and the mysterious aura around it; more than a few of the extras who fled swore they saw the soldier of mystery, Sailor V, run into the smoke. Kaitou Ace fled into obscurity and hiding immediately, and the proposed heroine, Tokyo's Aino Minako, has never accepted an interview."

Stunned, Usagi lowered the paper to meet Luna's eyes. The cat was nodding purposefully, and she padded down to the ground. "This has to be checked out. And Aino Minako…."

"After we investigate, we'll find her," Rei affirmed, setting aside her rake. The grim determination in her voice was unmistakable; and only Luna nodded in agreement. The other three, who had taken to Minako's boundless joy in their own ways, stayed silent.

  
The auction was surprisingly full, considering the failed movie had been demolished over a year ago, and had been the vehicle of an idol long forgotten as they all usually were. Adoring fans that demanded autographs mobbed current idols, most of them too young to even remember who Ace was. Older fans that did remember the idol had to keep correcting everyone; ‘Kaitou' had been the given name of Ace's first major role on TV. His real name had been ‘Saijou,' though no record of his family seemed to exist.

In the crowd, letting them flow past her like the sea, stood Minako, twilight blue eyes unusually alert. In her jacket and skirt, she looked like any other teen idol chaser, and she used it to her advantage to chivvy conversation out of many of the idols, most of who were unused to someone asking them about someone other than themselves.

None of them were Dark Agency holdovers, and Minako finally withdrew from her questioning tactic. "With so many idols, and not a one in the Agency….!"

"Minako-chan!"

The long-haired blonde froze, so completely immersed in her role as an undercover soldier that she had no time to put on a convincing, empty smile. She simply stared, stunned, as Usagi emerged from the crowd, waving her arm madly over her head to get Minako to notice her. "U-Usagi-chan! _ Konnichiwa_!"

Her worst fears were realized as the tall brunette, blue-haired genius, and dark-haired shrine girl appeared behind Usagi, Luna safely cradled in Ami's arms. "Minako-chan, you actually came! This must all be so serious for you!" the odango-haired blonde pressed, coming up to wrap both arms around Minako's right to pull her towards the others.

By this point the warning bells had gone off full force in Minako's head, especially when she saw Rei's intense, penetrating stare. "Serious? Whatever do you mean, Usagi-chan?" she queried innocently, finally collecting herself enough to affect her usual childish, ignorant smile.

"As you were the heroine of the movie, Aino-san, isn't this a bit of flashback for you?" There was no fooling some people. Minako fought hard not to flinch beneath Rei's question and purple eyes, but she'd had to put on a poker face for far worse. She simply heaved a heavy, drawn-out sigh.

"_Hai_, but I put it behind me a long time ago, Hino-san! I'm here just to see the idols, of course; this is the event to be at." Not a complete answer, but not a complete evasion, either. Rei seemed entirely unconvinced, but she could see Ami slowly nod in understanding, Makoto looking relieved. At least Minako knew who was on her side….

Luna looked just as suspicious as the dark-haired shrine girl did, but as she had no proof that Minako truly was Sailor V, she couldn't voice them. Instead, she simply brooded within the confines of Ami's arms, blue eyes watching every move the long-haired blonde made. "Oh, Minako-chan, I'm so glad you're here; you can answer the question truthfully!"

"…what question?"

Usagi leaned in like a camera set to zoom, forcing Minako to lean backwards, lest they bump heads, as Makoto said, "If Sailor V was really spotted on the set or not!"

Worse, and worse. Thankfully, before she could think up a spontaneously witty reply, the lights dimmed to nearly black, and loud music, most likely the song of one of the Agency's remaining talent, began to blare. Usagi was easily ensnared by the spectacle, and anything Minako could've said would be drowned out.

Then, spotlights flicked on, zooming around the large curtained stage in the middle of the room. They finally came to rest in the center of the stage, as the curtains parted behind them, revealing the silhouette of the MC. And, as they walked towards the light, Minako felt Rei's presence at her left shoulder, and heard the whisper meant for her ears only: "Very suspicious, Aino-san."

Minako tensed, narrowing her glare towards the stage and ignoring Rei entirely. Some people you just couldn't please, and she was now pissed off that she was going to prove Rei right in, most likely, less than an hour.

The MC finally emerged into the light, and it wasn't Zoisite. It was a man with black hair tied back in a braid, and tanned skin; very, very handsome, and presumably an idol of the Agency. "Welcome to the auction, everyone!"

He wasn't well known, but he was cute, and that was enough to set off every teen girl in the audience. They all began to scream as if on cue, and the din was immense. Whatever he said was lost in the noise, but it was apparently the start of the auction itself, as a Romanesque white pillar was hauled onto the stage, still bearing sooty streak marks.

Beside her, Minako could feel Usagi shudder at the sight of the pillar, grabbing tighter onto her arm. It was a shocked, spontaneous thing, but nothing that came close to the reaction Minako had been overcome by when she watched the thing tumble down in flames. She was almost positive the other three were having their own spasms of recollection behind her, but she didn't dare look.

The screaming had finally died away, and bids were being called out; nothing real substantial, as it was just a piece of foam and plywood. With Usagi's distress threatening to turn the girl's muscles into jelly, Minako hit onto an idea. "Usagi-chan, _daijoubu_?"

"I…it looks like something in my dreams…"

Bingo. She moved to take the shaking _odango_-hared blonde in her arms, nudging her towards the direction of the bathroom. "You need some air, Usagi-chan, you look faint!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the other three engrossed in searching the crowd, and being none-too-sly about it; she took the opportunity and pulled Usagi into the mass of bodies.

And as she'd figured, the bathroom was somewhat crowded with idols powdering their noses, and remarking on their rivals; even with their rivals standing a foot away, no less! Minako grimaced mildly as one uttered a particularly nasty remark. And to think, my dream is to be an idol, she mentally winced, as she hustled Usagi into an empty stall. "I'll be outside of the door, Usagi-chan, ok?"

"Ok, Minako-chan," came the answer weakly from the other side.

Minako felt horrible leaving her like that, but she had no choice. "As a soldier of justice, it's my mission to defeat Zoisite!" It was a rather pathetic rationalization, but that was all she had on her at the moment. She fled from the bathroom and back into the mass of bodies, fighting her way towards the center of the stage.

Way in the back, the other three girls were becoming panicked as they realized Usagi was gone; and was Minako. "I knew it, she's a suspect in this!" Rei hissed, glaring obstinately at Makoto and Ami, daring them to prove otherwise.

"Even if Minako-chan is really Sailor V, why would she hurt Usagi-chan?" Makoto snapped back, not backing down an inch. The tension between the two was nearly tangible as they stared one another down, refusing to budge.

Until, that is, Ami pressed between the two, one arm carrying Luna, the connected elbow and her free arm shoving the girls apart. "Rei-san, Makoto-san, stop this! Perhaps we're overanalyzing, but shouldn't we find them before we pass judgement?"

"_Sou yo_!" Luna agreed, though her disciplinary glare was severely blunted by the fact she had slipped in Ami's arm to hang heavily on her armpits and chin. You just can't be stern when your face is being squished. "I agree that Minako is suspicious, but finding Usagi is top priority first!"

On stage, a small velvet box was introduced, and the MC held it up high for everyone to see. "And this, the pearl that was supposed to be used as the ‘Venus droplet'! The script was changed during production, to have the Chinese princess in truth be the princess of Venus, Earth's twin."

"_Nani_?!" Venus…the name sent a thrill of energy through the girls, human and feline, had them turning towards the stage to finally, truly, pay attention.

"And the soldier of Venus, perhaps she's here to claim it? Until then, let's make it a challenge!" The MC removed the pearl from the box as the crowd began to murmur, confused. He flung the small gem high into the air, laughing in anticipation. As it reached the apex of its flight, it exploded into powder, and he changed.

The powder cloud seemed to expand further and further outward as the MC grew, torso elongating to rip apart the nice suit he wore. Fingernails sharpened into claws, shredding the rest of the cloth, his skin darkening to eggplant purple, eyes glowing yellow and green. "Now, for the glory of the Dark Kingdom! Sacrifice your energy to our queen, give yourselves over for domination!"

Luna and the girls were the first to react as they drove beneath a nearby table where brochures for the auction had been piled, a tablecloth draping nearly to the floor providing ample protection. Around them people were screaming frantically, reacting with animal instinct to run for the doors even as they dropped to the floor, dusted with the powder. Energy was thick in the air, humming with power, as it all floated up to a disco ball hanging high up in the ceiling.

Zoisite appeared next to the _youma_ with no explanation, arms folding arrogantly as he watched the crowd dwindle and drop. "Yare yare…I thought the little bitch would be here by now," he mused.

In the bathroom, Usagi was frantically trying to crawl over the wall of the stall, having been totally blocked in by the press of bodies trying to escape. "_Sumimasen, sumimasen_…! Moou, _gomen nasai_!" She flopped ungracefully from the wall onto someone's back, and was forced to literally clamber over people to get to the door.

But before she got there, someone yanked at her ankle; she looked over her shoulder to see a fat, middle-aged woman holding on, attempting to stop her. "You can't go out there! I'll protect you in here, little girl, in here we're safe…!"

"Stop that!" Usagi rolled onto her back, atop someone else's shoulders, and tried to pry the hysterical woman off her ankle.

"Let her go! Maybe that crazy creature will leave us along if it attacks enough people!" someone else cried.

It was a well-received opinion; Usagi felt herself lifted up by several arms, the woman yanked away crying, and she was passed along like a surfer towards the door, where she was promptly thrown out. At least she had practiced landing long enough to roll on impact.

The door was slammed shut behind her, and she lay stunned next to the wall that hid the bathroom doors from the auditorium. A useful piece of architecture for a soldier of justice, she had to admit. She peered slowly out from around it, saw the _youma_, and immediately yanked her head back with a gasp. "Ami-chan, Rei-san, Mako-chan, where are you…?!"

Under a table, but she didn't know that. And as they had no clue where she was, they stayed put, debating on what to do. Without a real leader to take charge, they were forced into democracy, and it wasn't doing very well. "Transform, and beat the _youma_, I say!" Makoto whispered, punching her fist against her palm for emphasis.

"But that other person out there isn't a _youma_, and what if he's too strong for just three of us? We need Usagi-chan!" Ami pressed.

"We can't do anything without destroying that creature first!" Rei agreed, nodding towards the tall brunette.

"Usagi-chan is your leader, Ami-chan is right, you can't do it quite yet!" Luna hissed, lashing her tail violently.

By now, the crowd was completely felled. Behind the wall, Usagi gripped her brooch; across the way, Minako crouched in the announcer's booth used for sport games, waiting for the telling flicker of magic, her pen in hand.

And finally, Usagi whispered "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" letting the transformation sweep her up onto her toes. It was a silent change, but colourful; the burst of magic was felt by every conscious person in the auditorium, as they were also the only ones attuned to it. Zoisite smiled in anticipation, floating up from the stage to see the soldier's appearance.

But it was Sailor Moon instead of Sailor V who stepped out from behind the wall, pointing a finger at the blond general. "Using the sad memories of a failed movie to lure idol chasers and idols themselves into your trap! I won't allow it to happen again!"

There was a dull thunk as three heads hit the wood of the table.

Sailor Moon pulled her mask away, tossing it high in the air for emphasis as she shouted, "The pretty soldier, Sailor Moon, I'll punish you for this!"

Zoisite pouted, still floating in the air above the stage. "Ara, I was hoping for Sailor V, but as it was you that was the ultimate target, I guess I'll have to simply kill you now…" His gloved hand clenched in the air at his side, gathering energy; they formed shards of ice, which he released towards the sailor soldier.

As she leapt away, moving on instinct away from the deadly attack, she found herself being tackled by the lithe blond general; she screamed as Zoisite grabbed her by the throat, hoisting her up in the air. Zoisite elevated up to a height of nearly fifteen feet, holding the girl in a tight grip, fingers digging into her windpipe. "…after you reveal the _Ginzuishou's_ location to me, that is!"

"Fire Soul!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

Fire and lightning spiraled, perfectly entwined, from below; Zoisite teleported, but not before his back was ripped open by the attack. The girls screamed as both disappeared, only to appear back on the stage. Sailor Moon was nearly unconscious from lack of air, and hanging limp from the general's fist. Blood pooled on the stage as an enraged Zoisite snarled at the _youma_, shouting at him; "Why aren't you killing them yet, you stupid waste of flesh! Make them hurt and bleed and die!"

The _youma_ grinned, licking its lips at the three girls, before it leapt.

  
Mamoru was thrown out of bed, his nap disturbed by the violent spasm in his heart. He gasped for air, clutching at his chest in shock. "U-Usako…" She was in trouble, if not mortal danger; the pain, the urgency, had never been this bad before.

Cursing in language a self-proclaimed gentleman as he was should never have heard, let alone know, he stumbled towards the sliding glass doors, snatching keys from his bedside table. The transformation was instant as always, but with it came another flash of pain as he sensed her terror even more clearly. It didn't bring him to his knees as it had when he was Mamoru, but he still felt it keenly as Tuxedo Kamen, and it was that realization that had him flinging himself from the railing into the air.

He dropped to the porch two floors down, then repeated the leap, going on in such a fashion until he hit the ground. Jumping rooftops wasn't fast enough tonight; instead, he ran for his motorbike, the keys tight in his palm. Cape tucked carefully, he turned the motor on and took off without hesitation, skidding onto the road so fast he nearly had a wreck. But even at top speed and dodging cars, he wasn't fast enough.

In the auditorium, fog was enveloping the entire lower half of the room in cold. Usually, it was enough to confuse even the smartest _youma_, and the girls had planned an attack accordingly. But what they hadn't anticipated was his ability to sense heat; even before Jupiter could send out the first attack, she screamed as the creature slammed into her, slashing its claws across her arm.

But it left its back open in doing so, and it was lifted off the tall brunette by a blast of fire. It skidded across the floor, smoking and charred, and slumped near the booth where Minako hid, looking frantically at the windows for a familiar flow of cape.

On stage, Zoisite had loosened his grip enough for Sailor Moon to breathe again, gaining consciousness. "Sailor Moon, I won't ask again; the _Ginzuishou_, where is it!" Shaken for emphasis, the _odango_-haired blonde moaned, fingers pulling weakly at the ones around her throat.

"I don't…don't know…! We've been sear…searching…for it too…" Talking was taking too much effort. She began to sag again as the blond general snarled, shaking her roughly enough to snap her head back.

She was thrown to the stage floor as Zoisite removed a sharp blade from his uniform, standing over her with a Cheshire cat's grin. "_Shi ne_, Sailor Moon."

The fog was clearing to reveal the three girls, and the still-smoking, apparently defeated _youma_. Tuxedo Kamen was still nowhere in sight, and as the soldiers screamed, Zoisite brought the blade down at Sailor Moon's heart. Too weak to do anything impressive, the _odango_-haired blonde screamed and tried to roll out of the way.

"There's no choice! Venus Power, Make Up!" Minako whispered, the first time she had ever used the transformation since discovering her identity. Instead of invoking the blue and red costume of Sailor V, it clothed her in the orange uniform of Sailor Venus, identical to the uniforms of the three girls who even now were racing in desperation towards Zoisite. The only difference, and one she made sure of, was the lack of a tiara; instead, a crescent moon glowed against her skin.

From the booth she stood and aimed, sighting down her fingertip. "Crescent Beam!"

The blade shattered in Zoisite's hands on impact, most of it exploding upwards into the general's hands. He screamed in pain as pieces stuck out jagged from his gloves, and he stumbled back and away from the stunned sailor soldier. Mars and Jupiter grabbed an arm each, hauling Sailor Moon off the stage as Zoisite whirled around, seeking the source of the attack. "You illusionary little bitch soldier, where are you!? Show yourself to me!"

"You've failed the mission, Zoisite," Venus whispered, pulling out her compact. It elongated in her hands into a boomerang, and as the general turned away, she threw it with deadly accuracy.

It spun over the heads of the four soldiers, slicing through Zoisite's side. The general was frozen in a position of pain when it came back again, this time cutting right through his midsection, halving him neatly like a fruit. He had no opportunity to scream as his body gave up the fight, and simply disintegrated into the air.

With its creator dead, the _youma_ followed him, leaving nothing but a smear of ash on the wall and floor.

"_Masaka_," Jupiter breathed. She stood with Mars in protection of Mercury, who had the half-conscious Sailor Moon cradled in her lap. "Who could do such a thing?"

Luna, emerging from the table, was the first to see the unfamiliar soldier step out from the booth. Her sudden hiss in warning had Jupiter and Mars turning around, prepared for an offensive; but only Jupiter seemed to relax at the sight.

Mercury gasped as Venus appeared, arms wrapping around Sailor Moon to keep her from getting up, though she, too, saw the strange soldier. "_Dare_? It can't be…."

Venus took a step forward, arms held out in greeting. But when the girls gasped again, she halted in confusion, glancing down at a brush of fur against her ankle; Artemis. He nodded covertly, before facing the girls. She smiled, making another move towards them, and even though they were shocked, she knew a moment of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story behind the auction is detailed in Codename wa Sailor V, Chapter 15. It seems silly that the generals never used their knowledge of Sailor V's actions before the others had awakened, though obviously the reason was because Naoko had written some of V's stories later.


	8. Act 08 : minako - Sailor V

##### 

"Sailor V!?"

"_Masaka_, the illusionary soldier…the one who stayed hidden all this time…"

"The one who caused the destruction of the movie!"

That had been Mars. And of course, Venus was none too surprised.

At her feet, Artemis made a guttural growling noise, like a rusty engine choking on the gas. It was almost unlike him, and it stopped all four girls' talking dead. "This is how you show respect to your new ally?"

"_Demo sa_…without the goggles, I can't be sure, but…is it you? Sailor V?" Moon gasped, grabbing onto Mercury's arm for support. She wanted to stand, but her limbs were still weak as a baby's from the lack of oxygen minutes previous. So she slumped, Zoisite's blood splattered and drying on her cheek.

  
Venus smiled brightly, recalling the red mask she had worn for over a year into her hand. When she placed it over her eyes, the look was unmistakable, producing a collective gasp from her fellow soldiers and black cat alike. She pirouetted for them, wearing the mask that looked all wrong with her orange sailor-soldier uniform. "_Hai_; the illusionary soldier was just a temporary form, until I could be united with you all. Now, I'm truly Sailor Venus!"

In the act of removing the mask, she caught the glint of light off gold metal high in the ceiling beams; Tuxedo Kamen had finally arrived. "Our ally, V-chan?" Sailor Moon squealed, again attempting to stand up.

"_Sugoi_! Now we have five soldiers in our fight," the tall brunette cheered, catching Luna in her arms as the feline made the leap up.

Artemis frowned, wriggling his whiskers in annoyance at them all. He was playing up his role to the extreme, and Venus made a mental note to reward him with some tuna later; this was prime acting. "Rudeness! You don't realize who she is, do you?" He motioned his paw back at the long-haired blonde as she stood almost shyly behind him, mask between her hands. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity, and the inheritor of the sacred stone! Show respect to the future queen of the Silver Millennium!"

Serenity. The name sent shockwaves through room. Above, Tuxedo Kamen jerked as if he'd been hit, caught in the act of climbing through the beams. He knew that name, instinctively, though he'd never been given a title for the girl in his dream. But he could recall saying it in pleasure, in joy; and then, in exquisite anguish.

He continued to slide and swing through the beams, the rest of the conversation below lost to the air. Paying attention at that point would have been a good idea, however, as Sailor Moon suddenly released a burst of magic that nearly toppled him from the ceiling.

"Sailor V is our princess….?! That crescent moon…." The magic centered against the _odango_-haired blonde's forehead, her tiara seeming to explode. In its place the magic created what looked to be an elongated gold crescent with an ornate jewel in the middle, a lovely but seemingly useless adornment. "_Atama ga_…I feel like something important is in my head!" she moaned, touching the new fixture gently.

"Sailor Moon, _daijoubu_?" Mars' question was surprising gentle for all of her usual coldness towards the blonde. When Moon nodded in the affirmative, the dark-haired shrine girl pointed at the new arrival in their midst. "Sailor Venus no Sailor V? Then, you must be Aino Minako, of Shibakouen!"

Despite the serene smile, Venus was seething internally. She was really, well and truly, going to hate proving the girl right. But Artemis took the first step, fangs bared as he yelled at the red-clad soldier, "Are you accusing your princess of something, Sailor Mars?"

"_Iie_, simply proving myself right. We've already figured out the hidden form of Sailor V; the heroine of ‘The Chinese Princess,' Aino Minako. And as Sailor Venus was Sailor V, the illusionary soldier…"

Someone was standing behind Venus, and though it had all been planned ahead of time, she had a feeling Tuxedo Kamen was well and truly in shock. "Serenity?" he whispered, apparently remembering to at least make it loud enough to be heard.

And every soldier in the room heard it, their focus centering behind the long-haired blonde into the shadows. She personally called her chain to hand, executing a perfect spin to be proud of while wielding the golden links menacingly. "Who's there? Show yourself at once!"

He did her proud as he withdrew in quite the dramatic matter, even as Sailor Moon called out his name. The shadows enveloped him, took him in; and all she could hear was the snap of his cape as he made for an exit. His work was done, because with the uttering of ‘Serenity,' she knew her identity was sealed.

Mercury was the first one to prove it, as she asked timidly, "He knows you, princess?"

"_Hai_, I suppose….perhaps, he is another player in the game." So saying she coiled the chain around her waist, striding towards the girls to finally enter their group. Artemis followed at her heels, though she knew for now, he only had eyes for the black feline who sat hunched in Jupiter's arms.

She smiled gently and with no lack of pride to Sailor Moon, reaching down to take her hand. "You've done so well, Sailor Moon. The simulations have done wonders in teaching you how to be a true sailor soldier!"

"Simulations? Ano…the Sailor V game?" the _odango_-haired blonde replied, puzzled, as she held Venus' hand in return.

"_Mochiron_! I've watched you many a time through it; I feel as though I know all of you already."

Mars sniffed, folding her arms arrogantly and, in essence, closing herself off. "What a surprise."

The long-haired blonde gritted her teeth behind her blissful smile, mentally cursing whatever fate of the stars had placed the soldier of Mars into a person so, well, bitchy. But she was ignoring her as well as she could, taking Mercury's hand next. "Sailor Mercury, _hajimemashite_! You must be our genius, ne?"

"I…I am an excellent student, yes…"

"Ara ara, Mercury, stop being modest!" Jupiter laughed, waving a hand. "Mercury is a top brain!"

Mercury turned a brilliant shade of crimson as Venus laughed as well, though far more gentle than Jupiter's gut-deep amusement. She squeezed her hand softly, before relinquishing it to take the tall brunette's outstretched hand next. "Sailor Jupiter, you're as tall as I remember."

"As you remember? But, this is the first time we've met," Jupiter corrected, shaking the given hand vigorously.

Venus simply smiled as she released Jupiter's hand as well, putting off Mars as long as possible. "In this lifetime as soldiers, yes. But remember your previous self…your previous lives as part of my court on the Moon!"

She knew they wouldn't, not without a trigger of monumental proportion. And it was a gamble she had to take to protect the identity of the true princess. So she watched the expressions flicker over Jupiter's face, finally settling on confusion, before she finally dared to face Sailor Mars.

Neither offered a hand, though Mars, at Artemis' murderous stare, finally bowed. "Princess Serenity. Sailor Venus."

"Sailor Mars. Your manners are impeccable," the long-haired blonde said, mildly. It was going to take a lot of hard work to get any trust out of the girl, and it was a job was not looking forward to.

But, she seemed to recall where they were, and she looked around at the mass of bodies around them. "Ara, Zoisite left a lot of clean-up behind!"

The soldiers blinked, and finally looked around themselves. With the _youma's_ death along with its master, the energy-gathering ball hadn't been destroyed; and so, everyone was still unconscious on the floor. A door opened as they surveyed the wreckage, and an idol Venus couldn't recall looked out from around the dividing wall. "_Masaka, masakaaa_! Sailor Moon!"

"Time to go!" Luna whispered hurriedly, leaping from Jupiter's arms so she could help prop the _odango_-haired blonde up, supporting her on her good arm. The idol, a young girl who exuded the kind of empty-headed cuteness that only the truly dumb could aspire to, was shouting for the others to come out.

Venus shook her head as the four soldiers headed for the nearest exit; when they realized she wasn't following, Mars literally ran back to fiercely grab her arm. "_Hayaku_, Princess, we have to go now!" The sudden, narrowed-eye glared she was given actually backed her away, shocked at the intensity.

A fingertip pointed upwards as Venus smiled acidly at the dark-haired shrine girl, revealing the reason for her position: "Crescent Beam."

The disco ball shattered as dozens of idols, freed from confinement, began to scream and point; the energy exploded from the wreckage and zoomed downward for the ground, slamming into flesh so hard that unconscious bodies were flopping about like fish. And they began to wake up, adding to the growing level of noise.

Mercury, Jupiter, Moon, and Luna had left, obviously waiting for the two soldiers and Artemis to join them. Venus flashed her trademark signal to the idols and waking victims, scooping up Artemis in her arm. "_Daijoubu, minna_, the sailor soldiers saved you!" It never hurt to have good press, and so saying, she made a run for the door with Mars close behind.

  
The Crown, at midnight.

Moon was stretched out on the counter, using it as a makeshift bed, as Mercury gently cleaned Jupiter's arm wound. Luna was the only one who looked up as Venus, Mars, and Artemis entered, obviously in the middle of a fight that intensified in volume once the door closed: "That was a ridiculous, lame-brained idea, princess! Talking to those people—"

"People who could have been reborn from our kingdom! Helping them feel safe is not a crime, Sailor Mars, and they need heroes in this time of impending darkness!" Venus set Artemis down on the Sailor V console so hard he yowled, but she seemed to ignore it entirely as she turned her back on Mars, walking straight towards the temporary medical corner. "Jupiter, how is your arm?"

The tall brunette was playing a puzzle game with her good arm, though not well, as Mercury tied the bandage on. "I've been hit with worse, princess, _daijoubu_. It's Sailor Moon I would be worried about," she added, oak green eyes moving towards the curled-up soldier.

Luna padded towards Mars, saying something low and obviously angered towards the dark-haired soldier; she responded with something just as harsh. The two were ignored as Venus wandered towards Sailor Moon, touching a hand to her forehead. "_Daijoubu_, Sailor Moon?"

The _odango_-haired blonde smiled weakly, so tired after the events of the day. "My idol, V-chan, now our ally and princess…why did you wait so long to reveal yourself?"

She knew the question had to be answered, but it was an answer she had worked long and hard on. To reveal her hesitation, but not the entire truth of her plan; that was the most difficult part of all. She could see Mars and Luna still arguing, but she knew the black feline was smarter than to not pay attention to anything she said.

She held Sailor Moon's hand again as she sighed. "I awoke earlier than all of you, over a year ago. When I first met Artemis, I was hesitant to go into battle; I was given the identity of ‘Sailor V' to fight the enemy, to protect myself. I didn't remember any of you, or who I was fighting, but as we stopped the enemy from taking over the city, small details began to emerge."

Mars had turned away, ignoring Luna. The black feline seemed unsurprised by the motion, and she instead focused her attention on Venus; the long-haired blonde smiled inwardly. "The enemy hid beneath the cover of ‘Dark Agency,' sending out _youma_ in the form of new idols to subvert the populace. And, finally, when they were defeated, I found out the true identity of the enemy; the Dark Kingdom, again trying to menace our lives!"

"The Dark Kingdom? _Sou yo_, that was what the _youma_ said on stage!" Mercury recalled.

Venus nodded, sliding up to sit on the edge of the counter next to Moon's head. "An evil, evil entity; though the inhabitants may take human form, they are most certainly not! Merely vessels of a greater source that connects them all like a web. A millennium ago, it was responsible for the death of our kingdom, and now, it wants us again to fall! It desires the energy of humans to further its cause, and the holy stone, the _Ginzuishou_, for the power to overtake everything!"

In the corner, the dark-haired shrine girl looked disdainfully towards the gathering, calling out, "And so you knew all along of our enemy!"

"Yes…because of it, we were denied happiness in our former lives! And what would be the point of me telling you of our deaths, our loss of joy, if you still don't recall it?" Venus fired back, her twilight blue eyes alive with anger and pain. Her performance was verging on real, simply from remembering everything that had happened; she could hear the screams in her mind again, as she recalled details. "To stop the tragedy of our pasts from repeating, we have to destroy this thing, for eternity! And this time, no one must break its seal!"

"Princess, where is the _Ginzuishou_? If our enemies so desire it, we must make sure it stays hidden!" Luna cut in, perched on a console opposite Artemis, her body taunt with tension. But it was Artemis who responded, stopping Venus from even forming the words.

"It's safe, Luna, minna; we're no longer worried about that. And to keep it safe, you must be kept ignorant of it for now, until it's needed!"

Luna looked extremely unhappy at that, but she subsided into silence. Venus nodded towards her feline ally, still holding Sailor Moon's hand in her lap. "We can defeat the enemy together, as they will surely look for us now, searching for our holy stone. Together, we're strong enough to fight them back!"

There was a burst of released magic from the corner, and a colourful array; when it finally cleared, Rei was left standing in place of Sailor Mars. "The sun is coming up, minna; I suggest we all get home, before Furuhata-san arrives."

The gauntlet was, in its way, thrown down, and Venus knew it; Rei had given her no choice but to reveal herself as Aino Minako. So, she simply nodded in agreement, touching the solid-stone brooch in her bow. "Hino-san is right," she said calmly, ignoring the startled looks she was given. "We should retreat home." And in saying so, she released her transformation, closing her eyes as the magic fled away.

Rei was too proud to cheer in victory, but the smile was enough.

"M-Minako?" If the girls had merely startled a minute ago, they were white as sheets now. Even Luna gaped as the long-haired blonde slid from the countertop, now clad in the jacket and skirt she had been wearing at the auction. Ami had been the one to gasp her name, forgetting the honorable suffix she almost always tacked on to everyone's name.

She twirled slowly around, to give the full affect. "_Hai_. Aino Minako is my temporary form; Sailor Venus, the soldier, is the true me." No matter how much she hated to say it.

One by one, the remaining soldiers changed, though they seemed unsure how to handle this new realization. Makoto was the one who finally shrugged, glancing towards Ami. "We knew you were a special friend, Minako-chan…I guess, now we know the truth."

The blue-haired genius nodded slowly in agreement, as Minako couldn't help but blush. "_Honto_?"

"Though Rei-san was always ready to think the worse, I thought…I always hoped, maybe, that you would be one of us too," Usagi whispered from behind the long-haired blonde, curled up in her school uniform. "And to have been my idol, Sailor V, all this time…"

"_Iyaa_, Usagi-chan, don't think that!" Minako crooned, taking Usagi's hands again and helping her to stand. "I'm no longer Sailor V, just an ordinary girl when I'm not Sailor Venus. I'm still the Minako you knew."

Usagi giggled, holding the long-haired blonde's hands as she finally stood, twilight staring into crystal blue. The stance was eerily familiar, and behind Ami, Makoto drew in a sudden sharp breath. But it was over when Minako was the first to let go, moving to collect Artemis.

Taking the cue, Usagi reached out to pick up Luna, letting her curl over her shoulder. Rei stepped away from the door, staying well away as Minako passed her by, waving a hand back at everyone. "Where shall we meet again tomorrow? Here?"

"At the shrine, perhaps?" Makoto ventured slowly, looking towards Rei for confirmation. When the dark-haired shrine girl nodded, Makoto added, "The Hikawa Jinja. Do you know where it is, Minako-chan?"

"I know a lot of things, Mako-chan," Minako answered a bit sadly, and stepped through the opened glass doors. She and Artemis disappeared down the sidewalk, leaving the rest of the girls to disperse on their own, and in silence.

  
With a heavy heart, Usagi plodded towards her home, Luna close at her heels. As it was Sunday, she had no worries about getting to school in only two hours' time, and she could sleep all day, mother willing.

She and Makoto had parted ways ten minutes previous, with the tall brunette going down one street, and she another; Ami lived a bus ride in the opposite direction from the Crown, as did Rei. It had given the two unlikely friends a long time to talk. "I still can't believe it," Makoto had sighed, shading her eyes against the steadily rising sun. "Minako-chan, Sailor V and the princess at the same time! How could she do so much on her own? Is our princess really so strong?"

"Perhaps…her strength comes from being alone for so long," the _odango_-haired blonde had replied softly, unsure of her words. So much about the revelation of Minako being their long sought after princess made her slightly confused if she put much thought into it; the image of a laughing, bubbly long-haired blonde simply didn't reconcile in her mind with what she had envisioned in her dreams.

Or maybe, she was simply over-analyzing the whole thing.

But why couldn't she be happy they had finally found Serenity?

And why… "Ne, Luna, why would a royal princess be a soldier? If we're to protect her, how can we do so if she fights along with us?"

The black cat had shrugged, padding briskly down the sidewalk as Usagi had slowed her steps. "Perhaps it was all to hide her from the enemy. After all, would they ever think to accuse one of you of being royalty?"

"_Demo sa_…if I'm the soldier of the Moon, does that make me her decoy, maybe?"

"Don't be foolish, Usagi-chan! Why would you be a decoy for her, when you're a soldier as well? And their leader, no less!"

That had been the end of that discussion, and it kept them in silence the last block to the Tsukino residence. With everyone still asleep, both snuck in as quiet as possible, creeping their way up the staircase for Usagi's bedroom. It was lucky they had arrived when they had; just as the odango-haired blonde closed her door, she heard the alarm going off in her parent's room. Her mother was always promptly awake, no matter what the day.

Shedding her uniform like the skins of an onion, she was still engrossed in undoing her hair when she heard her mother open her bedroom door. "Usagi-chan, time to wake u—Tsukino Usagi, are you only now going to sleep?"

"_Hai_, mama…I was studying with Ami-chan," Usagi warbled, affecting a loud yawn for emphasis. Her mother had only recently learned of her daughter's friendship with the school genius, and was taking it like a gift from the gods. It was the only possible reason Ikuko simply nodded, retreating without saying another word other than uttering a "Sleep well."

Deftly she closed the window shades against the sunlight, reducing the bright atmosphere in her room to a cool twilight. Luna, already curled up on her comforter, became merely a lump, everything else just dull shapes. She tripped over more than a few of those vague shapes before managing to crawl under the covers, her head barely hitting the pillow before she was deep asleep.

And in six homes of Tokyo, six separate minds shared a dream.

Like a movie, they shared consciousness, watching as one pair of eyes.

The scenario was a war zone of dust and bodies, of cracking pillars and broken water fountains of shattered, jagged crystal. Screams still echoed; the fighting had yet to stop. Lightning from a cloudless sky slammed into a group of soldiers wearing ancient, barely protective armor and shields, reducing them to charred bodies. Fire ignited another soldier, her frantic dance to remove her burning clothing in vain as she melted into a puddle of fat.

A cold mist spread along the ground, enveloping the approaching army. "No! You can't confuse us any longer, people of the Moon! Your long lives, your power, we'll take it for ourselves and the glory of Earth!" someone shouted from out of the mist, the army continuing to march forward.

Swords met yielding flesh, and the Moon's own pitiful army began to show signs of collapsing. Though well trained, they were no match for soldiers who lusted after power, the whisper of eternity pushing them on past normal human endurance. It was taking almost total obliteration to stop them, and the sailor soldiers simply couldn't kill them all.

Their princess ran through a corridor, hand in hand with a taller prince, his uniform solid black and alien in a world of pure soft white. The screams of the dying reached them through the open walls of the outer palace, and the princess was crying in confusion, cleaving to her prince as they ran for freedom.

On the grand steps to the garden, they were confronted by a woman wielding a sword, a peasant witch by her garb. "Prince! Are you betraying Earth, by protecting her? This for our prosperity, our wish for long life!"

The prince stepped in front of the princess, unsheathing his sword. "Stop this, stop all of this useless death! Who are you to say what our planet wants!" He brought his weapon up as the woman stepped forward, taking the steps two at a time as she broke into a run.

She was clumsy in holding her weapon, and the prince should have easily defended himself; but something black and evil seemed to then expand outward from her body, laughing loud enough to shake the entire palace. The princess screamed as her prince brought his sword up far too slowly, the woman gaining unrivaled speed in her lunge to slam her own weapon home through his chest. "Endymion! No! NO! ENDYMION!"

His sword tumbled down the steps as the woman laughed, retreating, unconcerned with the princess as she cried over the body of her lover. And so she didn't see the princess take up his still-bloodied sword, sobbing his name still as she shoved it into her own chest. But her aim was off, her strength lacking; she fell to her knees with a punctured lung, and as her soldiers cried her name, she slowly drowned in her own blood on the steps.

Just that one death shattered her court. Every sailor soldier retreated to her side, furiously fighting away the army from their princess's body as if she were still alive to protect, whirling dervishes as they flung their steadily weakening attacks.

All it took were well-placed arrows, finally, to drop them on the steps as well, their blood soaking into the marble. But their bodies were left alone, untouched by a triumphant Earthen army, as a brilliant white light seemed to explode out of the palace itself. It surged along the grounds in a corona, swallowing up everything in its wake; the evilness that still hovered over the witch screamed as it dissolved.

Luna spasmed as Usagi screamed, twisting beneath her comforter and yanking it out from beneath the cat's feet. She did a swan dive onto the carpet, and getting a nasty case of burn as well, as the blonde cried piteously up above. Buried in a mound of sheets and comforter, she sobbed as if she had lost her best friend, though she was wide awake by the time Luna clawed her way back up. "Usagi-chan, what happened?"

"I…I…oh, Luna, it was so horrible! I dreamed that everyone died, and, and the princess, a-and the prince…." She rocked in her cocoon of bedsheets, unaware of the feet pounding towards her bedroom door.

"Usagi, Usagi, what in the world is wrong?" her mother called from the other side of the door, pounding away at it. When her daughter didn't respond, she simply opened it herself and, seeing Usagi still crying, fled over to her bedside. "Usagi, why are you crying? You screamed so loudly, I thought a prowler was outside! And during daylight…"

Usagi threw herself into her mother's arms, burying her face in her apron as she cried even harder. "I don't want this anymore, mama, just make it all stop! Please, please…" She held on tight to Ikuko as Luna turned away, continuing to plead meaninglessly to a mother ignorant of everything she said.

  
By the afternoon, Usagi had been up for hours, unable to let herself fall back asleep after her traumatic dream. Shunning everyone, she had run from the house on her own, taking enough pocket money to purchase some of her favourite manga.

But what she found had her nearly screaming with frustration; the only new edition out was a Sailor V limited run, along with, of all things, a crudely plotted Tuxedo Kamen comic. Apparently their slip-up at Zoisite's lecture had spawned more than just questions; the Tuxedo Kamen comic created a silly background history for him, giving him the secret identity of a Yoyogi park punk! She didn't bother to read it fully, only a few pages, but she took it and the Sailor V comic to the front desk.

  
It just got worse, as the female clerk was an obvious _otaku_ of sad proportions, wearing SD pins of almost every anime male playing on Saturday morning TV, and a few even Usagi had never heard of. "Ah, the Tuxedo Kamen comic! He's such a mysterious fighter, don't you agree?"

"…ah…_hai_…" Usagi waved the bills at the girl, trying to press the purchase to move a bit faster, but the clerk had apparently decided to vent her obsession on the poor blonde. She had even taken the comic and started to flip through it at a snail's pace.

"Ahh, I wish he was a true man! Then I could be rescued by him, and be happy in his arms and fall in love!" she crooned, totally ignoring the yen being frantically flailed at her.

By now a line had begun to form behind the _odango_-haired blonde. Red with embarrassment, she coughed loudly. "_Moshi moshi_? I'd like to pay for my comics, please!"

"Ohh, is that the new Tuxedo Kamen?" some girl cried behind her. Usagi peered back at the line at the girl, one not much younger than her. And behind her stretched an entire line of suddenly swooning females, half of them holding the very comic she was trying to purchase.

"Tuxedo Kamen? Ara ara, I would be rescued by him any day!"

"Held in his strong arms…"

"Being held safe…."

"Ahhh! It's my dream!" they all chorused as one, gaining the attention of every other patron in the store who stared as though they'd gone mad, with one tiny voice whimpering, "I'm not a part of this!"

Finally the clerk relinquished the comic, took Usagi's money, and let the poor girl flee the store post-haste. She practically ran, afraid that the groupies would follow her with the mistaken assumption she was one of them; she didn't even slow down until her body simply refused to keep going, and dropped her onto the concrete, gasping. "Mooou, that was a nightmare!"

"Yare yare, _tsukimidango_, fleeing the hounds?"

She looked up to see the trees of Ichinohashi park slowly swaying above her, as well as a familiar redhead who stared back at her as if she'd lost her senses. A hand was held out in waiting, obviously to help her up. Once grabbed, Moriya pulled Usagi up hard enough to have her stumble. "What were you running from, Usagi-chan?"

"The Tuxedo Kamen fan club, I guess! It was so silly, and did you see this comic that just came out?" The _odango_-haired blonde removed the comic from its bag to show her friend, who simply stared.

Moriya took it without needing to ask, flipping through the pages at a skim. "Pure trash, I see; a _takenoko_ is his secret identity? And I suppose whoever wrote this is good friends with that hypocritical dick," she stated flatly, holding it out at arms' length and upside down to stare at a particularly bad two-page fight scene.

"How do you know about him, Moriya-chan?"

"An amazing invention called a television; it consists of a box, and in the front it shows pictures…" She stopped, laughing, as Usagi stuck her tongue out at her. "I went to that professor's lecture with Sakakku-san, and he and Sailor V showed up. Made idiots of themselves as well."

Usagi frowned as she accepted the comic back, sliding it back into the bag carefully. She began to walk into the park, trusting her friend to follow; and she did, speeding up slightly until they were side by side on the sidewalk. For a Sunday, the place was amazingly empty. Not a person walked by them until they were almost in the center, nearing the fountain. "Moriya-chan…"

"_Hai_, Usagi-chan?"

"We're best friends, right?" the _odango_-haired blonde murmured, focusing her gaze somewhere off into the trees. She didn't even notice her friend slowing down and, finally, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. It took her a good minute to finally realize Moriya had stopped, and by that time, her friend had jogged up to her side.

When she got there, the redhead was frowning. "_Mochiron_! Unless, of course, you've moved on from me, now that you have Mako-chan, and Ami-chan, and Hino-san," she blithely replied, an eyebrow lifting up high. When Usagi didn't answer she curled an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close and pulling her back into a walk. "Ara ara, _tsukimidango_, you're my confidante and ally against the world! No secrets, right?"

"_H-Hai_, no secrets!" Usagi replied unevenly, smiling despite the growing pit of emptiness she felt in her stomach. She knew she could tell Moriya everything, and that the redhead would listen with sympathy; but it was the one secret she could never share, and she was realizing just how much she hated Luna for passing it to her.

Moriya sighed, pressing her cheek to Usagi's cheek in an almost sisterly gesture as she held on tight with her arm. "Usagi-chan, you've been there for me, just like Mamoru-chan; and I'd do anything to keep you from being hurt. I'd be lost without you around." Her brooding stare was so serious and trusting that the _odango_-haired blonde nearly gave in. But then, her friend released her, frowning as she stared down the path. "Have you ever felt…."

The _odango_-haired blonde tilted her head inquisitively. "Ne, Moriya-chan?"

"It's silly. But it seems like, sometimes, something's not right in my life. Something big is missing, and I don't know why…." The redhead smiled weakly, re-assuming her leaning posture against Usagi's side. "Maybe it's an orphan feeling, this being lost."

"I guess. But, I've felt that way too, sometimes," Usagi mumbled, hugging her bag of comics to her chest. "Like everything is going wrong."

Moriya regarded her strangely then, opening her mouth to comment in return. But her eyes shifted away again, settling on the fountain they stood mere feet away from. "Chiba, what the hell are you doing here on a Sunday?"

Usagi froze against her friend's side, almost too afraid to even peek at the dark-haired man sitting by himself on the fountain's rim. Piled in stacks around him were books thick and thin, some new and some worn right through the binding. Mamo-chan…

And of course, the redhead was pulling her right towards him, despite the sudden tension in her friend's body, and complete reluctance to move a single step closer. It wasn't until they were close enough to sit that Mamoru finally looked up, and, seeing Usagi, smiled. But she knew now what that particular smile meant; nothing at all. Merely a courtesy gesture, and nothing approaching the tenderness he had shown her.

"Ano…something wrong, Usagi-chan?" The _odango_-haired blonde suddenly realized she had been daydreaming, as she found herself being intently stared at by two sets of eyes. She began to laugh nervously, holding up her bag of comics as a convenient shield.

"Of course not! Ehehe…I was just…just…admiring the trees! _Sou yo_, I was admiring the trees, they look so pretty when they bloom flowers!"

Moriya looked utterly unconvinced, but it was Mamoru's quiet chuckle that had Usagi raging into a full-blown blush; she could hear the warmth in his voice again, even if it was for only a minute. She spun around on her heel, beginning to babble on about the sensational colour arrangement of the trees. Anything to avoid looking at him.

Beside her, the redhead groaned. "Yare yare! I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, it's quite obvious I'm not wanted. Just don't break her heart, Mamoru-chan, ne?"

"_Nani desu ka_?! What are you saying, Moriya-chan?" Usagi squealed, but it was to the back of her friend's shirt as she continued down the sidewalk, laughing. But this time, the dark-haired man wasn't laughing.

With slow, deliberate movements, he cleared the stack of books from his left side, piling them as neatly as possible next to his foot. Obviously, she was meant to sit beside him, but she hesitated. "Mamo-ch—Chiba-san, I mean…"

"I owe you an apology, Usako; I'd feel better if you were sitting, instead of standing." The nickname was spoken affectionately, but he still remained aloof and alone by his stance. She took what she could get, and promptly settled down next to him.

"An apology for what? For revealing our princess?" she asked in puzzlement, holding the comics in her lap.

He shook his head in the negative, though he was narrowing his eyes at her bundle. "For not rescuing you from that man in time. I failed you, Usako; if Sailor Venus hadn't acted in time, I would have watched you die."

"_Hai_…our princess is so strong, I feel as if she's the one protecting us, instead of the other way around." She stared up at him, frowning as he refused to meet her eyes. So she grabbed his hand, holding it tightly, forcing him to look at her. "It isn't your fault, Chiba-san! As Tuxedo Kamen, you can only do so much…and now, that our princess has revealed herself, you should help us protect her!"

The intense look on his face shocked her so much she released his hand, flinching beneath his gaze. "I don't become Tuxedo Kamen because of the princess, Usako," he stated baldly, looking down to her lap again. Then, his eyes widened.

Thinking her skirt had ridden up, she squeaked, hastily folding over to cover herself in modesty, but his hand slid into her lap before she could fully hide her legs. However, all he did was pull the bag out of her lap, totally ignoring her strange behavior, and remove the Tuxedo Kamen comic. She had completely forgotten about it. "I can explain….!" she gasped, expecting him to be angry with her.

Of course, she didn't expect him to be laughing, if bitterly. "Where did you find this piece of low-rate trash?"

"Ah…the shop near my house. I thought it was so silly…."

"I agree with that. I don't recall hanging around Yoyogi Park in my spare time, however. Typical; no one asks what really goes on," he sighed.

No, she definitely hadn't expected that sort of calm reaction. Madness, maybe, would have been at the top of her list, but not this. He flipped through it slowly, unconcerned with her for the time being, so she peered around to see what he had been reading before Moriya had interrupted him.

She didn't know so many books could be written on the subject of crystals. Psychic paraphernalia, dowsing, an encyclopedia of crystals and their Latin names, a guidebook to the world's famous precious gems. And there, she spotted a sole book on the Moon and its religious impact; she flushed, lowering her eyes. "Searching so hard for our holy stone," she whispered softly, recalling their conversation. He didn't hear her, obviously, as he continued to comment with dry wit on the comic's questionable contents.

"I throw roses, apparently. No one tells me these things beforehand."

"Magical roses?" She giggled, suddenly, at the image. "How could roses hurt anyone?"

"Maybe I prick at my enemies with the thorns," the dark-haired man retorted, holding the comic out at the same fight scene Moriya had stared so intently at. "Or maybe I give them lethal hayfever."

That did it; she began laughing joyously, leaning against his shoulder without a care as he, too, started laughing. All in all, it was not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

But below the ice and snow of the Arctic, no one was laughing.

Of course, one would be hard-pressed to find anything to laugh about.

In the throne room, Beryl ruled supreme. Just the mere shift of her staff could send youma and general alike spasming into terror; the play of her fingernails along the curved glass of her orb was enough for the pathetic creatures to plead mercy.

The one room that was off-limits to all but her, however, forced her to grovel as lowly as the most sniveling _youma_, dirtying her knees and hurting her spine.

But Metallia would have it no other way, and had once struck Beryl with a blast of energy hard enough to crack her head open on the floor when she had refused to show subservience. That had been in the earlier days of their resurrected kingdom, when the piss-eyed queen had thought herself superior to a mere cloud.

She had learned, of course, and she stood only when her master allowed it. Even now she was standing, holding aloft her staff to release what was really a pitiful amount of energy into the churning mass that was Metallia. Energy was the only thing keeping the entity stable and strong, but it wasn't strong enough. "More…ahhh, I need more, Beryl! I need the power of that stone, why haven't you found it yet?"

"Patience, my queen, my powerful Metallia-sama! With the princess awake…"

"But I sense nothing of the blood of the white moon! How can she be awake and revived in this time without being known to me? Perhaps…perhaps, the little bitch doesn't have the stone either!" Metallia's voice was like the thundering of what could have once been a female voice, only amplified and distorted tenfold. Echoing off of the stone walls it was deafening.

A few rocks tumbled down from the ceiling, narrowly missing Beryl's head. "If that is so, she can be captured, tortured; the stone will be ours, soon, Metallia-sama, and with it power! You will fill the world with your darkness, and it will be as night eternally…"

"Then kill them! Have them bleed and scream as they did when they locked me away into nothingness, make them cower!" More rocks fell, one scraping Beryl's cheek this time as it dropped. "Once, I was shielded and bound, but no more! I desire power, to make the Earth mine as I deserve!"

"We will find it, Metallia-sama, you have my word as my vow!" Beryl did her best imitation of a flattering croon, flattening herself to the floor again with her staff standing up tall beside her like a mailbox arrow. And she would remain in such a position for an hour if she had to.

Thankfully, she didn't have to. The black above her seemed to withdraw its aura, its sentience, into itself; the whole became a harmless storm cloud, Metallia's way of dismissing her and of resting. Quite simply, Metallia didn't have the power or energy to keep up constant attention. But Beryl still crawled backwards, crab-like, until she was well out of the chamber itself, making good on her exit.

No one was allowed in this section of the kingdom without her permission, but a _youma_ stood there nonetheless, dumbfounded at the sight of his queen cowering. It was the last sight it saw, as she vented her frustrations on it and turned the insect-like creature to slag. "In this time, they had to be reborn!" she hissed, correcting the folds of her skirt and removing the lingering dust of the floor. Taking up her staff she invoked a teleport to the throne room, plunging the tip of that same staff into its hole next to the throne itself.

The thing was an immense, ugly, jagged hunk of rock, the rough shape of it merely hacked out. Cloth draped it, but haphazardly, as if they had been thrown on as afterthought. It was uncomfortable, but imposing, and she arranged herself into it carefully. Only then did she hold a hand out, fingers uncurling like a Venus flytrap, to cup the globe that detached itself from her staff and floated to her palm. "Kunzite, I command an audience with you. Arrive here at once!"

She could sense him on the surface world, taking advantage of the night that had fallen on the Middle East. Only the creatures that had taken Metallia's blood into them and suffered her darkness were confined to the night; Beryl was the only one of this distinction. The _shitennou_, the _youma_, they were weak enough and untainted to survive the blaze of the sunlight. But they still preferred the night, their eyes unused to the strong light that didn't shine in their kingdom.

His teleport was nearly instantaneous, and he immediately affected a bow. For the first time, he truly did worry for his existence; with Zoisite dead, he was the only of the _shitennou_ left alive. So he groveled as well as he could, eyes lowered to the cold stone floor. "Queen Beryl-sama," he stated simply and respectively.

"Do you know the fates of your three generals?" she intoned flatly, not even bothering to play her usual game. That was a bad sign, and he kept his head steadfastly down, lest she simply strike him down and be done with it.

But he recalled the three coffins in the chamber beside the room he stood in now, each one holding what remains they could find of each general. So he nodded, keeping his mouth firmly shut. "Our great queen demands the _Ginzuishou_, Kunzite; with its power, we could revive them! I think you don't realize the extent of power that holy stone gives its bearer."

"As my queen says. But, Queen Beryl-sama, I understand the mission, as I am the only general left to carry on. As the Middle Eastern officer and most powerful of the _shitennou_, I cannot possible fail!"

She made a noise deep in her throat, partway between a snort and a gurgle, and kicked him in the chest.

He had never been struck by her, and was unprepared for the sudden pain and the loss of balance. As he fell backwards onto his ass, gasping out a breath in a most unrespectful manner, she snarled at him. "You will not fail! Zoisite, Nephrite, Jadeite, they were spared my wrath, but I promise you, the soul I hold will be tortured for eternity if you displease me! You bound yourself to me with your vow and your weakness, and you are mine."

Huddled on the cold floor, he sensed her leave rather than saw, not daring to even look at her skirts as they flowed past him. And once she was gone entirely, he coughed and choked as the pain in his chest throbbed deeper to the bone, hurting his lungs. "Witch," he gasped weakly, jerking in agony as he forced himself to teleport back to the surface.

Collapsing on the highest observation deck of the Tokyo Tower, he lay in total silence. Above him the stars glittered, so much prettier and serene than the jagged stone rocks that made up the ceiling of his kingdom and home; he felt such rage in that moment, knowing the sky wasn't even truly his to watch and admire. Humans overran everything. "So much light and brightness. Disgusting, wasteful light, the arrogance of humanity!"

As the pain subsided the anger rushed to fill the void, expanding in a show of power to encase him in a sphere of it. With arms held wide, he flung the sphere up into the sky and above the city itself, laughing as he watched the lights twinkle. "Come, little princess, little soldiers…protect your precious lights!"

He was the last and greatest of the _shitennou_, and he made a show of it. With another expansive gesture of his arms, much like a maestro conducting a symphony, he released an enormous blast of energy. Slowly it gathered speed as it traveled outward, leaving in its wake downed power lines and trails of electricity. Darkness spread from the epicenter like a cancer, and the city began to slow down, befuddled and confused.

But in the center, the Tower still twinkled defiantly.

All he had to do was wait.

  
The spreading darkness caught each of the girls by surprise, all of them wandering alone through the city to rid themselves of the memory of their shared nightmare. Only Usagi had found solace in another's company; the other four roamed solitary, never once crossing paths.

Minako, having experienced so many other dreams in much more vivid detail than the blurry, unfocused figures of that morning, was relatively unscathed by it. But she still escaped the house and her mother's biting remarks and headed for the bay. It was being reclaimed, slowly, and the long-haired blonde found a strange, melancholic joy in watching the lapping water touch its newly dug banks.

Across the city, Ami wandered through one of the larger art galleries in the Ginza, each and every picture for sale. Without fail she found some of her father's newest watercolours, priced high enough to make even her brows lift. She was proud of him, of course; his Japanese paintings were perfect souvenirs for the tourists with plenty of pocket money. But sometimes, she had to wonder if maybe she never inherited any of his imagination at all.

Bells tolled for Mass in the Catholic Church that supported the nearby U.S. Embassy, the doors open to allow the warm air in and the softly sung prayers out. In the very last row sat Makoto, cradling the Bible from the back of the pew in front of her on her lap, and reading the translated passages as the priest led everyone in song. She closed her eyes as the music soothed her mind, the words of no meaning nor consequence.

Nearly two hours on the bus, and Rei knelt before the headstone that bore her mother's maiden name, countless generations of her maternal family beneath her. She gently rested a black and white picture of her mother, caught with that particular smile after one has laughed, against the stone, along with a casablanca bloom. "_Okaa-san_, I'm so lost," she whispered, running her fingers into the grooves of the name. "I want to protect her, my princess of a past life; I want to love her, but something's wrong! Everything feels awkward, and to be a sailor soldier is engulfing, consuming my soul…."

But when the lights went out, most of them had placed themselves, by fate or random chance, within a radius of a half-mile of one another, intent on finding the others at the Crown. The long-haired blonde had been at the game center for an hour before the loss of light, playing herself on the console fast and furious. When everything shut down she was the only one besides Motoki in the room; when he went to check on the fuses, she turned her wrist communicator on, a present from Luna. "The lights have gone out! Where are you all?"

The small signal flash on Makoto's wrist kept pulsating, alerting the tall brunette to the incoming transmission, but the priest who kept trying to rouse her had no idea what it meant. With the sudden darkness Makoto had fainted, crying out at the surging electricity that ran through her body like a live wire, the shock too much for her to handle.

Before the loss of light, the blue-haired genius caught a bus going into Juuban. But just before her stop on the corner, the bus driver suddenly jerked the wheel hard to the right. Ami, thankfully on the left side of the bus, barely had enough time to wedge herself into the corner of the seat and brace herself before the vehicle smashed into the concrete. Glass went flying as people screamed, some stopping suddenly as their necks snapped with the impact.

Still shuddering violently, many people on Ami's side fell down onto the twisted metal and glass, others landing on badly wounded passengers. The blue-haired genius herself held on tight to the back of her seat, her communicator beeping loudly in her ear. She had to push it on with the tip of her nose, and then, Minako's voice surged through impatiently. "Ami-chan, what's happened in the city? Can you come to the Crown as soon as possible?"

"The bus…" Her arms were beginning to ache. She knew Minako could see, faintly, through the tiny screen and see the wreck and blood. So she concentrated on getting out of the vehicle over every thing else, and began to pound and pull at the window with one hand.

"_Kami-sama_, what happened? _Iie_, nevermind, just transform to Mercury, Ami-chan! Freeze the window with your fog, you can't open it otherwise in your weak state!"

Ami was ready to protest but, looking around the half-empty vehicle, she knew everyone who was able was trying to get out, same as her. No one was paying attention to the lone girl in the back, seemingly talking to herself, and if anyone were, they would most likely think it a hallucination. It took another minute of dangling by one arm to retrieve the pen from her inner jacket pocket, and nearly losing her grip in the process. "Mercury Power, Make Up!"

The fog flooded the bus with radiant cold. Minako breathed a sigh of relief as she saw it, and as she heard Mercury breaking open her window, she relinquished contact with her. It was unnecessary to contact Rei or Usagi, as they both appeared in the doorway of the game center at the same time. "Minako-chan, is it the enemy?!"

"I can sense the evil spreading. Where is Ami and Makoto?" Rei demanded, striding further into the room, only to pause as Motoki came out from the broom closet.

"You girls better get home, before this gets really serious!" he said sternly, undoing his apron and rolling it into his hands. "This is unnatural, this total darkness."

Outside, they could hear people screaming, shouting at one another. Through the windows all of them watched as a small crowd chased two others down the street, calling out curses. The sparking power lines on the ground surged as one of them stepped on it, and the man screamed as he was electrified. "_Masaka_!"

"Maybe _onii-san_ is right," Minako mused, watching as a trio of teenagers knocked a woman down and began kicking her. "We should leave; we can't approach the enemy from inside this haven."

"You'll be hurt going out there now!" Motoki protested, doing a complete 360 as he watched the woman being kicked and punched. "If you leave…"

But Minako could see Mercury, finally, running down the sidewalk. The long-haired blonde sprinted through the door without bothering to argue with the college student. Usagi and Rei, momentarily dumbfounded, ran out after her once they had realized what had sent Minako out into the street, with Motoki yelling frantically at them to stop.

In mid-sprint, the persona of Aino Minako seemed to peel away, revealing the orange fuku of Sailor Venus. "Mercury! Do you know where Mako-chan is? I can't get ahold of her, and this electrical fury is destroying the connection!"

All four girls met halfway, Usagi and Rei needing to stop themselves before they could even attempt their transformations. As the magic garbed them both, the blue-haired genius shook her head in the negative. "Iie…I was so busy trying to free myself and the others from the bus, I didn't think…but, princess, everyone is so spontaneously violent!"

"It must be the influence of the enemy," Mars stated with assurance, motioning a gloved hand towards the fallen, sparking power lines. "Whomever cut those lines…"

"…such an incredible amount of energy!"

"Mako-chan?!" Sailor Moon cried, looking around frantically at the tall brunette's voice. But with the transformation taking their civilian identities, it had taken their communicators as well, leaving her, Mercury, and Mars puzzled as to the source. Venus lifted her transformation pen in response.

"Mako-chan, where are you? Are you all right?"

With no bus to catch, the tall brunette was running as fast as she could, already in the persona of Jupiter. It was the only way she could keep up her endurance to make it to their sides in time, though even her enhanced body was beginning to tire. "The sudden surge of electricity was too much for me to handle…! I never expected to feel something like that!"

"As the soldier of Jupiter, with your electric constitution…?" Venus replied a bit tersely.

Jupiter razzed her in response.

The tall brunette was now close enough that they could see her, and Venus tucked her pen back into the folds of her skirt. Around them, they could hear the fights as people broke shop windows, expending energy on worthless skirmishes. Thankfully, they were so involved in beating on one another that several ran right past the assembled five, now counting Jupiter, their eyes glazed and bloodshot with forced anger.

"We have to find the source of the enemy's attack," Venus announced, pointing a finger up the street. "And this time, it's easy to find; we must suspect a trap!"

"Ne, V-chan, how do you know already?" Sailor Moon asked softly, looking over her shoulder like a scared rabbit as more glass shattered and broke.

Venus could see the questioning look on all of their faces, and she sighed. She forgot sometimes how easy it was in the beginning to lack common sense. Her year, roundabouts, of posing as Sailor V had taught her that sometimes, it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Well, the Tokyo Tower is the only thing left lit."

They all stared off towards the far-away Tower, which was indeed still lit up like a Christmas tree. The look on their faces now was quite classic, something amounting to a lemon pucker. Venus couldn't help but giggle, though it was a short spurt of humour. "We can't wait for Luna and Artemis to take up their posts in the command center—"

"But, princess, surely you aren't coming with us!" Jupiter interrupted, obviously shocked. "As sailor soldiers, it's our job to fight the enemy, not yours!"

"_Sou yo_; the command center is a safe place for you to be," Mercury added.

Now it was Venus's turn to look irritated, nearly insulted. But she didn't get the chance to argue in her favour, as Sailor Moon yelled, "_Baka, baka_! Our princess is as strong as us, more so! She fought as V-chan a year before Luna found any of us, and now she has to hide away?" She rushed to the long-haired blonde's side, taking up her hand defiantly. "We can protect her in battle, minna; but she is our princess, and she is strong!"

"Sailor Moon," Venus murmured.

The _odango_-haired blonde turned her smile onto Venus, brilliant as her planet in that moment. "_Daijoubu_, V-chan; I'll protect you, as my princess! And, as the leader, I say we're going!"

  
Tokyo had been relieved of its light, and Kunzite felt the ache in his eyes finally subside. Such harsh brilliance, even at night, hurt his vision. It was just a secondary pleasure to know the sailor soldiers were so enamored with their ideals of justice and defending the weak that they would come straight to him on their own.

Silly, stupid little girls.

With the release of the initial blast of energy, he had not only cut the power lines, but also soaked the essence of his kingdom's evil into the sparking electricity. Even now he could see the energy fairly thick over the city, released as people frantically destroyed property and one another, completely oblivious to what drove them to violence.

And then, finally, he saw the radiance of five planetary auras approaching at the ground level. "It's about time," he groused, absently rubbing the lingering ache in his ribs. A white light rushed to form a sphere much like his around the five of them, and they lifted off the ground.

There was plenty of space on the deck for them to land, but the general still moved back and away as the sphere touched down on the concrete. With the working lights of the Tower, he could see each soldier in detail, each face invoking nothing but dull annoyance and anger; except, when he looked at Venus…

Sailor Moon broke his train of thought as she yelled, "Plunging the city into darkness, frightening the people…you've stolen the light, and the energy of everyone!" Her mask was lifted from her face and flung high into the air in what was fast becoming her trademark pose. "The pretty suited soldier of love, and justice, Sailor Moon! For this crime, we'll punish you!"

"Use the moon stick!" Venus whispered behind her, standing in ranks with the other four soldiers. When the _odango_-haired blonde looked at them, she felt dizzy; it felt right for Venus to be there, instead of at the head as a princess should have been. But she didn't question the order, and felt the moon stick solidify in her hand.

Before when she used it, she had simply pleaded with the damn thing to work. This time, however, she had a feeling that wouldn't fly, and she stood there for a long moment like an idiot, holding it out uselessly. Kunzite was laughing at her as she felt tears gathering in her eyes, frustrated and confused.

Though once before, she had conjured up the words with her mind, invoking an attack in the gallery to call down the moonlight. Now, as her helplessness increased to the point where she knew she was about to cry, it happened again; the phrase revealed itself, and she cried out, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

The flood of energy was much gentler this time, working differently to restore the lights and power, to cleanse the human populace of Kunzite's influence. Maybe she was just used to it, that quickly. In any event, the city was again alive, and Sailor Moon gestured quickly to the others. "Now, everyone!"

Kunzite radiated energy once again, conjuring the sphere just as Mercury summoned fog. Though he still stood out in the mist, throbbing lightly with power, he began to laugh. "Try, little soldiers! Every attack, every little bit of magic, I'll turn on you tenfold! The most powerful of the _shitennou_, Kunzite, is your death, princess Serenity!"

"Crescent Beam!" The golden energy shot straight through the fog, humidity hissing at the intense heat. It radiated as it hit the sphere, not even leaving a dent; the silver-haired general simply gestured with his hand to send it back at twice the intensity. Melting the concrete back into liquid on impact, Venus and Mercury screamed as they leapt out of the way.

"He's too strong for these singular attacks!" Mars cried as her flames simply slid away around the smooth expanse of the sphere like water, not even lifting a strand of his hair in passing. He didn't return her flames, but he did return a blast of black, furious energy that ripped away half of the railing as the red soldier dropped to the ground.

Venus dove halfway over the edge, screaming her attack into the wind; her golden chain shot out to whip around the warped metal, stopping its descent. Below, she could see people pointing up, gathering at the base to watch the strange explosions. They started to scream at the sight of the ripped railing dangling a mere story up, and she was almost positive she heard sirens begin to wail. "Shimatta!" she cursed, flattening to the ground as Jupiter's returned lightning singed her skirt and hair.

The golden links disappeared as the magic holding them evaporated, unable to hold together as Venus was rendered temporarily paralyzed. She knew the magic that encased her, but she couldn't believe it, not until she heard Sailor Moon verify it. "Get away, get the princess to safety! With the moon stick, I can hold him off!"

"Sailor Moon, what are you doing!?" Venus screamed, frantic. Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter were in a similar sphere, all of them being spirited away by the power of the moon stick and Sailor Moon's will. "No! Don't be so stupid, Sailor Moon!"

On the lower deck they were dropped, and once she was released, Venus was nearly tackled by Jupiter and Mars. "Princess, you can't go back up there! Kunzite, he'll kill you, he's amassed so much energy!" Mercury cried, grabbing the long-haired blonde around the waist as she struggled hard enough to fling Mars away.

"You don't understand! None of you understand! You have to protect Sailor Moon, he'll kill her!" Jupiter and Mars grabbed an arm each, and while she twisted frantically, she could see Tuxedo Kamen leaping towards the upper deck. "Tuxedo Kamen….he can't save her by himself, you have to let me go!"

Sailor Moon held out the moon stick in front of her, concentrating on the growing energy as it grew from the crescent.

Kunzite gathered what energy he had retained and salvaged from the city, glowing like a demonic firefly from the overload. With the princess out of harm's way, he brought his aim around and sighted down at the odango-haired blonde.

Below, Venus twisted like a dervish, not even bothering to apologize as she punched Jupiter in the stomach, elbowed Mars in the chin, shoved Mercury away with a foot. She dove over the fallen blue-haired genius without hesitation, throwing her chain up to curl around the remaining railing. She was almost six feet up by the time any of the three attempted to stop her again.

Tuxedo Kamen could see the glow of Kunzite's body before he even landed on the railing, and he knew, without a doubt, what he meant to do. He recalled Sailor Moon's face as Zoisite had strangled her, helpless in his hands; and his vivid imagination was already giving him the worst case scenario of Kunzite's energy punching a hole through her lithe body to rain blood on the city below. "No...NO! I can't fail you this time, Usako!"

The light filled Sailor Moon's vision, and she realized suddenly that the moon stick was useless against it. Everyone seemed to be screaming, including her, as she froze in the glare of the light, realizing that her family would never know how she died.

She heard someone say, plaintively, "Usako? _Iie_… Usagi-chan!"

Someone, no, two people, dove in front of her, and she heard her name again clear as if it had been shouted in her ear. Two black figures that blocked her vision, and shuddered with the impact of the bolt meant for her.

Her princess was screaming.

Tuxedo Kamen fell to the floor with a wet thump of noise, and across his body tumbled the young thief, their blood mingling on the concrete as Sailor Moon stared in utter and total shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole "Moon being a decoy of Venus" is another one of my finger pointings at some of the utterly ridiculous plot points Naoko loved to engage in. I mean, honestly. Venus is the princess of the Moon? Then who would Sailor Moon be?
> 
> The dream sequence reflects the manga as close as possible, though I later have Venus recalling her part in the battle when she solely attacks Beryl and stabs her - which is also in the manga. I always took this first scene of the girls with a grain of salt, because they couldn't have all been there at once before Serenity died anyway. So call it a less-than-perfect memory.


	9. Act 09 : serenity - Princess

##### 

The screaming of Venus had dulled in Sailor Moon's ears.

In its place had risen a sound not unlike the rushing ocean, a flooding noise that imitated the sensation overwhelming her brain.

On the cold concrete lay two people, both clad in black; but only one was immediately familiar to her eyes. Though the thief had taken the worst of the blow, it had traveled through her body and into Tuxedo Kamen's chest nearly as hard, their blood splattered across the _odango_-haired blonde's face and uniform. She had begun to sweat in the battle, and now, she could taste the salt of two fluids mixing on her upper lip; in a moment, she was sure she would be ill.

She fell to her knees.

Venus finally heaved her body over the edge of the deck and rolled, getting to her feet. She had stopped screaming, but her crying continued, her reaction almost infinitely worse than Sailor Moon's had been. "No, oh no, please, _kami-sama_, don't let them die…not like this…!"

The thief, lying facedown across Tuxedo Kamen's hips, spasmed in what surely had to be death throes. After a moment, she lay completely still, having never said a single word; but beneath her, the dark-haired man moaned. "Usako…I finally…protected you…"

Through the doorway stumbled Jupiter finally, followed by a bruised Mars and far less scathed Mercury. All three halted in shock so suddenly they walked into one another, staring as Venus crawled on hands and knees towards the two lying on the ground. "Tuxedo Kamen?" Mars cried, pointing rather uselessly at the masked, de-hatted man.

"And another…_kami-sama_, they took the blow for Sailor Moon?" Jupiter added in a whisper.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama, don't leave me!" Sailor Moon was finally crying, her upper half folding across his as she held onto him, cradling him in her lap. His hand lifted towards her face as she sobbed, bloodstained glove caressing her cheek.

Venus seemed to collapse next to them, before she used her strength to lift the thief's body from Tuxedo Kamen, holding the corpse to her chest as one would a child. Neither seemed to notice as she rocked, burying her face in the thief's shoulder. "This can't be…"

"Princess, what are you doing?" The three remaining soldiers lacked surprise at Sailor Moon's actions, as the masked man had seemed to shine his attention solely on her when he appeared in their midst. But for Venus to cry over the body of someone none of them knew… Mercury's question didn't even seem to reach her.

Next to her, Tuxedo Kamen was still stroking the _odango_-haired blonde's cheek, but the movements were slowing down amidst her crying his name. "Sailor Moon…your profile is finally so familiar, but…could it be you, from my dreams?" Mentally he began to picture the girl, his princess, her blurred form superimposing itself over the crying face of the girl above him.

"Stay with me, Tuxedo Kamen! Mamo-chan! Don't go, don't go!"

"_Hai_…that long hair, slender figure…but the face is so sad, like before," he whispered, letting his fingers touch her lips. "You screamed like this, long ago…"

The three soldiers were running towards them, ignoring the silver-haired general who hovered in silence over the entire scene. And the dark-haired man closed his eyes as a memory rushed to his brain of the same scenario, of her highness's court running towards her, though in joy…. The last time, he had just breathed his last as he saw her fall on those steps next to him, and they had screamed in much the same way she had screamed his name, "Endymion!" over and over again.

Beside him, Venus whipped her head up, staring at him with those deep twilight eyes. The horror on her face from witnessing the thief's death began to grow and flourish, and frantically shook her head in the negative at him, begging…. "Endymion. I was Endymion. Born as Chiba Mamoru, here, to meet you…"

"No, don't!" the long-haired blonde cried.

"Serenity, my princess," he finished, relieved. With the name spoken, his eyes rolled back into his head, his body going limp as consciousness fled.

The light that seemed to simply explode from Sailor Moon's body was blinding in its intensity as she screamed. It stopped the three soldiers dead in their tracks behind Venus, their bodies flinching beneath the assault. "Noooo, Endymion! Mamo-chan, don't, don't!"

Radiating with power, the _odango_-haired blonde lifted from the ground encased in the white light, Tuxedo Kamen's body floating with her in her arms. Kunzite fled back as the two gently hovered nearly at the top of the Tower's highest point, the halo expanding to gently bathe everyone in its glow.

Below, every soldier could see the crescent emblem on her forehead shatter into a million pieces, revealing a simple crescent moon sigil on her skin in its place. As the golden pieces fell in a glittering, twinkling shower, Venus arched up off the ground, her own sigil dissolving beneath the magic to be replaced with an ordinary tiara. "The mark on Usagi's forehead…"

"_Iie_, the mark of Princess Serenity has vanishes from Venus!"

"But that means…Sailor Moon, Usagi-chan, is our princess!"

Far above, safe within the sphere of light, the _odango_-haired blonde felt the rays of the moon bathe her in comfort. The glow gently disrobed her, shielding her modestly before wrapping her in a long white dress, simplistic but elegant, with only a lovely gold pattern across the top of the breasts. She remembered it well as her favourite, in a different lifetime; she had died in this dress.

Now, she remembered everything. "Such sad memories," she moaned, looking down at the face of Tuxedo Kamen…no, her beloved Endymion.

"Endymion, my prince, my strong Earth soldier. The owner of my heart, you overwhelmed me with your eyes that held the oceans…yes, I remember everything!" In her mind she recalled herself as she stood in one of the many halls of the palace, staring with longing at the conjured image of Endymion. The Moon had several viewing glasses to survey the blue planet, and once she had discovered the face of Earth's highest-ranking prince, the man who would be King of the entire kingdom, she was lost.

Many times, she went down to the planet to run through the green grass, to feel the natural winds, so much more wild than the controlled environments of her kingdom. On the Moon, the air and its living greenery were created, contained within the palace grounds and the other few ‘seas' that held their subjects. Mare Infinitus was the largest, Mare Serenitatis solely for the royal family and their army.

And, one day, the prince spotted her, so young and innocent in a field of wildflowers.

Afterwards she never spent a day away from his arms; with him, she first knew passion and heat, though immensely gentle. She had brought up to believe that Earth was like a growing thing; the inhabitants were to be watched and nurtured, but never to be loved as people love. They did not share in the long-life given by their holy stone, the _Ginzuishou_, as they were still evolving and developing.

They broke that rule daily.

Interference was a fatal mistake, as many in Earth's army suddenly craved a taste of the immortality the Moon wielded. With Beryl leading them, swollen with the power of a newly freed Metallia, they assaulted the white kingdom and laid it to waste. And Endymion had the bad taste to get involved. "Stop arguing, stop fighting needlessly! Why do you insist on killing these people, for power?"

"For Earth's longevity and prosperity!" Beryl had cried, and like that, the prince had been slain.

"We've been given another chance, surely!" Usagi, no longer Sailor Moon, gasped as she touched Tuxedo Kamen's face. "Reborn as Tsukino Usagi, I was destined to meet you, Chiba Mamoru! Don't you see, it's fate that called us back together, to love each other as we intended!" She felt the tears swell from her eyes once more, fat droplets. "There's so much…so much I wanted to share with you, Mamo-chan!"

One tear in particular glistened like a tiny diamond chip as it slid down her cheek and around her lips. But it didn't fall as the others had, to soak into the velvet of Tuxedo Kamen's cloak; it shimmered in the air, defying gravity as it begun to radiate.

Below, Venus, de-throned, stood in defiance of her failed masquerade, the only one showing no amazement at their princess high above. Only a gentle sadness as she held the thief in her arms, knowing that she couldn't stop what was coming; already, the brilliance of the tear was beginning to surpass the light that supported Usagi.

And it grew.

Across the city, people stared out of their windows and cars, gathering on the sidewalks. The light had overtaken the profile of the Tower by this point, eclipsing even the princess who had birthed the tiny tear. It had solidified, its size perhaps the size of a marble shooter if that, the power it gave off enormous. "_Kami-sama_," Mars breathed softly, shielding her eyes.

"Is that….?" the blue-haired genius asked hesitantly, staring defiantly into the light through her blue eyewear. Venus nodded, eyes closed against the brilliance; she didn't need to see it to know what it was.

"_Hai, hai…_the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_."

Kunzite, unable to sustain his sphere under the assault, dropped onto the lower deck, buffeted by the mere power. He was nearly cowering as it reached its zenith, the epicenter revealing the crystal that now rested in Usagi's hand, its facets perfect. "Impossible, the holy stone we've been searching for!" Finally defeated by the light, he initiated a clumsy teleport into Beryl's throne room, nearly collapsing.

But the cursed light was there too, surging from Beryl's orb as she stood back from it, shading her eyes with her arm. "Kunzite, what is this light! This power, immense and pure…it will shatter my globe!"

"The holy stone, my queen!" he cried, resting weak on one knee. "The _Ginzuishou_ you've longed for has revealed itself!" And, as the light poured through, illuminating their darkened castle, he remembered what she said of revival. She never noticed his teleport again, so much easier as he simply moved from one room to another, to stare at an astonishing sight.

Three coffins, each holding the pieces of a general. Just when he thought the light could become no more intense, the containers shattered into pieces. Like stop-motion photography he watched their bodies form, become whole once more, their eyes opening! "Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite! It's true!"

Bathed in the light, he felt a sudden joy that had been denied him for so long. But it faded into confusion as it worked through his body, clearing away the barriers in his mind that Beryl had long imposed on them all. "Our master…with this light flowing in, I can recall him! But where is he, why have we not searched for him? We should have been reborn on the surface with him, Endymion-sama!"

Everything was clear again. Reborn so many years ago, they had been indeed searching for their prince, hoping for him to have been reborn the same as they. But they had only the faintest memory of him, their searching confused and hopeless, and it had been then that Beryl had found them. Because of their dislike of the Moon in their previous lives, she had played them against their prince in that lifetime, sending them with her army against the sailor soldiers. This time, she tricked them so much easier, claiming their souls and bodies as her own.

The results of the process were showed to him in sudden detail as the three generals began to melt like wax, barely a scream of pain allowed to pass their lips. All three of them puddled down into the shapes of stones that bore their names, their souls having been bonded to the hard gems. He only watched, helpless, as his friends – he could remember everything now, painfully – disappeared.

On the surface, the light was still strong. But as Usagi held the crystal in her hands, cupping its live warmth, she realized again why she had been crying. "Mamo-chan…I want to protect you, as you did me…you can't be dead so suddenly!" she moaned in anguish, looking at the still face that rested in her lap.

Quite abruptly, the light retracted, dimming in size – but not radiance – to the size of a bottle cap. It dropped into Tuxedo Kamen's chest, taking with it the warmth of the crystal, leaving it as cold as a lump of stone. And no one was as shocked as Usagi as she watched it happen, astonished.

The city dulled to its normal plethora of lights around them.

Beryl hesitantly approached her globe, the painful light no longer blasting out from it. Within it, she could see the princess of the white moon, as beautiful as she had been in her previous life; the hatred rose again, colouring her vision red. "Kunzite! Go back and take that stone from them, take their precious princess away!" she screamed, spittle streaking down the curve of the glass.

The silver-haired general held the stones in his hands, cradling them in grief, as Beryl's scream echoed through the kingdom. Though he knew where his loyalty should have lain, it was bound tight to the piss-eyed queen, and he could not disobey her. And, with the memories, the light restored to him his power again, filling him up; he teleported easily to the lower observation deck.

He slid the stones into his uniform, not even bothering to conjure a sphere this time. His arms simply lifted upwards to lift him in the correct direction, and he shot towards the floating princess. And she, so absorbed in the sudden loss of light and energy from her crystal, was totally unaware of his presence.

Too bad the same couldn't be said for the soldiers beneath her. Venus, her arms still full, saw him first; and she whirled around to face three astonished allies, screaming at them to protect their princess. Mars and Jupiter, to their credit, never even hesitated, simply leaping upwards into the air. Like a gravitational pull, the radiance still surrounding their princess pulled them in, and they blocked the energy bolt Kunzite released at them.

But it was a damn powerful hit, and despite their own power lashing out to blunt it, they slammed back into Usagi. Not very hard, but it was enough to shake Tuxedo Kamen's body from her arms, and she screamed as he fell towards the ground. "Mamo-chan!"

"Endymion-sama!" Kunzite, much more controlled in his flight, darted towards the falling prince. Everyone watched helplessly as a wave of energy caught the body, stopping its descent, and carrying it to Kunzite's arms. "Master, to find you like this…"

"Release him!" Jupiter shouted, hovering awkwardly in Usagi's radiance. Her attack was however strengthened by it, the lightning twice as bright as it left her hand. The general simply flew out of its path, sneering. And though his arms were now full, he managed to shift Tuxedo Kamen into the crook of one arm, holding him against his body as he shot off a massive burst of energy back at the three girls.

Neither soldier had the chance to return fire, as Usagi extended her arm to release her own attack, the white light simply swallowing Kunzite's energy like water. The radiance surrounding her strengthened and followed her command, flying towards the general with a speed that surprised everyone. "Usagi-chan, don't do this! You don't know what he can do!" Jupiter pleaded, grabbing onto the _odango_-haired blonde's waist.

"Give me back Tuxedo Kamen!" she screamed, completely ignoring her two friends as she dove faster. The maniacal gleam in her eyes had the silver-haired general fleeing for his life without pause, suddenly afraid of what the princess could – or would – do.

On the higher deck, a microphone extended from Mercury's earring, in much the same way her visor did. Through it, she could hear Luna's voice, the frantic cat trying to talk over Artemis and his readings. "Mercury, what's happening! We saw the intense light…."

"It's as I've told you, Luna; the _Ginzuishou_ has been revealed! Nothing else could produce these extreme readings!"

"We lost visual after the sudden power surge…is it true, Mercury? Is Usagi-chan truly our princess?" Poor Luna sounded so lost and hurt, and the blue-haired genius felt a momentary rage for the feline's ignorance. She stared at the back of Venus' head, wishing in that moment that the long-haired blonde had never revealed herself, even if it had been to protect Usagi.

As if knowing of Mercury's stare, Venus turned her head slightly to see her out of the corner of her eye, her expression blank and empty. "_Hai_, Luna; Usagi-chan is the real Princess Serenity, and the heir of the _Ginzuishou_."

Their princess cried out above them again as Kunzite held her off, with help; blackness had appeared to surround him like a storm cloud. Her light fought with it, being pushed back as her faith and strength began to fade. And even as she recoiled, they could see Beryl's face within the darkness, laughing at the princess's distress. "We can't match his power, Usagi-chan, we have to retreat!" Mars argued, attempting to physically pull the _odango_-haired blonde across the sky within the sphere.

Kunzite felt himself being taken to the kingdom, his master safe in his arms. As he vanished, the flood of energy pushed outwards to attack the three again, and this time, it shattered Usagi's concentration totally, so intent was she on crying out her love's name. They began to fall in a tangle of limbs, helpless in the air. "Usagi-chan, Usagi-chan!" Mercury screamed from the higher deck.

"Don't let your light dim, Serenity!" Venus' scream carried further than the blue-haired genius could handle, and upon hearing it, Usagi stopped crying.

Venus finally smiled as the princess lowered gently to the concrete like an angel, her skirts billowing softly in the wind, her two guardian soldiers aloft above her, safe in her power. "Princess…"

  
A night previous, Sailor Moon had lain on the counter, wounded.

Now the thief was stretched out across it, her hood and scarf undoing gently to reveal sweaty, tangled, copper coloured hair. If her eyes opened, they would have been the intense lapis Usagi had known since childhood.

In the Crown, empty save for four soldiers, their two feline companions, and their princess, the white-gowned blonde wept brokenheartedly against Moriya's unmoving chest. Beneath her cheek dried blood flaked like rust, proving that black did not hide all stains; the sweatshirt was hideously blotched with splatters of brown, ripped and singed over the redhead's heart.

"Why didn't you tell me, Moriya-chan? You said ‘no secrets'…." Usagi choked on the lump in her throat, hyperventilating for a painful moment. "Why did you have to die like Mamo-chan!?"

Her four soldiers gathered loosely around her, Venus now the only one left with a dry face. Knowing Moriya in their civilian identities, they had been totally taken unaware by this turn of events, and tragically hurt in their own way. And they knew their princess, seemingly so fragile, was breaking under the sudden loss of two people she cared so much for.

And those three had stared accusingly at the soldier of Venus, mutely cursing her for keeping this secret from them most of them.

That lone soldier kept her back to them, refusing to answer their stares. She held Artemis in her arms like a comforting touchstone, watching her princess, her beautiful white dress bloodstained and torn, sob her heart out. "Princess…"

"You're cruel, Venus," Mars finally whispered harshly. "Inhuman. To have told her, to have told us before uncovering her face, would have been human!"

"And what would you have done!" The long-haired blonde didn't bother to keep her voice down, though she stubbornly kept her pose. "I had my mission to protect her, not to reveal so many secrets…this was my burden, not yours! I made my choice."

Mercury, in one surprising sweep of steps, came around to face Venus.

The slap of her hand across the blonde's cheek echoed in the room. "Damn your secrets, Venus, and how dare you presume that you can stay innocent in this!" She stepped even closer, forcing the orange soldier back against the row of consoles, trapped. Twilight blue had widened in naked shock, Artemis just as dumbfounded. "To be the leader, one must have the trust and companionship of her soldiers, or we're all lost."

Despite the heat of her voice, the unspoken words were clear: Venus was no longer trustworthy in their eyes.

"Stop fighting…just stop it!" their princess suddenly cried, lifting her tearstained face away from her friend's chest. "I don't…I can't blame Venus for this, why do all of you? She had her mission to protect me, and she did it as a sailor soldier!" The back of her hand wiped messily at her nose, in a very Usagi gesture, smearing a glistening trail of mucus along her skin. "V-chan posed as me and risked her life, she lived for over a year knowing who we were and unable to greet us. She's already paid a price for her secrets!"

The tall brunette seemed the most forgiving of the three, her face already beginning to soften. But it was Mars and, surprisingly, Mercury, who still stared in rage at their leader, shaking their heads in the negative. "_Iie_. Nothing is going to fix this grief," the dark-haired shrine girl flatly stated.

"Your princess has forgiven Venus, yet you persist in being stubborn?" Luna finally piped up, her usually high-pitched tone gone deep and angry. She was proving her loyalty, all right; though she felt close to all four she had awoken, Usagi was the one she was truly die for. "In distrusting Venus, the chosen strongest soldier, you distrust our princess' judgement!"

"A hollow argument, Luna," the blue-haired genius retorted sharply. "Usagi-chan was a princess in her heart before tonight, she would forgive the United States the atomic bomb! But the fact remains that Venus has transgressed greatly, and I simply hold no trust for her."

Usagi, gathering up her skirts, touched a kiss to her friend's cold cheek. Then she stood up straight, closing her eyes in concentration.

It took a minute for them to feel the change in the air, so subtle no one else would have noticed. The lowest thrum of magic, creeping around them, soothing their spirits like a comforting hug; it was the aura of their princess. "I remember everything, V-chan. You, the chosen strongest sailor soldier of the five planets. Part of my court as Princess Serenity, you led with beauty and wisdom and spirit." Aggression swept away, they basked in the glow of her presence, totally calm. "Mercury, the genius as cool as her fog, always chasing me with my lessons. Mars, gentler than the flames she wielded, always ready with a kind word. Jupiter, strong and powerful, always teaching me how to dance or cook or sew in a womanly fashion."

"Luna, the aide to our princess, always at her heels to remind her of a certain treaty, a coronation, a party," Mars added slowly, closing her eyes as the memories paraded through their minds as fresh as if they'd happened hours ago.

"Artemis, smitten with Luna, always at her heels trying to pass off being an advisor to be around her all of the time!" Venus giggled, the happy sound almost shocking considering the tension in the room just a minute previous.

They felt themselves release their own magic to touch Usagi's, melding together in recognition. Like souls, they knew one another by aura, and now, after a millennium of being apart, they were joyous. The two felines, unwilling to interrupt, watched the colours of each soldier blend with that of their princess in the air, swelling to encompass the entire game center in an ethereal glow.

All too soon it ended, bringing them back to themselves. They opened their eyes, feeling suddenly silly and embarrassed after such a poignant, personal moment; only Usagi seemed untouched, angelic in her calm. Even with tearstains on her cheeks and blood on her clothes, she radiated serenity and the poise of a princess. "Now, minna, trust in V-chan. If nothing else, because I wish for it. Being reborn on this planet, given another chance; don't waste it, my strong guardian soldiers!"

"_Sou yo_," Jupiter added, nodding in determination at Mars and Mercury. "Minako-chan did her duty as a soldier, diverting attention away from our princess. And though Moriya-chan died and we didn't know, it wasn't her fault! How could she know that Moriya-chan would recognize Sailor Moon as Usagi and try to protect her?"

"I didn't know she knew who Sailor Moon was," Venus murmured, giving Artemis a quick scritch to his ears. "I only knew…I knew her identity as Chouno Moriyakumi, but I never expected…!"

Usagi slowly sank down onto a stool, her hands clutched in her lap. Luna did a quick bouncing act to place herself on the counter next to her, tail curling comfortingly around her neck. "But, now we have another concern. Tuxedo Kamen as Prince Endymion…if they have his body, perhaps they could use his bond to the Earth against us."

"And for the enemy to manipulate humanity so well, as that creature who attacked our kingdom did…but then why haven't we seen the source yet?" Mercury chimed in, lightly playing with the buttons of the console next to her in the nervous dance of a computer user. "A mass of evil darkness, I remember it!"

Venus looked towards the ground, affecting a strange slouch against the last console near Usagi, arms folding. "Perhaps it isn't strong enough; someone else must be manipulating it, or tapping at its source. Stealing so much energy to make it strong and power hungry again…"

"The woman who appeared behind that man, that silver-haired general!" the tall brunette burst out suddenly, gesturing with her hand madly. "Could she be the one who woke it up, running that Dark Kingdom to her own purpose?"

"I know her face from somewhere," Mars added darkly, standing straight and tall, disdaining any sort of lax posture. "But surely our queen sealed it off in our past lives! How could this woman break it so easily?"

With the sudden silence, they could hear the hum of the machines in the twilight darkness of the room. The _odango_-haired blonde slowly conjured the _Ginzuishou_ into her hands again, rolling it against the palm of her hand. It was nearly frigid in comparison to the warmth it carried at first appearance, the warmth disappearing with the light… "We have to find the exact location of the Dark Kingdom!" Artemis announced with a wave of his paw, staring at the rolling crystal. "With that light absorbed into Endymion-sama, it may have taken much of the stone's power with it. Who knows what they could do, if they could contain it out of his body?"

"_Iie_," Usagi whispered, frightened. "If they hurt him…" She clutched at the crystal desperately, touching it to her cheek. "There's still the slightest warmth left! Just a little, making me feel safe and warm…like his arms…"

Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed, confined within the bodice of her dress as if it had tightened around her ribs; she took in a breath almost painfully, her head swimming. She fainted rather gracefully onto the shiny clean floor as everyone cried out, "Usagi-chan!"

It was a dank and dreary palace room, dripping with condensation and hung with stalactites. A machine hung from the ceiling as well, trailing tubes and wires like a broken spider web into a coffin below. Lights beeped in no discernable pattern, most green.

In the coffin lay Tuxedo Kamen, still dressed the part. Only his cape was missing, as if it had been hastily torn away from his jacket; shreds of it still hung from his shoulders. His hands were folded primly at his waist, as if he were ready for burial, the various cording inserted into his skin at several areas.

Kunzite stared with a bland, almost bored face at the body of his master; he had long ago affected the look to counteract the sorrow, screaming rage, or disgust he felt within. Showing such emotions could kill you in this place. "His heartbeat is normal, though he has not yet awoken. And the strangest thing…the slightest power keeps emitting from his body at a low level, most likely saving him from my blow."

Behind him and to the side stood Beryl, her purple gown trailing behind her along the dirty floor. Her hands were empty for once, her staff still erect in the throne room. "But the holy stone is not inside of him! How can he emit such power, so obviously stolen into his body from that crystal, but it's nowhere!"

The lights stopped beeping, the machine suddenly retracting its wires so sharply that droplets of blood spattered the wall behind it. With a grunt and groan of unworked muscles, Tuxedo Kamen pulled himself upright. "A useless corpse…I have no use for it, if it doesn't contain that holy stone!" Beryl snarled, gesturing almost foppishly with her hand. Like wax, the flesh melted from the dark-haired man's skull as he reached up in vain.

And of course, the horrific sight had Usagi screaming before she was even fully awake, her pillow wet against her cheek from crying. "J-just a dream," she sobbed softly, covering her mouth to stifle the sound. "A dream…."

She pulled herself from her bed slowly, naked beneath the covers; she had been so tired, so very tired these past few nights that she hadn't even bothered putting on pajamas. But she wrapped her top comforter around her body as she walked around her room, picking up a stuffed bunny rabbit. "I've woken up crying ever since Mamo-chan…" She bit her lip. "All these horrible dreams!"

Hugging the toy to her chest, she took a look at herself in the mirror. Her face, normally puffy from sleep alone, looked nearly gargantuan from the combined crying. She peeled down one eyelid, sighing at the sight. "My eyes all puffy and swollen from crying…! I look horrible. I have to stop crying before my face turns into a baked bun." A hand ran back through her still-tied hair, only to pause as she frowned.

She gathered up a ponytail, her expression growing frantic as she found far more hair than normal to lift. Hurriedly she undid the pins holding her odango up, letting it all tumble down in a mass of waves long enough to cover her modesty with, and then some. Standing, it trailed well across the floor, like a train for a wedding dress. "_Kami-sama_…"

With a frown, Minako stared up at the Tsukino household. With her stood Makoto, holding a plastic bag, Ami with books, and Rei, the looks on their faces no less somber. A week having passed since they had seen Usagi, they had an understandable right to worry.

After Usagi had fainted in the Crown, Venus had left them to watch her as she carried out her own task; taking Moriya's body to the orphanage. It would have been easier to leave her out in the park, letting someone else find her and report it to the police, but her conscience would never allow it. The grief in watching her die had been horrible enough, and still, she felt like a failed soldier for not saving her in some miraculous way.

Across rooftops she had taken her, her arms growing tired as Moriya's body stiffened, all of the blood sinking to the lowest points of her limbs. But she had borne it in silence, not once complaining until she had finally landed in the back playground of the orphanage. Though she looked up almost immediately to see Sakakku-san standing in the doorway, as if waiting.

There had been no funeral, only a simple burial of the body beneath the stone bearing her family's name far outside of the city limits. Atop a small hill everyone had gathered, what few friends and well wishers Moriya had. Oddly enough, no one mentioned the absence of Moriya's oldest friend, or if they did, Minako heard nothing.

Usagi's family had been with her, as they had been so fond of their daughter's friend. The _odango_-haired blonde had said nothing to her allies, acted as if they hadn't been there, and never once greeted nor dismissed them. She simply laid an offering atop the fresh dirt, of what looked to be a snow globe, and went back to her parent's car.

The next day, she went to the orphanage to possibly take her friend's belongings; no family existed to claim them. And she had a feeling Moriya would want her to have her cherished items than the garbage dump. But instead, she found the elder Sakakku seemingly asleep in her office, serene; later, the police said it had been a heart attack, quick and almost painless. Beneath her hand had been a note, freshly written.

It had been the main reason for her closeting herself off, shutting everyone out.

After calling the police and gathering her friend's belongings, she had been taken straight home by one of the officers in pity. Two boxes she had lugged up the stairs and into her bedroom, and once there, she had locked the door, ignored her mother, and unfolded the note.

Moriya's parents had been killed in a bank robbery.

This, she had known for years.

But what had not been said was that they had been the robbers themselves. It had been a failed attempt by two thieves who had been well regarded in the city's thieves guild; Moriya had always suspected a setup. And, as her parents had cut ties with their families upon becoming such accomplished thieves, Moriya had been left alone, literally, crying in the back of their escape car for her mother.

The police who had eventually turned her over to Sakakku had warned them both to keep quiet about what really had happened, for Moriya's safety. But even though the redhead told only Mamoru the truth, she put herself right back into danger by finding the very guild possibly responsible for her parents' deaths…and proving her own accomplishment as a thief. Even at nine years old, she had been sneaking out at night to roam Tokyo's penthouses.

Everything Moriya owned had been willed, essentially, to Usagi; the note ended with a lovely drawing of a bird, carefully posed as if risen up from fire. Usagi imagined the old woman finishing it with a sad smile, not realizing she wouldn't live to give it to her.

She had gone through the boxes almost mechanically, rummaging through the CDs and a few records with titles and names she couldn't read, a few bundles of clothing that included her uniform, rolled-up posters and a small book of pictures. Very few were of Moriya's parents, both of whom were always laughing or smiling. And the stuffed rabbit she found she recalled giving to her.

Her door remained locked for that next week, and she ignored all knocking. When her family finally went to sleep at night, she crept down to eat merely for survival. She didn't go to school, and slept almost all day. Luna, having been locked out, had taken to sleeping at the Crown, constantly voicing her concern to the girls.

Finally, the four had decided to go straight to the source, hence the reason they all stood outside of her house. They stared at her window for a long time in silence, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But of course, her drapes stayed pulled, the room dark. "We need to talk Usagi-chan out of the darkness," Ami declared firmly, looking away from the bedroom window to focus on the front door.

"_Hai, hai_," the other three chorused sadly, and they trekked up to the door.

Minako was the one who knocked, though they all seemed shocked to see the door open up. Ikuko stood in the doorway, wiping her hands dry on her apron. "Ara, Usagi's friends…I'm sorry she won't come down to see you herself."

"_Obaa-sama_," the blue-haired genius said respectfully, stepping up, "how is she? It's been nearly a week since she's been in school, and she doesn't answer the phone…"

Ikuko stepped aside to let them all in, waiting for them to remove their shoes and put on house slippers. But just before she shut the door, Luna suddenly squeezed through, meowing in warning before she was crushed. "Eh? The bald spot kitty! I haven't seen her in a while...I thought, perhaps, Usagi's behavior had driven her off." She led them towards the stairs, Luna's tail disappearing at the top, as she continued talking. "As a mother, I should be responsible and send her to school, but she's been acting so sad! I feel terrible...she eats only after we've gone to sleep, so we don't bother her, and she won't see us...I think Moriya's death has affected her strongly."

"That could be, Tsukino-san," Rei gently agreed. "Maybe we can solve the problem."

They ascended the stairs in silence, and although none of them had seen Usagi's house before, they could find her room instantly by the cute bunny sign hanging lopsidedly on the door. Plus, Luna knocking at it didn't hurt. "Mou, Usagi-chan, open the door! Surely you won't shut us out as well!"

"Let us try, Luna," Makoto offered mildly as she stepped around the black feline, doing one quick pound against the wood. "Usagi-chan, let us in! You can't bear this in silence…"

The click of the lock silenced the tall brunette. Rei reached across to twist the handle and open the door, softly pushing it open, stepping inside. As she blocked everyone else's view, or most of it, none of them saw the reason for her sudden gasp.

Dressed in a long skirt and peasant top, Usagi stood in the middle of her room, her hair still loose and free, freshly washed. It trailed almost a foot on the floor behind her, and once Rei finally moved out of the doorway, the rest of the girls made similar sounds of shock. "Luna…_minna_…what are you doing here?" she asked in confusion.

"We were worried about you, Usagi-chan! And your hair…_kami-sama_, it's so long! We should fix that, right away!" Minako hurried into the room to gather up a handful of the golden strands, as if gauging the length. "As Princess Serenity, your hair was this long."

"Perhaps her body is changing, now that everything has been revealed?" Ami asked as Minako picked up a pair of scissors from Usagi's desk.

Makoto gathered the pins from the bedside table as the long-haired blonde kept touching her fingers to Usagi's back, asking where it was ok to cut. When she had an agreement, she snipped it off in a straight line to the knees, and immediately began to gather half of it up. Like a surgeon with her own assistant, she kept holding out her hands for pins, Makoto silently placing them in her palm, as she twisted the hair up into an_odango_.

She repeated the process with the rest of the hair, while Rei and Ami cleaned the leftovers off the carpet. "You're truly changing into Serenity, Usagi-chan," Minako laughed as she fluffed the two balls of hair up, the tall brunette holding a mirror up.

"I'm not me anymore, am I? I'm becoming someone else." The _odango_-haired blonde mumbled it so quietly that Minako thankfully didn't hear; all she did was stare blankly into the mirror like a victim of shellshock, holding the stuffed bunny rabbit. Out loud, however, she asked, "Why couldn't I save him?"

Everyone exchanged a worry look over her head. Luna hung her own head, pawing lightly at the carpet beneath her paws. "I'm a horrible aide, Usagi-chan. I need to apologize for it; with my memory sealed, all I remembered was to find you, Tsukino Usagi. I was to train you as a soldier while Venus posed as the princess, all to hide you in plain sight. But if I had only known Tuxedo Kamen was Endymion, I could have spared you pain….!"

"Chiba Mamoru _no_ Tuxedo Kamen," Usagi moaned quietly, staring at her bedside table. On it lay the cracked moon phase watch. "It was never your fault, Luna! To be the princess again…I suppose it's destiny, like being reborn to meet him, my strong prince…."

She felt Minako press closer, hugging her from behind. But the _odango_-haired blonde was stiff, unbending to the gesture. "Captured by those beings, the Dark Kingdom…I can still save him!" she suddenly exclaimed, twisting in the long-haired blonde's now tight grip. "I have to find them and rescue Mamo-chan!"

"Usagi-chan, you can't do such a thing on your own!" Rei argued, yet saying it so affectionately that it literally stopped both blondes. "To get yourself killed as well, is that what you want? We weren't reborn to watch it again!"

With a lowering of eyelids, Usagi fell still once more in her chair. But this time, it was her rumbling stomach that had her starting up her wriggling once more, even as Luna picked up on the conversation thread. "Though Endymion is not our highest concern, for Usagi-chan, he'll be rescued, ne?" Four heads nodded in response, though Makoto seemed more interested in rifling through the plastic bag she had brought with her.

A wrapped box lunch and chopsticks was finally set down in front of Usagi, with a blush. "_Gomen_, Luna, I don't mean to be rude, but I thought Usagi-chan would be hungry," she explained demurely while Usagi's eyes opened wide behind her. The wrapping of paper followed as she uncovered the utensils and the lunch, and fell to devouring it.

"That's the Usagi-chan we know and love," Ami laughed softly, as the _odango_-haired blonde popped a bit of sashimi and rice into her mouth.

"I have to cheer up!" Usagi replied around a mouthful, the words mangled into gibberish. After she swallowed, she immediately picked up another bit of rice and fish, waving it for emphasis. "As the last heir to the throne of the Silver Millennium, I have to keep strong. He's alive, and I have to save him!" The fish and rice were happily chewed and swallowed. "And defeat the enemy, sealing it away for eternity, that too."

"You always do think more clearly on a full stomach," Luna noted dryly.

"_Mochiron_!"

As the girls collectively laughed, Makoto looked around the bedroom. It was as large a room as her own living room, complete with a balcony and large windows. In Tokyo, owning land and a house was like owning gold; the tall brunette felt a momentary jealousy that she had nothing better than what amounted to a matchbox apartment, though she was lucky to even have that much. Technically, she should still have been in an orphanage.

Minako stole a piece of cucumber as Ami began describing the books she had brought, for Usagi's missing lessons, Rei blithely and subtly mentioning that she had long ago passed them in her school. No one noticed as Makoto made her way like a bloodhound towards the two undescript boxes in the corner, oak green eyes peering in curiosity. Then, realizing after a long minute what the contents were, she turned back towards the girls. "Usagi-chan, is this Moriya-chan's stuff?"

Conversation died again, as Usagi froze in lifting a sushi roll to her mouth. The sudden pain in her crystal blue eyes was enough to have Makoto lifting her hands in apology and defense, mumbling "_Gomen nasai_, I shouldn't have asked…"

"_Hai_…Moriya-chan left it all to me," the _odango_-haired blonde verified as Makoto apologized, finally sliding the sushi into her mouth. "You can look, _minna_…she isn't around to be upset."

The mild venom in her voice had everyone backing up, including Luna. But it was obviously not directed at any of them, and so, the black feline leapt up into her lap as the other three girls homed in on Makoto and the boxes. Call it morbid curiosity. "Ara ara, Moriya-chan listened to almost nothing local!" Minako whistled, holding up some of the CDs.

Ami carefully lifted a record, peering rather birdlike at the title. "'Kii-lu-r-ooi Wa-suu He-a'? By someone called the…ss…ssuu-tiksu?" She nodded to herself, rather proud of her limited English. "An import from America."

"I can't see anything in Japanese!" Rei said appreciatively, apparently thinking better of Moriya, knowing now she was bilingual. "For her to know such English…"

Usagi wandered up behind them, Luna in her arms, as Makoto held up a CD case scratched and well worn. "What does this one say, Ami-chan?"

"Laburinthu," Usagi replied before the blue-haired genius could attempt an answer. "It was one of her favorites…she always told me she liked the singer's voice. Such a magical soundtrack, it was the music of her dreams."

Minako grabbed the CD away from the tall brunette, pulling out the booklet furiously. As she flipped through it, she affected a swoon back into Makoto's arms. "I remember this movie! It was subtitled, and I could hear his _kakkoi_ voice….I wanted to be Sara-chan so badly!"

The _odango_-haired blonde nodded slowly in recognition, lightly stroking her hand along Luna's back. "I wish you could have known her better, _minna_….she knew so much more than me! She was strong in ways I couldn't be…"

"Usagi-chan, you're stronger than all of us, in your own way," Makoto said soothingly, still holding Minako, though she had long quit her swooning act.

"_Sou yo_, Usagi-chan! To be so strong so fast, you're obviously a princess!" the long-haired blonde crooned, flashing her V sign from Makoto's arms.

Rei surprised everyone by hugging Usagi, squishing the black feline between them. "Don't be so sad, Usagi-chan. Moriya-chan would be upset if she saw you now, so sad over her death. She did it so you would be alive now, and she was as loyal to you as we, your guardian soldiers, will always be!"

"Rei-chan…_arigatou_…" Usagi murmured, laying her head on the dark-haired shrine girl's shoulder. She could see Makoto and Ami smiling with obvious pride behind Rei, though Minako's approval was far subtler; and, more reluctantly proud. "I will be strong, I have to be! To find out the secret of our enemies…to find where they hide! And perhaps, also, to discover the secret of the _Ginzuishou_, of everything kept from me…"

Between the two girls, Luna's tail was lashing. They peeled themselves apart to see the black feline gasping a bit for air, ears flattened back against her head. "My need to breathe is essential to my health, Rei-san," she finally gasped, leaning back against Usagi. "And, Usagi-chan, I know how we find out everything!"

"Consult a fortune teller?" Minako piped up, only to be thusly smacked with several pillows from the nearby bed and a resounding "NO!"

Luna rolled her eyes skyward, shaking her head. But it was Ami who spoke next, her usually square and studious eyes wide with realization. "To the moon, _minna_, to the moon! Our previous home and kingdom, and the place all our secrets have remained hidden…we must go to the moon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twisting the knife deeper. Mostly, the chapter stayed the same, with bits of dissent in the ranks that I always thought should have existed; I know I would've been pissed to have been lied to.


	10. Act 10 : moon - Tsuki

##### 

"Today, I only slept two hours before classes. I've found it to be my limit; I simply can't function on only one, and on two, I'm able to at least fake coherency. Last night's haul was minimal, only two items worth pawning, in estimation of two thousand US dollars combined…."

Crystal blue eyes stared blankly at the reflection in the window. Slumped as she was in her seat, earplugs tight into her ears, Usagi looked like she was nothing more than a drifter. Or would have, if she had not been dressed in a neat, clean outfit of tank top and skirt, thigh-high stockings and flats, her hair tied as usual in their _odango_. But she didn't even move as people sat next to her, getting up constantly to exchange with new passengers. No one attempted conversation.

The tape that spoke into her ear in Moriya's voice was one of literal dozens she received in the mail a day ago, sent by the new administrator of the orphanage. Apparently, the box had been sitting in Moriya's old closet, and with only two addresses for notification in Sakakku's office for the redhead in case of death, it had been sent to the name that had been circled in red. According to the most recent tape, she had made her last vocal ‘entry' the night before she had been killed.

But Usagi had only made it so far as the tape that she was listening to for the hundredth time on the bus; one dated only a year ago. It listed what Usagi had come to realize was a sort of self-training the redhead had been putting herself through – her ability to work without sleep, apparently – and the amount of goods she had stolen the night before. But it also described a trip that had sent the odango-haired blonde straight to the bus station, following the directions Moriya had written on a scrap of paper and left tucked into the case.

She had realized after several tapes that Moriya never referred to anyone by their names, instead using nicknames and vague descriptions. ‘Prince' was Mamoru, presumably because of his coldness and wealth. ‘Dumpling' was her, of course. Anyone else she didn't recognize. But it made her feel slightly cold to know that her friend had done it to protect them, had the tapes been found. Had she really known so little about her?

The bus jolted as it hit a bump in the road, though it was enough to shake her from her reverie and look around. When she realized her stop was next, she stopped the tape and lifted the tape player from her lap, standing up. No one, surprisingly, got off with her, and she coughed as she looked up at the hill that rose from the road and its lonely bus stop. It was a relatively peaceful place, in the middle of nowhere, and as she hiked up the hill there was no one to watch her go.

Behind the hill and several yards into another grove of trees sat the Chiba crypt, most likely a lonely occupant since the road had been merely dirt and stones. Many families still maintained such isolated places, refusing to move their ancestors to more-accessible graveyards. Usagi's family was not one of them.

A small urn holding wilted flowers sat in front of it, tangled with grass; Mamoru had been here fairly recently. And the thought of the dark-haired prince visiting this hallowed shrine of his, his twice-born soul having lost two pairs of parents, brought the lump in her throat back to life. She herself had both of them, a brother, a large family that tended to write letters and visit sporadically. To have none of them around her, to not remember or know the love of people who shared her blood, was something she simply could not imagine.

In front of the crypt itself, she knelt onto the grassy ground. "_O-ohayo gozaimasu_," she began haltingly, silently laughing at herself; she was nervous speaking to a damn stone. "I know you don't know me, respected ancestors, but my name is Tsukino Usagi. Or maybe you do," she amended hastily, holding up her hands in defense, "but this is not my true form.

"I love Chiba Mamoru, who lives alone as the sole descendant of your blood. At least, I believe he still lives, because I won't let him be dead. But he isn't truly Chiba Mamoru; that is not his true form, as mine is not Tsukino Usagi. As family to Mamo-chan, I think you should be told the truth."

She lifted crystal blue eyes to the kanji chiseled in the stone, listening to her words softly dissipate into the wind. "A thousand years ago…."

The next day was the first day Usagi was back in class after a long absence. Everyone stared at her as she walked through the door on time, early even, and went directly to her seat. No one mentioned her absence; no one even said the name "Moriya" in her presence, the redhead's seat empty behind her. Even Naru said nothing, doing nothing more than hugging her tight enough to steal her breath.

She didn't care. After telling a half-remembered story to a stone building, she felt empty and hollow. If she let herself drift, she thought of Moriya telling her they had no secrets; of the taste of blood in her mouth that wasn't hers. The mention of her name on the Tower that night, a voice she hadn't placed until later, when she had a face to put it to. Already she had been baptized in blood, a princess masquerading as a soldier.

Through the first half of classes she simply wasn't consciously there, which was typical for her. But usually she slept, instead of staring blankly out of the window next to her, into the sky. And the teachers, in an unusual bit of sympathy, said nothing to her, demanding her attention or reprimanding her on her lack of. They let her be, and she sat in the same pose until lunchtime. Only at the bell did she move, not even taking a lunch with her as she left the classroom.

In the hallway she encountered Ami and Makoto, both of whom broke into a run towards her once she was spotted. "Usagi-chan, you've come back to class?" the tall brunette asked as she hugged her.

"I thought I should." Despite her short answer, the sight of her fellow soldiers was enough to elicit a smile from her, and she hugged both of them back. She was slightly thinner beneath her uniform from little food, but it was nothing to worry over. Other than that, she looked fine, and both girls relaxed.

In a moment, however, they realized the silence that had fallen around them. The students that had been roaming the halls for lunch had stopped in their tracks, staring down the hallway towards the front main doors. Someone had walked through them, letting them close on their own as they came closer.

It was Chouko Iretsu, obvious by his short stature. But something was wrong with him, and what it was Usagi couldn't put her finger on. His stare was intent on her as he came closer, and he ignored the few greetings that came his way. Ami and Makoto positioned themselves almost too blatantly in front of her, nearly blocking her sight as the dwarven boy continued to walk towards her.

Between them she could see him, and his focused gaze. He stopped a few inches from Makoto, looking right past her at the _odango_-haired blonde, who stared right back, puzzling. The smile slowly grew on his face, sad but triumphant, and his whisper was low enough for only them to hear. "Your highness Serenity, perhaps this lonely commoner could have a word with you in the courtyard?"

Usagi's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Everyone in the hallway stared guiltily at the foursome, not close enough to hear his words, thank the kami, but fishing for gossip nonetheless. In front of her, her guards had apparently been stunned by his words as well, as she watched them both stop breathing. "_M-masaka_," Usagi finally gasped softly, setting her hand against the blue-haired genius's back. "Chouko-kun, you can see me?"

"And everyone else, my princess," he replied just as quietly. "I ask again a favour of my princess for this to move to the courtyard, and away from these people."

"A good idea," Makoto mumbled, glancing around at the growing crowd. The artist bowed in agreement, gesturing with a hand for them to follow them before he walked towards the connecting hallway.

Usagi slipped past her two friends, following Iretsu as Makoto and Ami brought up the rear. Already, people began to whisper what were sure to become ridiculous rumours, but none of them followed as the dwarf led them out into the courtyard and the cloudy day. "I never knew the world could look so beautiful!" he sighed.

"Chouko-san, how is it you can see? You were born blind, were you not?" Ami queried curiously as they picked and settled beneath a shady tree, well isolated from the rest of the students.

The dwarven artist smiled complacently, holding out his hands. "_Hai_, Mizuno-san, but in another lifetime, I could see perfectly."

"You were reborn too," Usagi whispered in something close to horror. "_Kami-sama_, you lived in the Silver Millennium!"

"The light of your holy crystal healed my eyes, Princess Serenity, and revived my memories of that perfect time. I remember being your mother's favourite artisan, and dancing with your court ladies, and seeing you so lovely and fresh on your throne." He took her hand before she could say no, kissing it gracefully.

Ami looked uncomfortable, touching a hand to her mouth, as Makoto exclaimed, shocked, "But I thought we were the only ones!"

Iretsu shook his head slowly, becoming absorbed in watching a butterfly lazily spiral above their heads. "_Iie_. Have you read the newspapers since your holy stone revealed itself? Hundreds of people have been interviewed, claiming memories of a distant and past kingdom, more than a few from our school."

"But why are you the only one who recognizes me?" The _odango_-haired blonde looked around them in sudden awareness, frantic someone would point them out. But Iretsu chuckled, lightly touching her on the arm.

"Don't you remember, Serenity? I had dreams of my past life; they were what I based my art on. All your holy stone did was prove to me that everything was real. The other people at this school didn't have those dreams, obviously, or they would have attacked you once you passed through the doors. They denied themselves the truth."

Usagi was shivering, and not from cold. Unconsciously she touched the hard lump beneath her top, the crystal now attached to a gold chain as she had asked her father to do. She remembered what Luna said about the powers it held, and she realized just what she had done. "Did….did anyone else heal in the light?"

"Hospitals were emptied. Plants blossomed and flowered, the night turned to day!" Iretsu sounded as if he had done it himself, so proud was his voice. But Usagi was turning paler and paler, leaning against Makoto as if sick.

"Some of these people might try and find Usagi," Ami whispered. "If it wasn't confined to the students, all of these poor, confused souls may try and find her…!"

The bell rang to end the hour, but none of them moved. Usagi lay as if dead, crystal blue eyes gone blank once more to stare sightlessly into the void. Everything was changing so fast that it was almost safer for her to shut down. But as Makoto hugged her fiercely, whispering vague assurances, she finally moved to stand, if sluggishly. "I have to be strong, for Mamo-chan…"

"You have to be strong for all of us, Serenity," Iretsu added in blunt seriousness, still kneeling on the ground. "Your light was extinguished once, taking us with; this time, make your life happy! I believe in you, my shining princess."

  
Waiting in line at the grocery store hours later, Makoto towered as usual over everyone. And of course, she towered over the diminutive Chinese woman who owned the place, rapidly tapping buttons and collecting money like a dervish. The woman had learned enough Japanese to be functional, but for every word she didn't know, interjected Chinese was daily routine for customers. Makoto figured she had learned enough in the few weeks she had been coming here to move to the Chinese mainland, open a store, and basically survive on local Cantonese curse words.

Today, the woman had a bright, if slightly gaping, smile for the tall brunette, the last customer in line. "Makoto-san, how are you today? Did you buy my fresh ginger?"

"_Iie_, Lin-san. Just vegetables today, and some rice." She set the small basket on the counter, and immediately, the contents were whisked out and into a bag, added up. "How is your son today? Better?"

As she tabulated the price, Lin peered at Makoto over the tops of her glasses. "He is cured, Makoto-san, in the miracle light of days prior."

The tall brunette took a moment to slowly puzzle out the meaning from the mix of language, before she frowned, deciding that naïve was a good act for the moment. "Miracle light, Lin-san?"

"_Hai, hai_! Didn't you waken for the miracle light, when it shone from the Tower? It healed many, many people in the city, Makoto-san! The lame walked straight and tall, the deaf repeated words like chittering monkeys, dead plants blossomed and flowered!"

Groceries bagged up, the old woman waved a day-old newspaper at Makoto before announcing a price. Peeling off a few yen notes, the tall brunette silently read the headline as it trumpeted the mysterious white light as a miracle cure and a sign of perhaps God. Hundreds of people had been cured of their illnesses; thousands claimed to see a blonde goddess in the middle of the light, like an angel. "For a mixed-religion nation, people are very quick to mention the Christian God," Makoto muttered.

"Silliness!" Lin scoffed, stabbing a far-too-long fingernail at the paper. "A sign, perhaps, of coming glory, but no ‘God.' Do you know, I had dreams since that night, since my boy healed?"

Oh, shit. Recalling the conversation of earlier, Makoto forced a smile. "Dreams, Lin-san? Everyone has dreams." She took up her bag, setting the newspaper back down as the old woman counted her money rapidly. But she didn't leave, as Lin froze her to the spot with her intent, focused stare, rather reminiscent of Iretsu's.

"Of a white castle, I walk its halls with bundles of laundry. A lovely maiden and her court always wave to me, friendlier than anyone I've ever known…." Lin's voice became sing song and distant as she spoke, still holding Makoto's folded bills. "Parties simply for the joy of it almost nightly, and the magic!"

"A-ano…I should be going, Lin-san, my friends are expecting me….!" Backing up hurriedly, the tall brunette shuffled out through the doors as the Chinese woman sank onto her elbows on the counter, chin in hands. Her dream was obviously now her refuge, and Makoto left her to it as she escaped outside.

It was a short walk to her apartment, and Makoto was dreading it; even the distance away from Usagi had her worried. She had left her in the company of her fellow soldiers, but she feared she wouldn't be there if someone came looking for her, an event she thought more and more possible as she walked the street. Conversations she hadn't been aware of a day previous were suddenly loud as trumpets in her ears; the mysterious illusion princess that only a few could remember, and swore existed.

She practically ran the last block, clutching her groceries carefully in her arms, and skidded through the doors of her building. Just inside the door she spied the long-haired blonde sitting casually in one of the hall chairs, chin in hand, twilight blue eyes focused on the sliding glass. Somehow, it didn't surprise her that Minako was the first line of defense between any possible enemies and their princess.

Minako produced a brilliant smile for the tall brunette once she saw her, standing up with a quick swipe at her school skirt. "Mako-chan, you're fast!" She didn't offer to take the groceries, however, and Makoto wouldn't have let her; indeed, the long-haired blonde walked slightly behind her as they went for the stairs. "I was afraid we'd be waiting so long, we'd have to call for takeout!"

"_N-nani_!?" Makoto started sputtering indignantly as they climbed the flights of stairs, only to finally realize Minako was kidding. "I would hate to think so! Cooking is my passion; I'm honored to be making food for all of you."

At the end of her hallway, the dark-haired shrine girl sat primly in another such chair, partnered with a large fern. Her purple-eyed stare was quite unnerving, though it relaxed at the sight of her allies, and she gracefully stood. "I see nothing happened," she commented mildly, meeting them at the door bearing Makoto's name in small, simple kanji.

"We can't take any chances," Minako replied firmly, and now she finally stepped ahead of the tall brunette, if only to open the door for her. "With all of these wild rumours flying…! Our princess's safety is top priority."

Rei said nothing, which, for her, was almost worse than speaking her mind. She slipped in behind Makoto, letting Minako close the door and lock it, as Makoto stared at the pile of books taking up space on her coffee table. Somewhere behind them, she was pretty sure she could see a head of blue hair. "Ami-chan, did you bring every book for our year's lessons?"

"Studying to enlighten and strengthen the mind" was her generic answer, as usual, and the tall brunette passed her by to roam into the kitchen. She knew the exhausted _odango_-haired blonde was most likely still asleep on her futon, and she let the other three check in on her as she began to unpack her groceries.

She could hear Rei and Ami arguing passionately about some philosopher as she chopped her vegetables, expertly handling the wok and cooking oil, and mixed some sauce. It wasn't a time-consuming set of tasks, really, but she threw herself into it as she always did, losing total awareness of everything outside of the kitchen. When Minako said something to her, she perceived it only as a strange sound; once it was repeated, she finally classified it as speech. "Ne, Minako-chan?"

"Is this yours? Usagi-chan knocked it off your dresser in her sleep."

Considering her dresser was across the room from the futon, it took her a minute of puzzling that particular accident out before she turned around. She froze in the act of wiping her hands on her apron when she realized Minako was holding out her mother's crucifix necklace and well-worn Bible, one wrapped around the other. "…._iie_. It was my mother's."

"It's pretty," the long-haired blonde said, softly thumbing through the pages. "You're a Christian, then, Mako-chan?"

Making a rude noise would have been, well, rude. So she just shook her head, turning away to stir the sauce. "My parents were the delusional ones, not me. I was just dragged along for the ride, in all honesty. No one in the family approved of the foreigner's Christ."

Minako closed the book after a few more flipped pages, turning her attention to the crucifix. It was an old and tarnished piece of jewelry, and Makoto vaguely remembered the American military soldier who had sold it to her mother at the church, saying something about carrying it through the war. The chain had long since been replaced, the Christ face long since worn smooth and indistinguishable. "Why don't you believe in their God? No one would laugh at you for it."

"Minako-chan…." The tall brunette sighed, toying with the handle of the wok. How could she explain any of it? "Would you believe in something that took your loving, caring parents away? In something that condemns you to damnation merely for not believing in some messiah? Christians carry around that silly book and start up armies over it, when it could all be a piece of fiction some camel herder wrote up on a long, boring trek across the sand." She expertly flipped the meat and vegetables together, mixing the sauce in.

As Minako leaned in to look, the tall brunette finally made that rude noise. "And why do we need religion to begin with? All it does is drive people to hate and argue and kill, over beliefs that may or may not be true."

"But it also teaches love and compassion; every religion has that, in some form," Rei interjected as she appeared in the doorway. "Pantheons devote gods to dozens of different vices and emotions and creations. If anything, I believe the monotheists are taking on more than they can chew by crediting every single event in our existence to one deity."

"A large workload, ne?" Minako chuckled.

Makoto waggled her wooden spoon in agreement. "In devoting everything to one deity, they contradict themselves constantly. I can remember reading that book and asking mama why God claimed to be kind and good, but would then be vengeful; why God hated those who loved the same sex, when the human race was created through incest. Why would God allow homosexuals to live, if they were a sin? Why would God allow so many bad things, if God loves His creation?"

The dark-haired shrine girl regarded Makoto oddly, as if realizing the tall brunette wasn't actually stupid. "Because humans were given free will to sin. They were banished from the Garden of Eden…"

"Because God wanted to keep them from eating from the Tree of Life." Rei's expression twisted further, and Makoto tapped at the book still in the long-haired blonde's hand. "Read it again, one day. So Adam and Eve wouldn't also eat from the Tree of Life, God banished them from Eden; disobeying His word wasn't the full reason.

"And for God to deny immortality to his first creations….why then did our queen possess a crystal that gave long-life and possible immortality? Maybe, we're immortal now simply because our queen evaded true death, and gave our souls a chance for another life without forgetting the past life. If so, we deform existence and a major faith simply by living."

"Or, maybe, this discussion is silly," Ami spoke from behind Rei, adjusting the perfectly round glasses on her nose. "Arguing theology when it has nothing to do with our lives…if gods or God didn't exist, humans would create them. People simply can't accept reality as it is, they have to formulate silly reasons for everything."

"It isn't silly, if you have faith in the spiritual to lead the physical," the dark-haired shrine girl argued, folding her arms.

Minako waved a hand back out towards the bedroom, lowering her voice. "Think of the girl sleeping in that room right now, minna. She's as ordinary as any other girl, except for the fact she has a crystal tied to her blood that can decimate planets, heal the sick! Her soul has been born for the second time, and because of all of this, people could decide she is a new messiah for any religion or cult you can name." She shook her head, setting the book on the kitchen table. "Belief, wrong or no, can be a strong incentive."

"From lack of belief, to the dangers of it," Makoto commented dryly.

Ami suddenly yipped kittenishly, obviously shocked by something else entirely; no simple conversation would have given her such a start. Everyone's head turning to see the blue-haired genius holding out a hand to a sleepy, groggy Usagi. "Usagi-chan, you're finally awake?"

"I smelled the food." Rubbing her eyes with her fists, much like a child, the odango-haired blonde smiled wistfully into the kitchen. "The moon is nearly full; it's lovely."

Minako reached out to hug the girl tight, as Makoto enlisted Rei and Ami's aid in putting the food out onto the table. "_Daijoubu_, Usagi-chan. Just a few more days." Then, she breathed in deeply, comical as ever, laughing joyfully. "And before we go to our destinies, a feast, from the wonderful cook of Jupiter!"

"Mou, Minako-chan…."

The cold Arctic now and again managed to blow full-force through the castle's hallways. Kunzite welcomed the frigid, biting air at this moment as he knelt painfully on the stone floor, showing subservience to the sole body lying in the room. "Endymion-sama…finally, I've awakened to meet you, if alone."

Over the span of days, everything had returned to the silver-haired general in full. In his mind he recalled the laughing face of his prince, strong and powerful in his black suit of armor. Surrounded by his four generals, his friends since he was a child, he was fearless, never hesitating to wander into danger and let them clean it up.

Not that Endymion had been a gung-ho idiot; as the highest prince, he was next in line to ascend to the throne of Earth. Since birth he had been trained in diplomacy as strongly as swordsmanship, and he knew his limits. His worse fights were usually to beat some sense into someone badmouthing the crown, or hurting an innocent servant. Kunzite had been proud to be his right-hand man, the silent strength behind the soft-spoken prince.

And then, his prince had met Serenity.

Kunzite slowly lifted his head, remembering his own first sight of the beautiful, silvered princess who had captured his prince's heart in company with the soldier of Venus. The Moon was the only kingdom that rigorously enforced its ‘No Interference' law with Earth; but the rest of the Silver Millennium regularly knocked on the blue planet's door. They treated Earth as if it were full of inept retards, really, but on this occasion, Venus had ‘lent' a contingent of soldiers out for a war that had been slowly growing on the blue planet; in a few years, it would become Beryl's crusade against the Moon.

Serenity had been lovingly held in Venus's arms, protected by the deceptively fragile looking girl. Off in the distance had been the other four guardian soldiers, interested in other matters, basically useless until someone threatened their princess. It had given Kunzite a long opportunity to watch the two blondes, interested in the princess's childlike, sweet demeanor, and very much so captivated by the authority Venus radiated.

He remembered laughing as each of his generals described the sailor soldiers, realizing every one of them had been smitten, unwilling to admit it.

Maybe he would have fallen in love, truly and deeply.

He had, to tell the truth, the first time Venus had caught his glance.

But when he had fallen for Beryl's lies in that past life, he had helped to lead the assault on the moon, and he had done nothing as Venus was slaughtered along with the rest of the soldiers. Now, with every single memory full-blown in his brain once more, he felt terrible anguish and guilt; he hated it, yet cherished the sensation. It was quite human, something he had been lacking as of late.

"Endymion-sama, if you were only awake to instruct me once more…my betrayal is unforgivable, but I pledged my soul to you, my master! It was stolen through treachery, but my true loyalty is to you." The gentle drip of water was his only response.

Kunzite kept his posture low as he removed himself from the room, feeling once more like basic shit as he left. Every day he came in and pronounced his loyalty, and every day he had the same damn response. It would remain thus until a miracle happened, or Beryl somehow brought him back to life.

Knowing the odds, he bet on the miracle.

This far into the castle he rarely wandered, and only now because the memory of his master demanded it. He knew Beryl restricted access to a room only a few yards away, and so, he had respected her wishes so far as to not even come near. But now, his curiousity raged with the awakening of his past life; if he was to be forcibly bound to the piss-eyed bitch, he wanted to know just what her motivation was.

In silence he crept down the hallway, holding his cloak tight against his body. But as he approached the door just around the corner, he felt the heavy press of magic and evil that was his queen; he shuddered, leaning against the wall. He could hear the swish of her dress across the stone floor, the tap of her staff, like a spider out of a nightmare.

When he was sure she had entered the room, he turned the corner, his nerves so taunt he nearly screamed with the suspense. He was expendable now, he knew it, and for her to find him spying on her, it was no doubt a death sentence…but he looked inside of the room anyway.

Beryl was nearly flat again on the floor, paying her respects to the black noxious cloud that hovered above her head.

"_Kami-sama_…is that Metallia, grown so strong?" he whispered in growing shock, backing away. Whatever they were talking to one another about was lost on the silver-haired general; finally acting on his most base instincts for survival, he ran like hell.

Of course, his spying was not lost on the two queens. Despite any efforts he made to protect himself, his aura had given him away. "Your general is insubordinate, Beryl…add it to your list of failures!"

"Do not worry, my powerful lord and master," Beryl said into the ground, still bent. "He is a disposable body, as were his friends; I don't believe we'll have him much longer."

"This casual display of arrogance is not wise in my presence, Beryl! As you've yet to find the _Ginzuishou_ and destroy that horrible white bitch, you should be far more humble!" The darkness writhed and trembled above Beryl's head, Metallia's unique way of showing anger.

After all, free-floating evil energy can't exactly frown.

The usual shower of rocks came down, hitting Beryl in all of the wrong places. Two bounced right off that one spot in her skull that, without failure, always hurts the worse. She winced, unable to hold it back. "I'm positive that the holy stone will be ours, soon. By saving Tuxedo Kamen's body, I believe we have the perfect spy."

"But was no evidence or trace of the _Ginzuishou_ found in his body? Beryl! I want no more failures!" Again did the room tremble, quaking with Metallia's displeasure. "Destroy the white princess, and give me the power to darken this pretty blue planet!"

  
In front of a mirror, Rei steadfastly refused to cry.

She was simplistically elegant in a white skirt and red top, her hair pulled back into a loose braid. Her father had remarked on how much like her mother she looked as they had eaten at her favourite restaurant, celebrating her birthday early.

This year, her father was going to be so busy that he thought ahead for once, and so had taken her out for a birthday dinner early. He hadn't bothered to send his usual gift of a white dress, instead suggesting she pick her own casual clothes. And apparently, she had pleased him.

But always, the event proved traumatic for her afterwards; it took her the time to wave once to his departing car and to walk into her room before she felt utterly drained. Seeing her father more often as a political celebrity on television than in real life…it was as if she had to take him in enormous, single gulps, gasping from the overload. Nothing remained in him that reminded her of her mother, and it often seemed as he simply used her to personify the dead Mrs. Hino. Every year, a white dress. Every year, the sterile conversation.

Her fist pressed against her lips, forcing the sobs back down into her throat. She hated going through the emotional rollercoaster of seeing her father, and oftentimes toyed with the idea of simply saying ‘No.' Why should she put the effort forth for someone who had dumped her onto a father-in-law to preserve and pursue his political career?

And of course, she could imagine how well he would handle the knowledge of his daughter being a sailor soldier, if she had the courage and freedom to tell him. "Otousan, I'm Sailor Mars. In my past life, I was a guardian soldier of the princess of the Moon." This to a man who tolerated her Shinto faith with a grain of salt! At the thought, she surpressed a hesitant giggle.

The laughter soothed her, and she smiled into the mirror with confidence. She knew her father would enjoy grooming her for marriage to one of his colleagues if he could, using her exotic beauty as barter. And she was beautiful, she knew that; with her long dark hair and purple, slanted eyes coupled with pale skin like porcelain, she represented Asian beauty to near perfection. She was the antithesis to her princess's golden figure.

With that rather sobering thought she began to peel away her clothes, discarding the outerwear of a trendy teenager. She hung and folded it all neatly, naked as a baby as she traveled back and forth through her room, from closet to dresser. Then she began to wrap herself expertly into her shrine robes, noting – not for the first time – in amusement that she seemed to have adopted a singular colour scheme no matter what she wore.

Once she slipped on her sandals she left her room, quietly padding to another that lay central to the building's scheme. Through the fusama one could see the dance of firelight; shadows rippled like magical creatures across the paper. She breathed softly, clearing her mind like wiping a slate clean by hand, lightly pushing the door open. When she stepped within the room containing their sacred fire, she was totally open to its will.

Praying for visions in the flame was a second nature to her, as simple as breathing. It made sense now, as she wielded the same power as Sailor Mars. Already had Jupiter proved she was attuned to the lightning she could call down; now, the dark-haired shrine girl waited for Mercury to realize the flow of water beneath her feet, or for Venus to know the throbbing of people's hearts in love. Or maybe, the two of them were singularly talented in this manner.

With hands clasped, she began to pray in honor to the fire, paying homage to its power. As she did so, she felt her mind begin to drift and expand, remembering Luna's idea to go to the Moon. Through the slits of her eyes she could see the reflection of the satellite in the sacred mirror, glowing like a slightly misshapen pearl, further solidifying the thought in her mind; as she prayed, she felt the fire respond.

In the heart of the fire she could see her princess, pure silver and spun gold. Behind her was her planet, giving her unusual hairstyle a shimmering halo. Her smile was so heartachingly innocent that Rei felt herself smiling back, forgetting her prayer for a long minute. And Serenity began to slowly turn and turn in the flames, like a music box ballerina, holding her skirts demurely in both hands.

Bathed in that gentle smile, the dark-haired shrine girl could recall the perfect kingdom that had been their home a millennium ago. Going the Moon would be like visiting the most holiest of shrines; but how would they do it? Was it a reality to possibly steal a ship from NASA? Luna had never explained to them how they were going to do it, much less how much the cost would be if they destroyed the ship on re-entry. Hell, none of them knew how to pilot a plane simulator at the Crown, much less a real spaceship.

But, feeling the light of Usagi's, no, Serenity's, smile, she knew it didn't matter. Somehow, in the tiniest corner of her mind, she knew Minako had not been the princess; but it was a subconscious knowledge, the smallest scrap left over from a deeply buried past. It was enough to create hostility in her towards the long-haired blonde, to scorn her masquerade as the Princes Serenity.

And even if the truth had not been revealed, if Usagi had not released her inner light, Rei would still have died for her.

She knew every single soldier would do the same.

It was this conviction that stirred them all as they gathered as Luna requested two days later. Still clad in their civilian clothes, they had walked in silence down the paths of Ichinohashi park, following the wriggling butt and attached tail towards the fountains. Shut off for the night the waters were still, and in them reflected a moon in the height of fullness.

The _odango_-haired blonde was the first to arrive at the silent fountain, and she alone disturbed the reflection as she dipped her fingers into the lukewarm water. "I…met Mamo-chan for the last time here, and Moriya-chan…we laughed over silly things…"

None of them stopped her as the tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. "Every time before when I met him, we argued so harshly, but in truth, I was happy! I was charmed by him, but so scared that he wasn't in return…his eyes, the colour of warm ocean waters captivated me…I could never admit to him the truth…!"

"Usagi-chan," they murmured as one.

"I want to meet him again, as Sailor Moon, and tell him everything. I want to talk about lots of things, and laugh with him like before!" Her tears left slowly growing rings of disruption in the water, rippling the faces of her friends as they hovered over her.

A hand touched her shoulder as Makoto commented, softly, "Sadness doesn't become your face, Usagi-chan. _Daijoubu_, my princess, all will be well."

The _odango_-haired blonde sighed deeply, nodding her head in firm conviction; but saying nothing. In silence, the floor was given to whoever decided to speak next, and it was Minako as she stared upwards. "A beautiful full moon, right above the park!"

"No clouds. Its age is at 15, at the height of fullness," Ami added, reciting her textbook knowledge smoothly. "Perfect conditions for travelling."

"Many feminine attributes have been given to the phases of the moon," the dark-haired shrine girl said next, motioning with her hands. Despite her casual clothes, she looked every inch the shrine maiden as she gestured just so, as if calling down the wrath of her gods in the light. "Visions of the future are best done in the strength of the full moon's light. Many believe it to be the Triple Goddess, who represents maiden, mother, and crone."

Minako coughed finally, holding her transformation pen as one might casually hold a mixing spoon for punishment. She cut quite the disciplinary figure with a hand on her hip, looking like a stern schoolteacher. "Let's transform, _minna_; we can't do a bit of magic without being our true selves."

The girls nodded, and at their own pace produced their colour-coded pens, holding them aloft. Usagi touched her brooch, being the first by status to transform. But before she could speak the words to release her identity, Luna stepped forward. "It has to be done properly! To simply transform will expend the magic needed."

Her whiskers twitched as she strode between them all, standing as they were in a loose circle. Their arms lowered, they listened intently as Luna spoke in the same strange syllables she used to enter the command center, tilting her furred head upwards. With each word, they felt the energy around them; a wind blew up, gently, stirring the trees. A circle of white, like a fairy ring, grew around the black feline, swirling like the sea.

Sitting primly, Luna smiled imperiously. "Enter the circle and transform like proper soldiers. Then, hold hands; it will bind you all in a shield for safety."

It certainly looked impressive. Minako, having more of a vague idea of what Luna was proposing, stepped inside first, resuming the upward thrust of her pen. Makoto, who touched her pen's sigil to the star tipping the long-haired blonde's, joined her. Then Ami added her blue sigil, and Rei her red. And they parted like the sea for Usagi, who touched her hands to her brooch in a modest gesture. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

Pink energy shot upwards, fading to white at the edges. It encased the _odango_-haired blonde as her feet lifted from the ground, back arched; her transformation was quick, gentle. Minako smiled as she shouted, "Venus Power! Make Up!"

Golden energy exploded up and out from the long-haired blonde, dark orange fading to yellow at its edge, holding Minako aloft. Her transformation was instantaneous, her civilian identity shed comfortably for that of a sailor soldier. With the second flux of magic, the circle around them grew higher, trembling as Makoto yelled, "Jupiter Power, Make Up!"

The energy that held the tall brunette was oak green all the way through, holding her gently as her clothes disintegrated. Her uniform wrapped around her like paper, hugging her tight, her antennae sparking out of her tiara. The circle was waist-high on them now, and Ami looked at it in a bit of hesitation before calling out, "Mercury Power, Make Up!"

Aqua blue surged up from her body, far less violently than the others, fading to ice at its edges. It pulled her off her feet slowly, dissolving her civilian clothing like stop-motion photography. As the persona of Mercury overtook her, the fountain behind them suddenly spat water as if just turned on, then ceased. The circle responded accordingly, lifting up to encase them to their necks, as Rei finally said, "Mars Power! Make Up!"

Red exploded from her body in much the same way it had Minako, solid throughout with only the slightest fading to pink. Her transformation worked like a roller of paint; they could literally watch her civilian identity roll from her body, followed by the red fuku of Mars. High heels touched the ground as their separate auras twisted together in the air, mixing in with the circle as it finally connected over their heads.

When they took each other's hands, they could feel the shield click around them, creating the perfect protection. The wind started up again, this time lashing the trees like a full-fledged storm, as a beam of white light pierced the clouds. Luna closed her eyes as the girls seemed to literally explode, flying upwards in their bubble of safety like a fish drawn in on its line.

They sped in excess of hundreds of miles an hour, feeling the friction as only a mere rise in temperature, the wind only gently ruffling their skirts teasingly. Around them, the sky darkened as they rose through the atmosphere, leaving oxygen behind as they continued to fly up and up, passing into the gravitational pull of the planet and into space.

Floating in their own controlled sphere of gravity, they drifted away from Earth.

Though they had glimpsed their past memories of seeing such a sight, the breath caught in each throat at the vision of their planet so large in front of them, smeared with clouds and landmasses. Lightning arced over several spots, and just when they thought it could be no less breathtaking, the sun began to appear around the opposite hemisphere. "_Kami-sama_, to see such a sight….!" Mars breathed softly, gripping tightly onto hands that returned the favour.

Luna floated erratically between them all – though they had their own gravity within the shield, it was minimal – paws splayed as she frantically swam to keep herself right side up. "Keep your minds focused on your task! We must land on the moon before you lose concentration on your shield!"

"_Demo sa_," Sailor Moon moaned, twisting her head around. "It's so blue and beautiful from up here…Mamo-chan's planet, and look, look, Mako-chan! Lightning!"

As Jupiter twisted to get a better look, the sphere holding them slowly spun with her. Luna was tossed around, unable to keep herself righted, claws flexing in and out in unconscious terror. "The Moon, the Moon!"

Fur floated into Venus's face as the black feline drifted backwards, tail lashing angrily. As the long-haired blonde sputtered indignantly, unable to use her hands to push Luna away, the sphere spun around again. "_Iyaa_, get your butt out of my face, Luna!"

"Ano…where do we, ahm, land, Luna?" Mercury asked hesitantly, her expression twisting as the poor cat began to frantically flail again, smacking Venus over and over again in the face with her tail.

"Cats are not meant for space travel!" Luna hissed, finally managing to springboard off the long-haired blonde's face, floating in the general direction of Moon. "And Mare Serenitatis is our destination; didn't I mention that?"

  
"…before or after you shoved your hindquarters up my nose?" Venus commented baldly, sneezing for emphasis.

As they drifted down towards the surface, Luna stated, very much out of character, where Venus would find her hindquarters next, the condition they would be in, and how long they would take up residency. It was also a good thing that she didn't quite finish her diatribe until they were a few feet over the surface, because the sphere simply didn't hold up under a quartet of girls laughing until their ribs hurt. Well…Mercury didn't laugh, but that was more out of confusion of Luna's description and how it could possibly work than the lost humour.

Without the light, they found themselves sprawled in various positions in the dust, in near perfect darkness. No wind disturbed their scuffmarks, though they breathed the air that shouldn't have existed easily. "Ano, Luna, how can we be breathing?" Jupiter asked.

"In the Seas, the atmosphere and air were created magically, contained within force fields. I assume the fields that keep the ruins hidden also keep the air within," Luna replied thoughtfully after a moment. She looked pointedly towards the crumbled pillars and buildings in front of them, just barely illuminated by the starlight above.

"_Sou yo_…how can these ruins be here, undiscovered by astronauts?" Mercury hugged her bare arms, looking at the ground around them for any other footprints. All she could see were smears everywhere, as if hundreds of people had fled, slipping as they ran for their lives, and the pockmarks of fallen and bounced rocks.

Moon took a few steps towards the ruins hesitantly, nudging the remnants of a wall next to her leg. "Everything is so quiet…like a tomb."

The soldiers gathered in a circle, staring out towards the crumbling buildings that bore no trace of the sparkle they remembered. As one they began to walk down what remained of a stone pathway, looking around like horrified survivors of a bombing. "The force field reflected the sunlight as it kept the air in, to moderate temperature," Luna murmured slowly, as if recalling the details of the system. Most likely, she was. "From the outside we always had to look twice, because the kingdom would be hidden by the field. Because we can breathe, the field must still be in place, effectively hiding everything from the 21st century."

If they looked back, they could see their footprints stretching far behind them, perfect and untouched by breezes of any kind. "If the air is kept breathable, why is there no wind?" the blue-haired genius added in question after another minute's walk.

"Smaller crystals generated different winds and weather patterns. The field keeping the air pure may still be here, but the crystals would be long destroyed, turned to stone." The feline put out her paw to tap against what was obviously once a beam of wood, knocking on it produce a most un-woodlike sound. "In the final decimation of our kingdom, everything turned to stone in our queen's sorrow, unlivable."

The rubble of an enormous building was what they found themselves walking into as Luna spoke, their heels clicking on floors that were still in their original marble condition. The remains of walls around them formed hallways and separate rooms, and out of the middle of the mess rose a crumbled, deteriorating spire. "So immense…is this our former castle, Luna?" Sailor Moon whispered, turning around and around as they walked to see every last inch.

"_Hai_. The Moon Castle, this once was, beautiful and pristine and white. The epicenter of our kingdom, where everyone enjoyed peace and prosperity." The feline led them towards the destroyed spire, jumping deftly over fallen chunks of stone. Embedded in the rock was the design of the windows, and the carvings once on the wall. Not even Mars or Venus could scratch the surfaces with the points of their heels. "And that ruined spire you see? It was once a lovely tower of prayer, the Crystal Tower. Only our queen was allowed to enter; for any others to cross the doorway was sacrilege."

"I remember that place!" Mercury gasped, stumbling in mid-stride. "I envisioned it in the gallery that day…"

Jupiter, with her longer legs and faster strides, passed the others up easily. She was standing next to the ruined tower as the others crawled and hopped their way over the rocks, and as she moved to circle the ruin, she slammed her knee into a piece of rock sticking up and out of the ground. "_ITAAAAAAAAAAIIII_! _Kuso, kuso, kus-o_!"

She grabbed her knee, affecting an odd hopping dance as she swore, still bouncing around as the girls made it to her side. The odd stare she received was enough for her to stop dead on one leg, wobbling madly. "Jupiter…." Luna sighed, in that special tone reserved for adults and authority figures when one does something wrong.

"Dancing won't bring any spirits back to talk to us, Mako-chan," Venus added; though she sounded close to breaking out in laughter.

Jupiter glowered, thumbing back at the jutting rock. "I kneed something in the dark."

Though the rock was hidden in the shadow cast by the spire, their presence seemed to change that. Even as Jupiter pointed out the offending object a soft beam of light seemed to appear at the spot, showing it off as not a fragment of building, but a broadsword buried halfway into the ground. "Someone's petrified sword, from the battle…?"

"Not here; this was the center of the castle! No one made it this far!" Luna argued, staring in mystification at the weapon. A crescent decorated the handle, doubling as a hand guard, and centered in the guard itself was a circle of what had once been four gemstones. The colour had overall turned into a dull grey, but Luna knew what colour those gemstones had once been. "Soldiers, remove it from the ground. Pull it out!"

The _odango_-haired blonde stepped back as her guardian soldiers moved forward to stare at the weapon, buried so deeply as it was. Jupiter, her gloved hand still smeared with her blood, was the first to grip the handle, tugging on it with strong, short jerks. Then Mercury grabbed on, trying to pull it as well, though she was substantially weaker. "Moou, it's petrified into the ground," the blue-haired genius groaned a minute later, shaking her aching hands as Mars took her place.

"Keep trying! Put your combined strength into it, _minna_, for the love of the _kami_; you are guardian sailor soldiers!" Luna chided, pacing back and forth in front of Sailor Moon.

Both Jupiter and Mars stepped back momentarily, shaking their hands vigorously as well, the sword having not budged an inch. "Venus, why aren't you helping us?" the dark-haired shrine girl demanded angrily, rubbing her aching palm.

Venus reached out a hand in a trademark pose Disney would have sued over, had they seen it, foot braced firmly, and slowly slid the sword out of the ground. Though she looked just as surprised as the rest of them, there was the tiniest bit of satisfaction, as if she had known it would give itself up to her, and her alone. "A sword entirely of stone!"

Out of the slit in the ground rose a white light.

Though the figure who finally formed was unknown to them, the two odango on her head were very familiar indeed.

She was only a foot or so high, though if she would have risen from her kneel she could gain a few inches. Her slim body was wrapped in a simple sleeveless white dress, tied above the breasts with a large bow and a crescent sigil. What looked like filmy, scalloped wings rose behind her back, and her only other adornment was a pearl and crescent sigil crown across her forehead, and a pair of pearl earrings. "My soldiers, I congratulate you. By removing the holy blade used to protect your princess, you've finally initiated my program to greet you all."

Now she finally stood, holding out her hands in a gesture of goodwill. "Luna, I am proud that you finally brought them all here! Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus. I once more bestow the blade unto all of you, as the former queen of the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity."

Sailor Moon let out what was best described as a cross between a sob and a sigh, pressing her knuckles against her lips. "Q-queen Serenity…my mother, in a previous life?" Her legs gave out beneath her, dropping her into what was a remarkably graceful kneel before the small figure.

"My beautiful daughter, Serenity. You don't know how happy I am at this moment, seeing you again after so long….!" Her arms reached upward, and the odango-haired blonde felt insubstantial fingers touch her cheeks, her chin. The queen had no more substance than a storm cloud. "Though I tried to call to you through dreams and legends, it has no comparison to having your lovely figure in front of me once more."

Mercury, in an unusual display of brazenness, reached out to run her hand through the queen, feeling her intangible body. "You can talk to us, Serenity-sama? But how! Your form is nothing but air, how can you be alive?"

The small queen tilted her head, watching the fingers travel through her body. "Though my body was drained in using the _Ginzuishou_ one last time, I activated the sub-computer to preserve my will, if not my true body. The main computer is inactive, its working parts and memory long sent to Earth to be your contact."

"….how could you have put yourself into a computer a millennium ago? Computers weren't invented yet!" Jupiter blurted out, beating Mercury's similar question by a spare half-second.

Serenity merely gave them an amused look, an eyebrow lifting as if to say, well, wouldn't you like to know? "My image is generated by the sub-computer, though for all these years I've stayed formless, preserving its power. Through it, I awoke Luna and Artemis from their cold sleep, implanting directions and fake lives into their brains to make the transition easier on them. I kept in contact via the main computer, unable to speak to them, but constantly aware of your experiences.

"And to answer your question, my curious soldiers, we were an advanced civilization; in time, I know all of your memories of your past lives will reveal this. Computers are not the silicon-based, noisy hunks of plastic you know now. They're simply what humanity has managed to create this far in their evolution."

Mercury nodded thoughtfully, as Serenity once again smiled in her gentle way, gesturing all around them. "I know all that remains is ruin, but remember how it once was! When this castle was beautiful and vast, and the winds swept through the flower gardens to create showers of petals inside of the dome. Our created environment was perfection, but my daughter, Serenity, continued to long for the true breezes of the blue planet."

"I remember now," Mars interjected softly, glancing to her fellow soldiers for verification. "We were supposed to be her court, her guardians, and to follow her everywhere. And then one year, she began travelling to Earth against orders, spying on their first rank prince."

"_Sou yo_…I wanted to see Endymion, my strong prince! Nothing could keep me from his side…." the _odango_-haired blonde added, closing her eyes. She could recall many, many times she had fled to the blue planet in secret, fleeing her guardian soldiers to exchange a secret kiss with her dark-haired prince. And always she was caught and chastised by her four friends.

The queen suddenly laughed, a spontaneous, happy noise. "You thought I never knew of your trips to that planet, but I knew every single time. Born as you were on the Moon, you were supposed to do your duty and aid the blue planet along, cleaning it of negative elements for a strong evolution. As our holy stone gave us longevity, we had ample time to observe, and I found myself often observing my child breaking a sacred law.

"And a year previous was so unusual, with strong activity on the sun producing violent eruptions and corona. I'm sure…I'm positive…I have no doubt that through the disturbances of the sun were caused by the evilness that finally invaded Earth, fouling it. A shapeless thing, it wanted the blue planet for its own evil, and it turned its eyes towards our holy stone."

"_Hai_…sudden catastrophes on Earth followed, I remember! Venus lent soldiers to the earthen army, to fight the outbreak of fighting and elemental outbursts," the long-haired blonde said suddenly, tapping a finger against her cheek.

Serenity nodded graciously to the additional information, clasping her hands to her chest. Her gaze fell down, suddenly saddened as she said, "Earth was jealous of us, as well, of our longevity and power. That thing used their souls like puppets, shaping them into evil; it whispered lies into their heads, convincing them that our destruction would lead them to glory! Using a witch woman as its focus, the army came to the Moon, seeking our holy stone."

All of them remembered the streaks of footprints in the dust. Easily they could picture the ragtag earthen army invading their kingdom, trampling the lunar dust in their wake as they massacred the Moon army. "Though I…attempted to prepare years earlier for any possible attack, we found ourselves beaten back. It was of no fault of ours; the evil had invaded their very spirits, pushing them further than our soldiers were able to go. And even then, Earth's first ranking prince, Endymion, kept trying to talk them back, to convince them to stop their useless war against us!"

Every soldier looked towards Sailor Moon as she bit her lip, staring down at Serenity in mute pleading. She didn't want to know of her prince's fate again, but nothing she could do stopped the queen from adding, "He died while protecting you, my darling daughter. You screamed his name as he breathed his last, and then, using his sword, you took your own life swiftly."

"Not swiftly," the _odango_-haired blonde whispered, remembering her dream, choking on her own blood in a slow, painful death. "Not swiftly at all…"

The queen looked shaken at that, as if it had never occurred to her that her daughter had done a poor attempt at suicide; indeed, she had never thought much on it. Trying to kill one's self to follow love into eternity wasn't always so cut and dried. "I…never realized it had not been a quick death, my Serenity. But I was already overcome with grief, and as your guardians fell beside you, I invoked our holiest incantation, sealing away the evil with great difficulty and weakness. Our kingdom turned to stone, its magic used in the binding, and tumbled into ruin. The Silver Millennium was destroyed."

"But, Serenity-sama…why would the Silver Millennium be destroyed?" Jupiter asked curiously. "If it consisted of our planets, they were untouched, they would have survived to continue on!"

"_Iie_, Jupiter. Have your schools told you of a great civilization on Mars, or of life on Venus? Everything followed into ruin. Everything."

Mars was frowning. Indeed, their queen was right; humanity, with all of their probes and spaceships, had never even found the ruins of the Moon Castle. But Jupiter was right as well; their respective planets would have been saved from the earthen army, and should still have been thriving. "That's impossible," she finally said, flatly. "Only the Moon and Earth were so devastated. There's no reason our planets should not be alive today!"

Off to the side Venus, still holding the stone sword, began to haltingly laugh. "_Baka_. Don't you feel, inside of you, the power of your planet? Our queen preserved us all, down to the very last. With the living embodiments of our planets cut off, our kingdoms died as well."

"You mean…without us alive…our planets withered away?" Jupiter gasped.

"That's not it!" Mercury burst out, the growing horror on her face almost ghastly. "If we died normally, our powers would have been released to our planets, wouldn't they? But our queen sent everything into the future, making it impossible for natural rebirth of our soldiers' souls!"

Serenity was stone-faced as the truth slowly sank into, Mercury dissolving into tears. Jupiter cried in silence, much the same way Mars did, tears flowing freely down both their faces. Venus held the glitter of those tears in her own eyes, but she refused to let them fall, saying instead, "My queen, you've done a very horrible thing."

"You don't know what you say, Venus," Serenity stated quietly, looking up towards her reborn daughter, who simply stared back with a hollow set of eyes. "To protect my daughter, to make her and all of you happy again, I sacrificed my kingdom and my life. It was worthy of all of you!"

"Killing millions of people for our spirits, that would have been reborn again in another fashion?" Mars cried out.

"And saving possible billions more!" Luna suddenly snapped, her entire body crouched into a defensive posture that spoke, as usual, of her tension. "Don't be selfish Mars, Jupiter, Mercury! Your queen knew that the evil couldn't be contained for very long, and she sent you all to this time to make sure the same catastrophe didn't occur again!"

Sailor Moon slumped over, holding her hands over the crystal that still hung around her neck. Her sobbing was not silent, but far quieter than they were used to, and the expression on Serenity's face was one of a long-tired soul. To have waited a millennium to see her daughter alive again, and to have her deny her mother over such a tragedy, must have broken what remained of the queen's heart. "Serenity, my daughter…you must use the power of the _Ginzuishou_ to seal the evil away again…prevent the horror of the past from happening once more, give those sacrifices worth! I can't do it anymore, not without my body and soul intact; the only one who can use the full power of our holy stone is the princess."

"It doesn't matter. She couldn't possibly use its full power; it's lost its brilliance, absorbed into Endymion's reincarnated form," Venus replied. "All of this for nothing, my queen."

Tears were falling through the queen's intangible form as she frowned, looking up at the peak of crystal between Sailor Moon's fingers. "Its brilliance…perhaps, my daughter's subconscious works when her conscious mind does not. Your prince is protected, Serenity, have no fear of that. Know that when the time comes, only the strongest of faith and harmony can release the stone's true power. Be confident in yourself as Tsukino Usagi, and the soldier Sailor Moon!"

The soldiers gathered around the _odango_-haired blonde as she lifted her tear-stained face, smiling weakly for the relieved queen. But her smile faltered almost as fast, disappearing as she recalled what had been destroyed so she could live again. And it turned into a round ‘O' of a gasp as Serenity's form began to flicker as a disrupted hologram might, rippling. "Queen?!"

"—girl…please, find happiness this time, and forgive what I've done. Restore our great castle, and this kingdom, and make it truly your own! —ower fading…I can only speak for so much—"

She was gone.

For a long moment they all stared in disbelief, as if unable to accept the fact Serenity had faded away entirely. Sailor Moon began to shake as if cold, gripping the lifeless _Ginzuishou_ between her fingers, before she screamed wordlessly. She buried her head in her hands and was likewise buried in a heap of bodies as her soldiers held her and consoled her, crying along with her as Luna, tail slowly weaving from side to side, merely stared from the outside.

  
Beneath the Earth, a similar scene of mourning occurred, though Kunzite did neither cry nor scream. He simply stared, as he had done for several days now, at the coffins in front of him, each one with a hunk of stone arranged neatly in the center.

With no way to give a proper funeral, and unable to give up what amounted to their spirits, he would daily set them back out. No prayers were spoken; indeed, he hardly ever said a word. He would just stare until the entire scene began to warp in front of his eyes, before collecting the sad little stones and pocketing them close to his heart.

And without fail, he would then prostrate himself in a different room several hallways into the castle, whispering that same name: "Endymion-sama!"

He did the ritual as always again today, resting on his knees in front of his master's lifeless body. But this time he shivered, feeling, but not recognizing, the arrival of the sailor soldiers on the Moon, literally walking over the place where his body had fallen. Stepping on his grave, so to speak, it gave him the chills, and he was unable to place the sensation. And so suddenly lost in the feeling, he never even noticed the appearance of Beryl in the doorway.

The swish of her skirts gave her away, and his auditory senses kicked him in the head for his lax stupidity. Almost immediately he dropped again in a bow, trying not to stutter as he gasped, "Queen Beryl-sama."

She walked past him without a second look, and he felt the brush of velvet against his head. He looked up as she reached a hand down to caress and touch Mamoru's face, in quite the intimate manner. The silver-haired general had to quell the urge to smack her hand away and wipe away the traces of her touch on his master's face, but that would have been paramount to suicide. He regretted strongly in that moment what he had done, choosing her over his master; and he knew, deep down, there was no changing it.

"His body has no trace of the holy stone," she said conversationally, slowly twisting a few strands of black hair between her fingers. "It makes him useful in other ways."

The tone of her voice was enough to put him on his feet, ready and poised to defend the body of his dead master. "What are you saying, my queen? Are you planning to dispose of Prince Endymion's body!"

Her laughter scratched deep along his brain, and he flinched away from the piss-eyed queen; but it was too late. With a quick gesture she pulled forth the stone he had been bound to, and he felt himself spiral into darkness as she forcibly erased his memory and free will once more. He screamed as he fell, and then, he simply didn't exist. "Your ego betrays you, Kunzite; never forget who you handed that powerful body over to! Pledging loyalty to our great leader bound your soul to us, and no matter how many times you may be reborn, I will find you!"

If he still had his will, he would have begged whatever god was in the vicinity to reveal how his three generals had escaped Beryl's claws in their second deaths. He wasn't going to be so lucky, as she placed the stone against his forehead, sealing the spell once more. "Now go to the surface once more, and create chaos; surely it will bring the princess into your hands, along with the holy stone. Failure will not be accepted in this last chance!"

She shoved him upward with her magic, forcing him into a painful teleport. He had no control, no way of knowing where he was going, until the lights of Tokyo once more blinded him. Like a bird caught in a tornado he spun in the air, confused and disoriented as he fell towards the ground. But he finally felt his programming take over, and he conjured a flying sphere to slow his descent, lifting him back into the sky.

"Chaos, my queen has demanded of me," he mused, watching the skyline with eyes that had become solid pools of colour, empty and pitiless. "What does this city fear the most, that would send them scurrying into the night like rats?"

Moving the earth would take an immense amount of power, something he was unwilling to do. His talent didn't lie with the dirt and mud. So instead, he cast his powers out towards the sea, stirring it into a frothing mass of angry waves. Faster and faster he played it, until immense waves lifted out of the sea like huge walls of water, and came slamming down on the harbor. He heard people screaming as the sea continued to spray and flow further inland, and he laughed as he played with the temperatures as well.

Buildings became slick and encrusted with ice, impossibly so with salt water. He played with the elements like a mad scientist, creating thicker and thicker sheets of ice, taking joy in watching the humans below him scream and flee, only to be frozen in place. His joy only increased as he saw the sudden pillar of white light off to his right, spiking down through the clouds into a park that was still too far away to be frozen yet. He could feel the potency of the magic involved.

And the other way around, the recently arrived soldiers could feel him as well. Shaken and still grieving, they were rocked off their feet by the sensations of the sea hitting land, and they fell into a heap. "_Kami-sama_, what's happening in the city?" Jupiter yelped as the ground trembled again, with her pressed flat against it. "Is it an earthquake?"

"It's so cold…! It has to be the enemy again!" Mercury sounded a bit muffled beneath Venus's skirt, and quite embarrassed.

Whatever Venus said was most likely an agreement, and lost within the bow and kerchief of Mars's uniform.

They disentangled themselves clumsily, muttering "_Gomen nasai_!" rather frantically. Luna, thankfully atop the entire mess, snapped her teeth at them. "Hurry, stop talking! You have to search out the enemy and stop the city from being destroyed!"

She found herself yelling at empty air. Further down the sidewalk she could see them running, and she took the opposite road. Somehow she knew they didn't want her around at the present time.

And she was right. The girls were pissed, tired, and still quite upset; but they ran hard anyway, pushing themselves to the limit. With no idea where the general was, they simply ran in a straight line, following Mercury as she took the lead, tapping furiously on her little computer. As more clues popped up on the screen she would suddenly change direction, expecting them to follow without hesitancy.

Before they found Kunzite, however, he found them.

Without warning, fanfare, or even a whistle tweet, the ground exploded in front of them. Chunks of concrete broke windows, smashed through doors, and threw all five of them backward into walls and across the street. Obviously, the silver-haired general was pulling no punches. "Welcome, Sailor Moon no Princess Serenity! You're a bit late; I've already destroyed a quarter of Tokyo, and I'm well within the time frame to ice over half within a few minutes."

The _odango_-haired blonde, still half-draped over a mailbox, twisted around to look up a bit painfully. "It's you…the one who stole Mamo-chan from me!" Her hips wriggled with the effort of sliding from the box, giving the silver-haired general an open panty shot. Once she was upright and collected, however, she was pointing upwards in the beginning of her usual posing. "This is a horrible, horrible evil you're doing! Are you trying to turn our city into the Arctic?!"

A rhetorical question, perhaps, but he cocked his head thoughtfully. "When our great master revives, the cold environment will be suitable to our needs. And Tokyo is certainly a vast wilderness of protection…."

"Sailor Moon, using the moon stick is advisable right about now!" Venus hissed from her prostrate position on the sidewalk. A few warbling "_Hai_" were added in agreement.

It was a flawless gesture, one the _odango_-haired blonde didn't even think about; she simply held out her hand, and the weapon appeared in her palm. She pointed it upwards, envisioning an umbrella, of sorts, as she cried out, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

The energy actually worked that way, much to her surprise. It exploded upwards, spreading across the sky smoothly, and already she could feel the change in temperature. Around her the ice melted, flowing in water form into the sewers, and down hills back to the seashore.

But this time, instead of being deeply satisfied and invigorated, she felt, truthfully, like utter shit. Her knees wobbled and gave way, dumping her roughly onto the concrete, and she watched helplessly as the moon stick bounced and rolled away. "I feel so tired…."

"Sailor Moon, look out! Get up, Sailor Moon!" Mars was screaming at her, even as her guardian soldiers flung themselves at the general. "Fire Soul!"

"Crescent Beam!"

Kunzite halted in his swooping descent, flicking away the attacks with a foppish gesture. "Is this the power of the great sailor soldiers? Like a whispering breeze those were, insubstantial and weak!" he laughed, not even flinching as Venus' second attack dissolved before it even reached him.

"_M-masaka_….what's happening to our power?" Jupiter flung her own attack, though before it even left her fingers she knew it was nothing more than a push of air. "We've all been weakened, are we fighting too soon after our trip into space?"

Clucking his tongue, Kunzite lowered to the ground again, dissolving the sphere. "Princess, your soldiers have failed you. Now, if you give me the _Ginzuishou_ obediently, perhaps I'll give you back your prince's corpse!" There was no emotion, no love, for the man who had been his master. Beryl had totally wiped him clean, and he seemed to take a perverse pleasure in seeing Sailor Moon's face drain of colour as she backed up on her hands.

"_Iie_, he can't be dead….he would survive, if only to pay you all back for the pain you caused him!" she shouted fiercely, and was surprisingly rewarded with the tiniest flicker within his eyes. "He will survive to live out our destiny, together!"

She scrambled away quickly as he darted at her, reaching for her throat. Grabbing up the moon stick again she pointed it at him, holding it steadily at his body as one would a sword. Backing away again, she could see her four guardians still unsteady on the pavement. "I won't give up, not to you, and not to your master! You'll be sealed away by the princess this time, and nothing will break that strongest seal!"

"A simpering girl-child like you has no true power to seal us away!" he snarled in return, and flicked his fingers at her. She bent over double as she was pummeled, flung backward several feet to skid along the damp concrete. "I'll bring your corpse back to my master joyfully, and in death you'll know total despair, knowing you've lost!" Another blast of energy shoved her along the rough gravel and stone mix, and she screamed.

Beneath her uniform, she could feel the crystal pressing uncomfortably into her skin, cutting her as she was flung for the second time. Her head snapped back, hitting the ground so hard she saw stars, and a nauseating wave of black. "_Iie_…I was reborn for a reason…so many lives were sacrificed so I…so I could win…"

The thrum of magic danced across her skin.

"Venus Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

The silver-haired general turned away from the bloody soldier, smiling coldly as the other four flung their arms out at him. "Fighting to the last. I admire that, somewhat—"

"Sailor Planet Attack!" they screamed.

Sailor Moon closed her eyes as the first surge of light threatened to make her completely ill. She held the moon stick tight, trusting it to protect her as the magic slammed into her, washing the disintegrated remains of Kunzite over her head. As her fellow soldiers fell unconscious, totally using up their already-low power, she heard something clink onto the concrete next to her.

When she looked, however, she saw nothing.

Down through the darkness fell a sparkling stone.

It lost luster as it fell, until it was completely dead when it finally came to rest within Beryl's palm. Her smile was wicked, not in the least bit surprised. "Poor, pretty Kunzite," she crooned. "Fallen in battle, just like his three stupid friends. All of their power….gone back to its source."

She raised her arms, throwing her head back in the semblance of the gypsy peasant witch she had once been. Her voice echoed off the stone walls, thundering throughout the cold castle. "Queen Metallia-sama, hear me! Give me the power, the power to force life into this cold body once again! Allow me to mold him in our image, to make of him the perfect soldier!"

The room remained still, lightless. But she could hear the rush of blood through his veins again, sluggish but beginning to gain speed; his heart began to pump vigorously. Throwing off death was neither easy nor fun, even when magically aided, and he arched his back with a silent scream as life was literally thrust into him violently. Limbs twitched in the aftershocks of the transition, and finally, slowly, he opened his eyes.

No longer the colour of warm ocean waters, they had solidified into two spheres of black. The expression he wore could only be called complete and utter indifference; no hint of warmth touched his eyes. He sat up, slow and hesitant as a child, and he looked around his surroundings curiously, before he finally settled on Beryl.

Still clad in the guise of Tuxedo Kamen, he held out his hand. She released the stone, letting it float slowly from her palm and into his, where it was joined suddenly by the other three. As he held them, he stared at her for guidance; already the impression had been locked onto his soul that she was in charge. "Prince Endymion, my handsome Earth soldier. Now you belong to me, Queen Beryl; you will follow my orders to the last breath in your body, ne?"

"_Hai_, Queen Beryl-sama," he parroted smoothly.

"Ara ara, you're a fast learner!" she crooned, stroking his cheek. "As my puppet, your first mission is of dire importance. Recall the intelligence in your mind, and go up to the surface to eliminate Princess Serenity, the little bitch girl of the Silver Millennium. I want her obliterated, so even her pure little soul is completely lost to death, and I desire the _Ginzuishou_ in my hand. Is this understood?"

In reply, he initiated a teleport, fading from view. But as he did so, she could see the clothes of Earth forming on him, cloaking him in obscurity, and she smiled a vicious, pointed smile. "The blood of the Moon will look beautiful on my throne."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The miracle healing attributed to the silver crystal was never fully covered in the manga, which is the function Iretsu serves; as proof. Also, it was a way to explain a niggling idea that's always bothered me: that the reincarnated Silver Millennium citizens are not going to be exactly the same.
> 
> Religious argument thrown in simply to amuse myself and play off Makoto's subconscious Christianity versus Rei's Shinto and unconscious Christianity.
> 
> The willful destruction of the Silver Millennium by the Queen's hand was partly simple grey shading of her character, and mostly a simplistic reason for no ruins or signs of civilization remaining. Otherwise, we're stuck trying to explain why the rest of the planets outside of the attack no longer exist when they were left unscathed.


	11. Act 11 : kurikaesu - Prince and Princess

##### 

"….and the mother looked into the strange object, and she was delighted, for a beautiful woman with a smiling, happy face was looking right back at her!

"Her husband asked her, ‘What do you see?' happy as a clam that his beloved wife was so delighted with his special gift, and eager to prove his newfound knowledge. And his wife, astonished, said, ‘I see a pretty woman looking at me, and she moves her lips as if she were speaking, and, oh! She has on a blue dress just like mine!'

"'Silly woman, that's you!' her husband stated proudly. ‘It is called a mirror, and in the big cities, everyone has a mirror. Only we, out here in the country village, have not seen them.'

The children laughed as Minako preened to an imaginary handheld mirror next to Ami, fluffing up her bangs. Her acting grew so obnoxious that soon, the blue-haired genius gave up reading amidst the laughter, simply watching as the children gathered on the floor held their bellies, rolling on the carpet.

Certainly, Ami had not expected to spend a Sunday reading stories to orphans.

But when the long-haired blonde had suddenly appeared behind her at the magazine shop, it had been with a most serious expression on her face. "Ne, Ami-chan, are you busy today?"

"I have no plans…" Ami had held a book on western medical techniques dumbly as Minako grabbed her wrist, dragging her towards the front door with the intent on exiting the building. It had proved to be quite the scene, as the blue-haired genius set off the alarm, and Minako had nearly leapt out of her shoes, expecting an emergency. The store clerk who had come over to check on the problem had almost been stabbed with a transformation pen, before Minako realized youma were not, in fact, initiating a mass-attack.

Meekly paying for the book before a crowd of onlookers, Ami inwardly fumed. How dare Minako try and drag her off with no warning, nor explanation? And the long-haired blonde didn't help matters by tapping her foot restlessly, checking her watch several times as the clerk exchanged monies with the blue-haired genius. By the time she received a receipt, Ami was ready to throw her studious, weak persona to the winds and give Minako a swift kick in her pert little ass, to put it bluntly.

Sensing disaster, however, the long-haired blonde had actually shuffled Ami outside – this time with no alarm fanfare – to explain what the rush was for. "You know Moriya-chan's orphanage? They put an ad in the paper, asking for middle and high schoolers to come during their free Sundays to read to the younger kids." Flashing her victory sign, she grinned, winking as the bus chugged to a stop in front of them. "A worthy cause, ne?"

"_H-hai_," Ami had stuttered, finding herself pushed up into the bus before she could truly protest, and rifling out a few yen under the driver's dull stare. Though, once she really thought about it, she would have gone along anyway, if Minako had explained it before the whole alarm incident.

So here she was, reading The Matsuyama Mirror to a group of children not quite old enough to read the intricate kanji themselves, recent arrivals in an orphanage that was being slowly overrun by the children of Americans who were sent abroad for the Army. The blue-haired genius recalled Moriya remarking on it once, as she was one of the few older children who could converse with them in their native English. Even now Ami could see the stark incomprehension on one lone face as she spoke in Japanese, looking immensely put out and lonely.

"Most of them lose themselves in the city during shopping trips, or the parents deliberately do it," Moriya had said disdainfully. "And you would think that being blond, white skinned, and blue-eyed around here would make them easy to find, but almost all of them are left without parents because no one wants to do a thorough search for them. The poor kids can't even speak the language of the country they've been abandoned in."

The child, Ami noted suddenly, had most unusual eyes; they were almost translucent in the iris, only the thinnest black circle separating it from the true white. And his skin faintly shimmered, though, she mused, that could have been simply from his milky complexion.

He looked painfully alone, looking around in confusion as the children around him laughed and laughed. Minako was doing her own little act fine without the story as a guide, and was in fact doing a fair impression of a closet homosexual samurai warrior of some sort. Or that's what Ami could guess at, since the kami only knew what her bent stance was supposed to be. So Ami shrugged, closing the book neatly and setting it on her stool, carefully creeping her way around the gathered group.

When the two girls had been ushered into the old building, they had met Sakakku's replacement; a willowy, cold-looking woman with ink black hair pulled back into a bun so tight her face was squinched. She was at least two decades younger than Sakakku had been, surprising considering the few applicants for such a job. Her coldness seemed built in, and she had been absolutely frigid while explaining what she expected them to read, and how long to occupy them.

The hallways formed a perfect T on each level, and Ami ascended to the third floor gingerly, half-afraid each step would take her through the creaking floorboards back to the ground floor. In serious need of repair, the entire building had suffered from lack of funds, and Sakakku had oftentimes had to fix leaking pipes with duct tape, creaking hinges with melted butter, and holes with smaller pieces of wood nailed right over. It was an architectural disaster, to be sure, and Ami was completely chagrined at such chaos.

Each open door she passed was a familiar scene of half-made beds, all in the same varying shades of worn-out white sheets and blankets, the varnish long gone from the wooden bed frames. One or two rooms had kids in them, playing games, reading, or, in one instance, dancing to a cheaply copied tape of a recent idol with a high-pitched voice that made Ami's hair stand on end.

Once she reached the correct door, however, she found it closed, with a sign requesting it stay so. She ignored it and twisted the knob, stepping inside a room that was so neat, tidy, and somehow dead that the blue-haired genius almost stepped right back out again.

The bed Moriya had slept in was properly made up, with the sheets folded just in front of the pillows, fluffed to rid them of any indication they had been slept on. On the walls were spots where the posters had hung, tiny holes indicating where the tacks had been shoved in. Everything was clean, sparkling, and completely antiseptic, and Ami felt a mean satisfaction in sitting atop the bed.

She wasn't sure why she had done it. Moriya had been, on reflection, more of an acquaintance than a friend. Like Naru, someone who simply didn't belong in the group as a whole; someone who was not a sailor soldier who had not been on the inside. Ami momentarily hated herself for thinking in such a way, but it was true. Her entire existence outside of school was now shaped by the four girls who shared magic with her.

The blue-haired genius folded her hands in her lap, glancing around the room slowly. Stray breezes from the partially opened window ruffled her bangs, airing the place out, and slamming the closet door shut. Suction opened it again, the lock obviously broken, and slammed it right back shut again, rattling the window. It repeated this vicious circle two more times before Ami, taking the hint, slipped off the bed to shut the damn thing properly.

Obviously, Sakakku had packaged up Moriya's things before her own death, because Ami had seen them all in the _odango_-haired blonde's room. But as she reached out to take hold of the door it swung back into her hand, and a spiral-bound sketchbook seemed to flutter its pages in greeting at her from the bottom shelf. "_Nani_? Sakakku-san missed something," she remarked to herself, bending to pick it up.

Closing the door tightly she turned away read the kanji on the cover, which pronounced to the world that yes, it was Chouno Moriyakumi's sketchbook, and not for sale to anyone with less than a few million yen.

Holding the sketchbook in her hands, she slowly shuffled through the pages as she used the closed door as a leaning post, eyes widening at the skill Moriya seemed to have possessed. Fellow orphans, a few of Mamoru, several of Usagi and her family; there were one or two half-finished ones of Minako, and, surprisingly, Sailor V. And one done entirely in coloured pencil that looked like an adult Moriya, posing with a broadsword in a blue military-like uniform. Feeling guilty then, Ami closed the sketchbook.

The door then opened with a sureness that Ami had not in doing the same thing; and even as she was sputtering a frantic explanation for her presence, Minako peered around at her with a guilty grin. "Ara ara, Ami-chan, you've made it here before me."

"M-Minako-chan!" Flushed and embarrassed, the blue-haired genius hastily stepped away from the closet door, holding the sketchbook to her chest like a shield as Minako closed the door foppishly behind her. "Aren't the children wondering where you are?"

"_Iyaa no_, Yuki-san said I could roam as I wished, as she put the kids to sleep," Minako explained as she gestured towards the window, indicating the setting sun.

Not quite sure of what to say, the blue-haired genius took up a tense stance to the side of one of the beds as Minako, true to her words, roamed towards the last bed. She ran a hand over the wrinkled covers, smoothing them out with unexpected gentleness. "You seem almost as sad as Usagi-chan that Moriya died as she did," Ami murmured.

The long-haired blonde's smile was fleeting. "_Hai_."

"Is it because she knew you were Sailor V before anyone else?"

Minako's expression of shock was more bemused than genuinely startled. But instead of a vocal answer, Ami instead opened the sketchbook to a two-page spread of the long-haired blonde, showing her dual identities. "Yare, yare, how dangerous an item to be left behind," Minako noted wryly. "I could have been chased down by any number of fanboys and brutally subjected to vile acts of worship."

The response was far more witty and dry than the blue-haired genius had come to expect of Minako. "Minako-chan, just how did she find out? Was she a reborn Silver Millennium citizen, an artist, perhaps?"

"Not in the least!" the long-haired blonde laughed, thankful that Ami didn't seem to hear the slight pause in her voice. "I had the misfortune of running into her on a heist; we fought to a standstill, and both of us lost our masks." She folded her arms, smiling out across the courtyard as she remembered her encounter, and the few that followed. "Seeing one another at those school games was intense; I suddenly had a worthy opponent, even if we had to play dumb in our secret identities as students.

"And it was almost a relief for someone to know who I was! She never once gave it away in front of any of you. None of you guessed our duel natures, not even Usagi-chan, and it was a terrible, terrible loss when I saw Moriya-chan jump in front of her…I…I thought maybe, she was someone else, another ally of ours…but surely none of us were meant to die before revealing that!" Her eyes were intense as they focused on Ami, who took a step back instinctively; it was just another reminder that Minako's cavorting and laughter were just a cover-up.

Or perhaps, a thinner skin that had been covered over for survival.

Seeing Ami's distress, the long-haired blonde pulled back, cooling in posture and ferocity, assembling herself back into that ditzy persona. "_Gomen nasai_, Ami-chan. It's still very hard on me, to know that she died doing what was supposed to be our job. She shouldn't have even been involved in our dangerous mission."

"It didn't matter, Minako-chan," Ami said astutely. "She did what any true friend would have done, even if without a soldier's uniform." Saying such had her thinking of the drawing beneath her arms; but, after seeing Minako's distress, it would probably be an act of discretion if she didn't show it to her. So she said, to change the topic, "Do you have the sword?"

"In my back pocket. I thought it would make a great accessory to your stories!"

"MinaKO-chan!"

The long-haired blonde snickered, holding up her hands in defense. "I'm joking, Ami-chan! It's far too heavy to carry around; our queen turned it to petrified stone, as hard as the rest of the kingdom. Even if I was forced to use it, I would need an extra set of arms to swing."

Ami had one of those long-suffering expressions on her face; indeed, now she was beginning to feel a headache. "You could have just said ‘No….' Anyway, I was thinking we should study it further. Test its abilities, its limits. If it is a holy blade…"

"It won't heal the sick, Ami-chan," Minako replied flatly, her arms folding themselves again into a tight cross. "A sword meant to protect our princess to the death, that's all it is. Perhaps poisoned for cutting, but nothing spectacular."

"Still," Ami argued vehemently, "it could be a great discovery! And what if there is more to it than just hacking and slashing? A ‘holy blade,' Serenity-sama called it."

The long-haired blonde was now the one wearing that tired expression, and she rubbed two fingers against her temple with a sigh. "Yare, yare, what our resident genius desires…maybe there is more to it, but I doubt it. When, and where?"

"I want to study it well….we can all meet tomorrow after school. And then, we can study it at my apartment."

Minako saluted foppishly, though she still looked far more worn than she cared to be. She then noted, with no lack of relish, "Maybe we should be leaving, ne?"

  
Literally reborn, Endymion saw with the eyes of a child.

In clothes that matched the solid hue of those eyes, the dark-haired prince wandered in obscurity through the teeming electrical entity that was Tokyo. He walked through alleys that no sane individual would have attempted, only marginally interested in the few thugs who thought him a worthy target. Many of them, upon staring into those blank eyes, were wiped as clean in memory and persona as he, attached through him to the same thread that guided him. It was so easier by far than creating _youma_ to search the city as he did, instead using the same humans that occupied the metropolis.

He had only the vaguest impressions of a ‘Chiba Mamoru,' a worthless human. They were mined for the memories of the streets, the subways, of what a red light, green light, and yellow meant. Nothing more than the bare minimum needed to get around and not be accosted by the police. What else did he care about? Wine, women, and song were not even in the low basement level of his priorities.

On the third day out, he stood without fear in the blinding light of the sun, protected by sunglasses and long clothes. Though Metallia had given him new life, he wasn't as fragile as the _shitennou_ had been – and they had been able to stand the sunlight for short periods. Granted, the sunlight was a bitch to his eyes, but he didn't run screaming like a vampire caught in a sudden breaking of the clouds. So he stood arrogantly, maybe even a little too imposing, and stared at the katakana above the door of the arcade.

"Game Center Crown," he muttered.

What was so intriguing about it?

A stone that parted the river of people around him, he closed his eyes to filter again through what he regarded as another person's life. Like an unemotional voyeur he viewed the weak, insubstantial pictures that came with many of the stronger emotions, impersonal until he flashed on a smiling face.

With that hesitation came a torrent.

The _odango_-haired blonde running across the street; Mamoru had followed her curiously, watched her enter this very building as if her life depended on it.

On a fountain's edge they sat, exchanging camaraderie.

In front of a store window she stood, reflected in twin imagery as her miniature smiled back at her through the glass.

Everything hit him so fast he stumbled suddenly, knocking back into someone who was edging past him. Whoever it was swore at him, something vaguely threatening, which he blithely ignored. His entire world was centered on that very moment of remembrance, a name to match the face: "Usagi…"

"Ano, are you looking for something?"

The voice was cheery, but hesitant, unsure. Endymion slowly rotated his head to see the blond teenager beside him, staring at him in confusion. "Can I help you? I'm Furuhata Motoki, a part-time worker here; my father owns the building."

Endymion stared at him in return, sizing him up; he was no obvious threat to anyone, especially himself. Another boy stood next to Motoki, obviously a fellow student by the similar books they held, his stare rather vacant behind his glasses. "Perhaps…Furuhata Motoki. I have some business with his place…"

"You must be the new worker then, ne? My father said you would be coming today!" Motoki announced proudly, bowing quickly in a formal greeting. "Nice to meet you! As I introduced myself already, it would be silly to do so again…are you a college student, like myself?"

It was almost sickening how mentally stunted humans were. Endymion let the contempt flow through his veins lest he shudder and physically show just how much he despised the weak little…thing…in front of him. He realized, however, that some act of greeting was expected in return, and removed his sunglasses slowly to let his eyes adjust to the sunlight, and bowed.

Motoki acted as if he'd found Atlantis; he waved a finger at the dark-haired prince frantically, laughing in triumph. "I know you from somewhere! Didn't you come here a few times with Moriya-chan?" When Endymion didn't respond right away, the blond kept on talking, carrying the conversation easily. "_Gomen_, but she hasn't come in lately. But her friend, Usagi-chan, is here all the time! She has a cute hairstyle, it's unique; little _odango_ on top of her head, you can recognize her right away! You could ask her where she is."

"Usagi-chan….yes," Endymion agreed stoically, solid eyes roaming along Motoki as if he were sizing him up for a meal. Next to him, his friend looked almost comically frightened, as if not sure how to react to the dark-haired man giving the blond such a look.

And the blond was not as oblivious as Endymion thought. He gestured at the front door, giving the poor boy an easy exit as he said, "Endou, why don't you wait inside for me?"

"_Hai, hai_," Endou agreed easily, if a tad bit quickly. Inside the center was a room full of zombified geeks, all intent on their video conquests, but it was apparently better than outside with someone who looked dangerous, or at least devious.

"Yare yare, am I that poor of company?" The question was meant to be rhetorical, as Endou, in the next minute, ceased to exist to answer it. Killing humans was like swatting flies to the dark-haired prince; casually did he let the power fill his eyes, forced outwards like the death rays many manga characters exuded. So quickly did Endou's body reduce to absolute nothing that the air made a popping noise as it rushed in to fill the void.

Where he sent him to was not pleasant, but it was an easy disposal.

Motoki made a noise like a fish out of water, mouth gaping and slapping shut loosely as he tried to protest, or, scream for help. The street was reasonably free of civilians with the lunch hour being over, and truthfully it had happened so fast that no one would have taken notice anyway.

Endymion had realized one hard fact about Tokyo; everyone worked hard to convince themselves that nothing ever happened. The wreckage left behind by Kunzite's last attempt to scare out the sailor soldiers was being worked on as if it had been nothing more than an errant tsunami, and not some possible cataclysmic freeze. Many were now convinced that the appearance of the _Ginzuishou_ had simply been an explosion of power lines, despite evidence to the contrary. Massive sickness due to loss of energy was an epidemic.

So why would anyone notice one lone student disappearing?

The dark-haired prince smiled, taking a guilty bit of pleasure in the blond's utter helplessness and confusion. "Scream," he whispered, smiling wider.

His eyes glowed once more, locking with Motoki's.

In the depths of his mind, the blond recalled a singular smile Usagi had blessed him with one day, a recollection brought on by one of those rare occurrences in the universe where someone, in a frantic rationalization of what was happening to them, figured out the reason. A shot in the dark, people usually called it; this one was dead on.

Endymion saw that smile before he ripped away everything that was Furuhata Motoki in much the same way Beryl had to him, reducing it to a compacted ball of memory caged deep, deep within his mind. Replaced it with a robot program, similar to all the others, to give him a singular personality and a focus. He bound him to his own bondage, made him his servant and puppet; and he smiled as he said, "_Konnichi wa_, Motoki. I'm your friend, Endou, remember?"

"_H…Hai_. Endou-kun…of course. _Konnichi wa_," Motoki said slowly, gathering speed to his thoughts and speech as his new personality asserted itself. "Let's go inside."

"After you."

They entered as normal as anyone else, though Endymion took a slow assessment of the entire room as Motoki stood idly behind him, blocking the doorway. No one noticed, nor cared, so intent were they in their virtual worlds. The two flashes of light had gone unnoticed amidst the constant barrage of light they were subjected to; not a single head turned towards them.

In truth, the dark-haired prince was not quite sure what he was looking for. He knew the blonde girl came here. He reconciled her with the picture in his mind of the white moon princess. But why did she come here?

As Endymion watched, someone yelled out, "_Iie_, Sailor V-chan! That was my last life!"

The young gamer found himself flanked suddenly by the two teenagers. As he looked up, the dark-haired prince quite smoothly pushed him away from the console, taking his spot as he peered critically at the screen as it pulsed ‘GAME OVER' over and over again.

"A-a-ano….!" the boy babbled, completely disoriented by this turn of events. People stole games from him all of the time, shoving their way in without asking; it was a normal process of video game fanatics. But never had one so well dressed shown interest in even being seen in such a place, let alone attempted to get involved. "F-Furuhata-san, I have a problem!"

It took him a minute to realize that the blond stood alongside the dark-haired prince, not in the least bit concerned with what was going on. "Furuhata-san!"

Endymion frowned, slowly rotating his head – it was, actually, a damn eerie sight – to stare up at the geek. He was considering simply killing him messily as a warning to everyone else, or simply for the sheer hell of it. But Motoki took charge instead, leaning forward to give the geek a strange echo of the usually cheerful smile he always wore. "It's ok, Tokage. We're simply doing an evaluation of the game; Endou-kun has a tendency to throw himself into his work."

"Oh." That was the long and short of it. Knowing defeat without even giving it much deep thought, the geek ambled away with his pocketful of yen to play something else.

Motoki gave Endymion that same strange smile, reaching to caress the dark-haired prince in an almost-sexual manner. With his whole world now revolving around him, of serving him and his mistress, the gesture was normal; but it was a complete 360 from the Motoki who, up until five minutes ago, had been cheery and almost boyishly innocent. The touch was a need, a comfort, and he leaned over his new master to watch as Endymion convinced the machine to start a new game, and began to play.

They stayed in silence as Endymion ran Sailor V with all of the conviction of a dead rat; she died usually within seconds. But it was the sounds of the game itself he listened to, puzzling as it hummed like any other console, when he was positive it had to be more. Why else would there be a game dedicated to the solitary soldier, in such a convenient place?

"Furuhata-kuuun, are you here?" a high voice chirped.

"It's always something, isn't it?" Endymion growled quietly, ignoring the woman as she strode into the arcade, heading right for them. Whoever she was didn't concern him; his newfound ‘pet' unattached himself to take care of the problem yet again.

The woman was, on closer look, around Motoki's age, with long hair and a happy smile. She held two books in her hands, and one of them was held out to Motoki with an air of ceremony and pride. "You left this in class, Furuhata-kun, how strange of you! It's lucky I found it before I left class…"

"_Arigatou_, Reika-san," Motoki replied smoothly, though it was such an empty tone of voice that the woman paused, staring at him. "I would have needed this tonight."

"Always pleased to be of service!" She preened slightly at her good deed, obviously expecting more praise; but Motoki seemed to drift off, and indeed turned away from her to resume his lean over Endymion, book still in her hand. "Ano, Furuhata-kun, what friend is this that's so important? Though he's very nice…"

Her voice was slightly indignant, enough to get both men to turn their heads. Endymion produced a cold smile for her, one that didn't even reach his cheeks, let alone his eyes. "I'm his best friend, Endou."

"_Hai_, my best friend, Endou-kun," Motoki agreed.

The silence that followed was punctuated by the death scream of Sailor V.

"…but…Endou-kun?" she said weakly, staring from one to the other. Endymion frowned slightly, annoyed that he hadn't foreseen this problem; she obviously knew the real Endou. He was ready to just get up in a sly maneuver – act like he was hugging her, stare into her eyes, wipe her brain, all in a day's work – when she unconsciously stepped back into a console behind her, jolting her arms so sharply she dropped her books.

Both hit the floor on their spines, cracking open in place as she cried out. Neither male moved to help her as she bent to pick them up, staring mournfully at their permanently damaged spines. "Mou! And this was the library's only copy of the Gemstone Encyclopedia…!"

She gave Motoki's book back, somewhat forcing it on him, as she nursed the spine of her own. On the cover was a hunk of crystal, along with the kanji for the title. Though it was a generally useless book in his mission, Endymion felt the hard lumps of the four gems in his own pocket and reached without thinking to withdraw them.

As he stared at them, Reika crooned. "Ara, you have such pretty stones! Both kinds of jade, jadeite and nephrite, and a lovely spodumene, kunzite…oh, tanzanite, the blue zoisite stone! Where did you get such a collection?" She laughed girlishly, blushing as she touched her fingers to the last stone. "I'm intently interested in gemstones; I'm sorry if I'm rambling on!"

The smile Endymion gave her was almost friendly. "Not at all."

  
In class, Sakurada-sensei was shouting.

But in her dream, it was merely the gentle whispering music of the dance.

Everything had been thought of for this, her birthday party, for it was the year she would be considered a woman. She would be regarded as her mother's eyes and ears, and she would be expected to court a virile male to carry on their bloodline before her mother rescinded the throne to her.

She wore a silver, gold, and white ballgown, the bodice tight to accentuate her slim figure and growing breasts, mounding them coyly. White satin gloves hugged her arms, tulle and lace wrapped around her skirt to trail on the floor behind her. And her hair, though tied into their normal _odango_, glittered with tiny diamonds and pearls; they matched her choker.

Quite frankly, she felt like a simultaneously under and over dressed doll.

Her mother had only laughed when she mentioned this, saying, "Daughter mine, I had to suffer the very same when I became a woman."

Even though the dance was marvelous, the food sumptuous as always, she quickly retreated to a lone corner to stave off the advances of far too many men. It was unnerving to her that so many males wanted to touch her, to stare at her; though she was a princess, and used to crowds of people staring at her, in close quarters she was almost always with women. The same women who were right now blatant and indiscreet amongst the crowd, dressed as always in their varied colour uniforms.

All of it was sickening to her, and she was desperately thinking of a way to flee the entire party when a shadow fell over her.

"Princess, may I have this dance?"

She was vaguely aware that people were staring as she herself stared up into a face she had only recently discovered existed. The very same lips, curved into a gentle smile; eyes the colour of the deep blue oceans of his planet. "E-endymion-sama? You were invited to this party?" It was a stupid question; her mother never allowed any of the Earth people into her kingdom. And it was obvious he had stole his way onto the satellite, as he wore none of his livery, clothing himself in a mundane suit of formal attire.

No wonder people stared; he looked almost like a peasant.

"Shh. I wouldn't want your mother to send me back, without the benefit of a transport," he whispered with a smile, completely unaware of the looks they were receiving. "I came to see the young girl who would be Queen someday, in joy instead of anger."

How true. Her mother usually never spoke to representatives of the blue planet, unless it was to demand something, usually better treatment of slaves, or less tolerance of murder. The Earth knew that the Moon regarded them as little more than an experiment, of sorts, and they honored the treaty of no contact more out of stubborn anger than compliance.

She held out her hand with a formal tilt of her chin, suddenly afire in the knowledge that she was doing something completely against her teaching. "I think I'll take that dance."

It had been something close to heaven as he had pulled her scandalously close, spinning her into a formal dance as the entire room parted for them like the sea. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her guardian soldiers goggling in various degrees of astonishment, along with several of her potential suitors.

But it was her mother's lack of expression that had her almost tripping in mid-step, faltering in a dance she had been trained in since she could walk. No, that wasn't quite right; it wasn't a lack of expression. More thoughtful than blank, her grey eyes betrayed nothing, even as she clapped for the end of the song. Endymion bowed, releasing her hand before she could finish a curtsey in return, and vanished into the crowd as smoothly as a phantom.

That night had built up the fire in her, driving her to escape the stately marble halls of her home to explore Earth and its wild beauty; and to catch a glimpse yet again of her ocean-eyed prince. And every night thereafter, she marveled at her mother's silence, assuming that she didn't know the truth of her passion.

Now she knew better.

The crash of a textbook mere inches from her nose had her screaming, snapping her head up from relative comfort on her desk to find herself staring into the maddened eyes of her teacher. She tried to pull her head down into her neck and found it impossible; Sakurada-sensei grabbed her by the ear, making sure she paid attention. "Tsukino Usagi, I have had it up to the heavens with your lack of care! I've allowed you grieving time for Moriya, but this is the limit! You will pay attention in class, and you will stay after school to write a 100-word essay – in English! – on why I should not just flunk you here and now!"

"_H-H-Hai, sensei_!" Usagi stammered, flinching in shame as she realized everyone was staring at her; just like her dream.

That had been first hour. Even lunch didn't lift her spirits, in fact deflating them further when she told Makoto and Ami that she had to stay late; though the blue-haired genius was far too polite to vocalize it, the disappointment radiated from her. Makoto had tried to cheer her up with a homemade snack, but the mood was ruined.

"I wish I could see you again, before I forget your voice…" she whispered into the window, pencil in hand. The afternoon was warm and mild, pleasant; and she was stuck inside for another five sentences at least. Writing the essay was exhausting her limited English, and she had basically been repeating herself for most of it. She missed having Moriya reading her faulty sentences out loud, correcting them as easily as she would Japanese, knowing where Usagi put the words in the wrong order, or left some out.

She missed two important people in her life, and that was way too many. With a sigh she re-worded another sentence, managing to hack out the rest before the clock tolled 5. Sakurada didn't even look up as the _odango_-haired blonde set the paper on the desk, simply waving her off as she marked up a test paper with half a pen's worth of red ink. Usagi was pretty sure it was hers, but didn't hang around to find out.

Because of the time, the plan had changed for them to meet at Rei's home instead of the Crown. It was a bus ride and a short walk to get there, though she ran awkwardly the last few blocks to get there faster, slapping herself in the legs with her school case with every step. Running was simply not her forte.

The sun was turning much of the sky a lovely crimson and pink as she huffed and gasped up what seemed to be a million steps, finally passing beneath the enormous red torii to collapse on the stones. "Rei-chan needs an elevator," she wheezed.

Yards away, she heard, "Rei-chan does _not_ need an elevator, only properly conditioned allies!"

"Mooou!" The _odango_-haired blonde wriggled and inched her way back to her feet, affecting weakness as she tottered and idled towards the group.

The sight of the dark-haired shrine girl dressed in red overalls and a white, long-sleeve shirt was startling amidst the simplistic buildings that made up her home. Usagi had never seen her ally dressed so casually while still standing on hallowed ground, without the robes that spoke of her status as a Shinto _miko_. It served well to humanize her.

Around her stood two; a visibly disgruntled Minako held the stone sword awkwardly, as it was far too heavy to hold in any normal position. "Usagi-chaAan, it's about time! My arms are going to fall off!"

"_Gomen nasai_, V-chan!" the odango-haired blonde chirped in return, bowing frantically in forgiveness. Upon straightening up, however, she looked quizzically around the courtyard, finally realizing that one of them was missing. "Ne, where's Ami-chan?"

  
"She went on ahead; she said she wanted to make sure her mother was out of the apartment," Makoto responded. Before Usagi could then ask the obvious, the tall brunette held up a piece of neatly ripped notebook paper. The words written on it was in a precise, clear hand, all in easily readable hiragana. "And yes, she left us directions."

"Ami-chan lives in quite the ritzy neighborhood, too," Minako added.

The dark-haired shrine girl nodded her head slowly, for once agreeing with the long-haired blonde. "'Ritzy,' yes, but very understated. Only the people living there and their associates know how upper class those buildings are. Some of the politicians of the Diet live there."

A serious of suitably impressed ‘Oooohs' followed.

Somewhat cowed, the girls trekked down to the shrine's bus stop, the walk down far easier than the walk up. Usagi still dragged her feet somewhat, pausing halfway down at the crash of crows above her head. Looking up, the birds formed a black hole against the sky, like the flow of a cape; she felt near tears. "Mamo-chan…"

"U-SA-GI!"

"_Hai, hai_!" She all but ran the last few steps, nearly flinging herself into the street as she tripped on the last one. With a frantic yip, she danced through the traffic to the opposite side, hopping up into the bus as the driver favoured her with a particularly dour frown.

Her fare apparently paid by the impatient Rei, she forsook the usual charade of digging for loose change in her pockets and instead teetered into the back, where her friends took up the last two seats. She didn't feel like apologizing for the hundredth time that day, so she simply collapsed into the empty seat in front of Minako.

As luck would have it, the bus hit a pothole.

Everyone was bounced around in their seats.

The sword, having been propped against the seat in front of Minako, clonked Usagi right in the back of her skull. In that really nasty place that hurts the most.

She didn't even have the energy to scream and cry, so she just slid down further into her seat, holding her head. "The whole world is against me," she mumbled.

"Usagi-chan, _daijoubu_?" Minako peeked over the seat at her, holding the sword by its handle to prevent further mishaps. The other two were firmly entrenched in yet another religious debate – it had only fueled Rei's fire to find out Makoto's parents had been closet Christians, so to speak – and had not even noticed the possible brain damage the odango-haired blonde had suffered.

Crystal blue eyes rolled up to meet twilight blue. "_Hai, hai_. I just miss Mamo-chan so much…and I feel so useless!"

"Strange for a girl to say, when she has a crystal capable of destroying planets," Minako said coyly.

"Minako-chan…"

"_Gomen, gomen_, I'm just teasing you!" she said seriously, holding up a hand.

Usagi frowned, gnawing at her lip. The throbbing in her skull thankfully subsided, though pain spiked viciously through her entire head with every little jolt of the vehicle. "You know what I mean, V-chan," she replied in just as serious a tone, using the childish nickname to denote the long-haired blonde's reasons for understanding. "Only a little while ago, I was childish and happy Tsukino Usagi, with a silly crush on some jerk who kept teasing me. Now I'm also Princess Serenity, destined to have met Prince Endymion again. Is my love just a programmed response? Or would I have fallen in love with Mamo-chan even without knowing of our past?"

"Only you would know that, Usagi-chan," Minako said slowly. "You've made loving eyes at Furuhata _onii-san_ before; I've seen it. You crush as easily as I do, and maybe you wouldn't have fallen in love, that's true, but you would have met him anyway. I know it."

"_Demo sa_…."

Streets passed them by at a steady pace. The _odango_-haired blonde curled into the window, drawing her knees up to her chin. "Love is not programmed, not true love, Usagi-chan. You know what it feels like; now, can you tell me what it feels like to you?"

A young boy ran down the sidewalk as the bus stopped for a light, laughing; behind him ran a younger girl, chasing him as she held onto a balloon. "It feels like…childhood," Usagi whispered softly. "So very happy, and seemingly never-ending; like the first taste of ice cream in the summer, and touching your toes into a swimming pool on the hottest day. Like joy."

"Then why do you question yourself?"

Unexpectedly, Usagi said, "You have such a serious side, V-chan. Is it truly you?"

Both girls stared at one another, caught in a moment of vexing silence.

It was broken only when Makoto said, "This is our stop, _minna_."

Makoto and Rei stood to walk down the aisle unsteadily, the bus slowing down by degrees as the sign came into view. With reluctance, the long-haired blonde tore her eyes away from those of her friend, taking up the sword in another unsteady hold by the hilt. Usagi took the cue and stood along with her, following the two girls towards the front exit.

Outside, the dark-haired shrine girl's description rang true, with buildings of almost plain simplicity rising above their heads, with only their length an obvious sign of their price. "Ami-chan lives on the fifth floor, at the end of the building," the tall brunette said, pointing towards the window in question, unremarkable from the rest.

"I hope she has an elevator!" both blondes chorused.

"In a building like this? Of course she does," Rei snorted. "Come on, it's getting late. Let's go on up."

Each segment of the building had its own main entrance and separate address, which Ami had thoughtfully mentioned; the foyer of the door was painted a tasteful blue and white, with sprays of fresh flowers in large vases and shiny brass mailboxes on the wall. The carpet was Oriental, and obviously expensive and delicate, prompting Minako to do a frantic dance across it, lest she drop the sword and destroy the precious weave.

As they came up to the mailboxes, Makoto noticed a pair of men at the end of the hall pointing towards them. Shrugging it off as nothing, she simply gave them what she had come to call her "Bug Off and Die Glare," turning away afterwards to ignore them. All four girls peered at the brass boxes, though it was Rei who finally tapped a finger against the pair of kanji that read, simply, ‘Mizuno,' no first names given. "Here she is."

Minako fell to the back, hauling the sword like her own personal ball and chain as they walked towards the elevator at the end of the hall. Unfortunately, it just brought them closer to the two men, who had stopped pointing and were just staring almost rudely. The tall brunette scowled, and walked a bit faster, intending to frighten them off.

But when they reached the elevator, one of the men stepped forward and bowed. "Hino Rei-san. I'm sorry, but your father is not with us today."

Both brunette and blonde stopped dumb in their tracks. Rei acted as if she hadn't heard him speak, and in fact turned her back to him as she pushed the button for the elevator, ignoring the sound of Minako smacking into her friend's unmoving bodies. "Misekake-san, I was not planning to see my father today. In fact, I would assume he never expects me to exist save for my birthday, when civil politeness forces him to take notice."

Her voice was absolutely frigid as she added, "He has, already, used up his one visitation for the year."

All three girls were staring at the dark-haired shrine girl as if she had grown a third head, a tail, and a spectacular lolling tongue. She assumed a pose of waiting, folding her arms as she tilted her chin arrogantly to the sky, blatantly dismissing the men. For Rei to be so uncommonly rude, something had to be wrong, and the men seemed to realize it. Both of them bowed low enough to lick their own knees, before making thinly veiled, hasty retreats down the hallway.

"….that was impressive," Makoto remarked slowly.

The elevator doors slid open smoothly. "My father's associates seem to think being sickeningly gracious to me means he will look well upon them. They never seem to realize that my father has no time for me, nor does he ever notice their fawning." So saying, she stepped inside of the mirrored rectangular box, pushing the button for the fifth floor, and holding it as her three allies hustled inside.

Upstairs was almost more posh than the hallway. Again were fresh flowers situated in vases in the hall, crowding a small tree in the picture window at the end. Elegant velvet panels patterned the walls, and each door had subtle ornate carving and metal accents.

Ami had said she would leave the door unlocked, and indeed it gave easily under Makoto's hand. And if the sights of the hallways were nifty, the large foyer, with its marble tile floor and glittering chandelier, took their breath away. "_Sugo-i_," Usagi moaned.

Potted ferns large enough to be considered small trees crowded the foyer itself, along with a few hanging purple and green plants that Makoto pointed out as wandering Jews. It was almost like wandering into a jungle-themed discotheque, one they continued to ogle as they exchanged their outdoor shoes for some plain indoor slippers set aside for visitors.

Amidst warning to not trip, Minako managed to haul the sword without incident along with her down the hall that connected to the kitchen, another showcase of marble flooring, along with hardwood cabinets and similar marble countertops. The stove looked barely used, sparkling clean, set as it was into the wall. "They must eat out a lot," Makoto mused, peering at the range for a telltale hint of burnt scraps. "This thing is clean enough to lick."

Through the second kitchen doorway was the den, where Ami sat calmly, a thick textbook in her lap. "_Gomen nasai_, but we're later than expected," Rei apologized as the blue-haired genius looked up.

"_Daijoubu_…I only convinced mama to leave about fifteen minutes ago. She wanted some Korean barbecue for weeks." Ami smiled almost shyly at her apparently devious plotting, closing the book with a snap of pages. "Did you have any trouble finding me?"

"Your instructions were wonderful, Ami-chan," the tall brunette laughed, holding the folded piece of paper up.

She got up as Minako appeared, muttering under her breath about her arms not only ready to fall off, but ready to give up and die. The sword, solid stone as it was, had grown extremely heavy, and it was only fear of damaging the expensive flooring, furniture, and apartment in general that kept her from just dropping the damn thing. "Ara, you managed to bring it here without incident?"

"My arms will never forgive me," the long-haired blonde moaned, though she nodded her head at the question. "Hai, hai. Though do you know how many people asked me on the way how much this thing costs?"

Usagi, Makoto, and Rei settled into the couch and armchairs with relative comfort, all relieved to be sitting down. Minako was forced to stay standing as she held the sword, eyeing Ami as she held something shiny up. "Before you took the sword home, V-chan, Luna and I tested the blade. Our queen turned it into incredibly strange stone, as if everything down to the last molecule had petrified. And I'm glad you have it by the hilt, as I said; the cutting edges are particularly poisonous, as you thought."

"I was joking!" Minako protested.

Ami waved the words away with a quick gesture of her hand. "Still, the stone is unique. It's not merely petrified in normal terms, like a fossil on this planet." She held out a gold ring etched with _fleur-de-lis_, the stone a relatively fair sized diamond. "This diamond was formed under extreme stress and pressure; once merely coal, it is one of the hardest stones on our planet. V-chan, will you tap the tip of the sword to the diamond?"

The long-haired blonde blinked, obviously taken aback. She held the hilt in both hands and lifted it up high enough for Ami to angle the ring beneath it, her arms wobbling. With an extreme effort, she merely tapped the diamond with the very tip of the sword, nearly dropping the entire weapon when her arms just gave out.

But from just the touch, the diamond cracked, chipped into pieces.

"Kyaaaaaaaaa! I broke the diamond, I broke the diamond, oh, _kami-sama_, I broke the diamond!" Minako shook frantically as she watched a few more chips fall off and get lost in the thick carpet. The other three were aghast, gaping at the ruined gem in Ami's hands.

"_Daijoubu, daijoubu_, V-chan! It's just a diamond!"

"_Just_ a diamond!?" The long-haired blonde nearly went into cardiac arrest right then and there. She did have a swooning spell, at which Makoto managed to catch her and fan her face. "Just a diamond, and I suppose next it'll be just the royal family's jewel!"

Ami did that quick dismissal again, waving her hand just so. "My mother can always get more, it's not as if she has no money for such frivolous things. And I was making a point in the name of science, you see." She drew her fingertip across the crack in the diamond, flaking even more loose chips off. "That sword cracked diamond, the hardest stone. And the cutting edge is not the only danger; the stone itself is toxic, though merely touching it isn't enough to kill, or even harm. The entire kingdom is now made of this stone, effectively making it a particularly noxious graveyard."

On the couch, the _odango_-haired blonde nuzzled into the soft, especially snuggable cushions. The sword's properties were of no special interest to her, and truly, she had been more delighted at simply seeing Ami's home for the first time than discussing weaponry. With all of the talk focusing on something she didn't give a toss about, she felt herself finally relax, her mind giving up and simply releasing all of its tension.

Even Rei's comment didn't phase her; something about the use for a toxic sword, holy or no. "….and what can we do with it? Surely it was meant to be used in its prime, not in a solidified rock state! How can we protect our princess with that?"

"Maybe we can destroy the evil with its poison?" Makoto interjected.

"_Iie_…the sword is for physical things…the darkness that we ultimately must fight is nothing more than an aura of evil…" All of them remembered Serenity's description of their last great enemy; shapeless.

Ami steepled her fingers against her chin. "Perhaps…the enemy has a physical agent, does it not? That woman we saw, the night our princess truly awakened…is she the one the sword is intended for?" She tilted her head, looking towards Usagi. "Ne, Usagi-chan, what do you think….Usagi-chan?"

The smallest snore was the only response. The _odango_-haired blonde had slid halfway off the couch in her relaxed state, a bit of drool darkening the fabric beneath her cheek. Such an adorable tableau produced a smile in all four girls as they watched their princess sleep. "She looks so innocent in sleep," Rei murmured quietly.

"As our princess, she should be so innocent," Minako added, quiet but firm. "But it's not possible in our battle."

"Minako-chan, you can be so pessimistic," the tall brunette sighed, bending down to gently pick Usagi up into her arms. She didn't see the long-haired blonde's crestfallen expression, the turning away of her head; instead, she walked in the opposite direction towards a door Ami silently pointed out, just visible down another hallway.

It was obviously her bedroom, by the blue motif and piles of textbooks on the desk. Rei helped to open the door and pull back the comforter and sheets, tucking them in around Usagi once she was lain softly atop the mattress. She continued to drool into the pillow, completely unaware of her change of location, and oblivious to the clicking of the door.

"I am not pessimistic, Mako-chan," Minako said stiffly upon seeing the tall brunette emerge from the hallway. "I can't help but realize these serious things…Usagi isn't meant to be unhappy and sad, you know that!"

"Maybe not, but recognizing it and saying it out loud are different things. We shouldn't be burdening her with such matters," the dark-haired shrine girl interjected firmly, settling herself back into the couch.

The long-haired blonde smiled coyly. "Ne, didn't you once say that when you thought I was the princess? And only Usagi-chan stood up for me, recognizing my experience and knowledge."

"It's not the same—"

"But it is! She didn't begrudge me the chance to fight simply because I claimed to be Princess Serenity. Yes, she should be innocent and happy, oblivious to all of this, but she would know anger if we deliberately held back on her. As princess and future queen, her responsibility is to the safety of her kingdom, and if that means losing that innocence, and fighting to destroy the evil, then she will, and we know it!"

"But how is she to lock it away?" Ami interrupted softly. "Serenity-sama only she can use the _Ginzuishou_, but now, the sword is involved…"

"…mmmaaah…"

It was a most naughty dream this time, one that Usagi had never experienced before. The sensations invoked left her breathless as she opened her eyes quickly to see a powder blue ceiling, her hands clutching the disarrayed comforter. She had twisted and rolled to put herself atop the bedsheets, her body spread out in a lazy, cat-like pose on her side.

Definitely a vivid dream. Recalling one certain moment had her flushing, touching a hand to her breast as her heart began to pound. "Endymion…_iie_, Mamo-chan…" What did it mattered? The same ocean blue eyes stared at her in either lifetime, though now, she could remember a particularly wicked gleam to them.

In the hazy light of the setting sun, she looked around Ami's neat bedroom. With such vague details she could easily deny her situation and pretend it was Mamoru's room, complete with a lovely sunset. She wished desperately that she could share it with him.

That was silly, of course. She hadn't seen the dark-haired prince since the night on the Tower; simply because she remembered their past lives together, and felt herself wanting to act on those feelings, didn't mean he would do the same. It was a very good possibility that when they rescued him, he would want nothing more than friendship, or that he viewed her as a childish little sister. Either would devastate her.

Realizing that, she felt a few warm tears trickle down her cheeks. Beneath her school uniform hung the cold weight of the _Ginzuishou_, reminding her where the warmth now resided; and that it was quite possibly wasted. It was as dead to her touch as his watch.

"Mooou, my eyes are going to swell up again!" she whimpered, scrubbing at her cheeks and eyes to get rid of the tears. "I hate being this way…I want to be happy and silly again, playing games…"

Actually, a game sounded good right about now.

Very good.

She got up, smoothing out her wrinkled uniform as well as possible, tugging the sheets and comforter into a semi-situated state. Then she snuck out of the bedroom, pausing in the hallway as she heard her friends arguing over the sword; they were still unsure about wielding the weapon, and when. Pouting, she instead crept in the opposite direction, ending up in the dining room, with a clear path to the front door.

Shoes were exchanged, and she was out the door, running for the elevator. She felt incredibly anxious, a dire need to get to the Crown; jabbing at the button for the elevator, she hopped from foot to foot. The sole passenger must have thought her mad once the doors opened, and she saw the blonde doing her little dance. She kept it up down all four floors, rocking from heel to toe, bouncing from foot to foot, repeating as needed.

Everything was a blur. Her heart pounded within her chest, the same as it had in her dream, and it grew intense the closer she came to the Crown. When she finally stood in front of it, alone on the sidewalk, her heart felt ready to burst. "This feeling…like the first time he called me ‘Usako.' Am I still dreaming?"

Inside, she could make out someone sitting at the Sailor V game, not unusual; many diehard fans of the long-haired blonde kept trying desperately to defeat the game, and several swore there was no end. They were most likely right, as Minako had slyly inferred that it was merely a subtle training system for the girls.

Never once giving a thought to the fact her friends would be frantic upon finding her missing, she stepped through the sliding doors to find the Crown almost completely empty. Only the two seated at the Sailor V game were present, and Usagi slowly realized that the blond man draped possessively against the dark-haired player of the game was Motoki. "_O-oniisan_?"

Empty eyes lifted to see her, and they were so cold, so dead, that Usagi took a step back. She felt a sudden spasm of fear as he smiled. "Usagi-chan…_konnichiwa_." His voice was throaty, all the more menacing by how unfamiliar and alien he was acting.

But when the other man turned to stare at her, she very nearly fainted. She shuddered all over as Endymion, with his black eyes, regarded her with interest, in the same intensity that Motoki had. As if she were some sort of dish to be eaten. "Ara ara, so you're Usagi-chan? With those unusual _odango_…"

"M…M…" Her throat felt dry; the name would not form properly. As he stood up, her throat closed off entirely, and all she produced was a squeak as he came close, closer, reaching out to touch her peculiar hairstyle. The smile and his eyes were cold and unusual, but the closeness of his body, of his warmth, inspired a vivid memory; it could be no one else.

However… "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm working here part-time now; I go to school with Furuhata-kun, at K.O. University. Endou," he murmured into her ear, removing his hand with a deliberate brush of fingertips against her neck.

The touch was not repulsive, was in fact the very opposite, but she recoiled. "E-endou? But…but…"

"Don't be afraid, Usagi-chan, Endou is just being friendly," Motoki said.

Beneath the smell of some inoffensive cologne, Usagi could just barely recognize a thick stench; the smell of the underground, of dampness and mold. She remembered smelling it once before, in greater amounts, and as Endymion loomed over her, she pistoned her arms out. Into his chest she punched, not thinking, just reacting, screaming "NO!" at the top of her lungs.

  
In Ami's apartment, they had just discovered her missing.

Below, in the command center, the computer began to shriek an alarm.

"_Shimatta_, where is Usagi-chan?!" Rei snapped as they gathered in the den once more, having searched the entire apartment. "She must have snuck out without us noticing…"

Minako's shirt pocket began beeping, the white feline frantically trying to reach them. She pulled her transformation pen out, only to hear him yelling, "Something's happening in the Crown! The enemy is trying to infiltrate us!"

Quite suddenly, it dawned on them where Usagi had to be. The long-haired blonde literally vaulted over the couch as she ran for the front door, followed closely by her allies, the sword left to drop into the carpet. "Usagi-chaaan!"

The _odango_-haired blonde scrambled away from the dark-haired prince as he tried to grab her, laughing at her fear. "Yare yare, is the strong sailor soldier afraid of me? And you can be no one else with that silly hairstyle, I remember it! Tsukino Usagi no Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity!"

She was no fighter, but she tried her best now. Motoki was coming around from the other side as she frantically kicked out at Endymion's leg, hitting hard enough to drop him. She hastily clambered over one of the consoles as the blond dove for her, just missing as she leapt over mere seconds before impact. Her landing was spectacularly clumsy, and she slip-slid towards the Sailor V game, which, miraculously, was sliding back to allow her access.

"The _Ginzuishou_, princess!" Endymion was snarling now, all pretense of goodwill gone. She screamed as he caught one of her pigtails, yanking her back hard enough to pull a few hairs loose, and she slid across the floor. "I have no more patience to play games, to sit around and wait! Give me the holy stone, and I'll kill you quickly!"

Outside, night had fallen, taking with it any possible witnesses. The doors melted away into solid glass, allowing no access, as Endymion pulled the wriggling, struggling _odango_-haired blonde into his arms. "_Iie_, you can't be Mamo-chan…stop it! Stop it!"

"You could have made this easier, princess," Motoki purred, holding onto her legs to further halt any escape.

A black blur bounced off his back, yowling; all Usagi saw was Luna's enraged expression, claws extended, before the dark-haired prince screamed in pain, releasing her to stumble away. The black feline ripped at his face without holding back, so bloodying him that Motoki released Usagi as well to help his master. He grabbed at Luna's tail and ears, forcing her off as he yanked sharply, and flung her across the room.

"Luna!" the _odango_-haired blonde cried, the thump of the little cat's body hitting the wall coinciding with the louder thud of four bodies hitting the glass outside. Torn between disbelief and shock, she never noticed the hand coming towards her face, slapping her back onto the floor. As she lay there, stunned, the crystal obeyed the laws of gravity and rolled out of her collar to slide on its chain to the tiles.

Bloodied, healing with every minute, Endymion grinned in victory. Unfortunately, the wounds on his face were nothing as the windows then blasted inwards, glass mingling with lightning and powerful yellow magic to slice across his upper body. He erected a shield just in time to suffer slight damage, but glass still stuck out of him like a cruel parody of a porcupine. "Usagi-cha—Chiba Mamoru-san? How is that possible?" Mercury gasped.

"Apparently, our enemy has a high rate of turnover," Venus stated grimly, pointing her finger. "And it doesn't matter, he's trying to hurt Usagi-chan! Crescent Beam!"

The shield didn't even bow under the impact. Motoki came around to tackle Usagi as she crawled to her feet again, pinning her arms to her sides. "The _Ginzuishou_, that's all our master wants!" He slid his hand along her shirt roughly, searching for the hard lump that signified the crystal, as she twisted in his arms.

"Furuhata _onii-san_?" Jupiter and Venus both exclaimed, mouths agape at the blond's unruly behavior.

Mars unleashed her flames on the dark-haired prince as Venus called her power to her hand. "A dose of good magic should snap him out of this…Venus Power! Love Crescent Shower! Pour down! Release him from his bad dream!" she shouted, letting it fly at Motoki's back. It exploded on impact, bending him backward as he released the screaming odango-haired blonde; the gold magic engulfed his body, and he groaned before sinking to the floor.

Artemis, peering out from the opening beneath the Sailor V game, was nearly squashed by the falling Usagi. She curled up on the floor where she landed, clutching at the crystal beneath her shirt, heaving with unshed tears. "This isn't possible…Mamo-chan can't be hurting me…he can't be doing this…!"

"Usagi-chan, pull yourself together!" Artemis slapped his paws at her side, frantic. The fog that began creeping through the room was violently dispersed by a sudden blasting wind, one that ripped buttons off the consoles and pulled decals off the sides. "You have to stop him!"

"I can't! Not Mamo-chan!"

"Usagi-chan!"

Venus cried out at she was slapped away in mid-air, attempting a kick. She fell back into Mercury and Jupiter, leaving Mars to once again scream her attack, missing as the dark-haired prince stepped aside. "Usagi-chan, would Mamoru-san hurt Luna? He's the enemy now, you have to do something before he kills everyone!" Artemis argued.

The wind surged up again, and it lifted the _odango_-haired blonde off her feet, shoving her back again. She hit the edge of the Sailor V game, felt her brooch dislodge and fall down into the command center before she could catch it. Gasping in pain, she hardly felt Endymion's hand on her neck, pulling her head back; he gestured, and the crystal levitated up into his reach. Artemis sprang to attempt the same trick as his black counterpart as the dark-haired prince grabbed the cold stone, snapping the chain.

He released Usagi and stepped back, perfectly timed as Jupiter released her lightning.

Artemis, in mid-air, changed direction violently.

"How incompetent of you all!" Endymion laughed as Venus screamed, holding aloft the _Ginzuishou_ in triumph. "Losing my willful puppet was nothing compared to gaining the holy stone! When my mistress finally assumes command of this pathetic planet, I'll be sure to ask that you be killed quickly for your bungling. It will be a mercy."

"_Iie_…"

Usagi, knowing she was unable to fight back in her current state, dropped herself through the opening into the command center. Disoriented and bruised, she landed roughly on her ankle, crying out into the chamber. Above, she could hear her allies throwing attack after attack, obviously failing; all she could think of was Luna's still body on the floor, Artemis and his singed fur. She grabbed up her brooch, screaming "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

Light cascaded out from the opening, brushing past Endymion.

Startled, he turned around to behold a pissed, upset soldier standing atop the Sailor V game, fresh and ready to fight. In her hand was the moon stick. "For the past, and the future, the sailor soldiers will fight! And as Sailor Moon, I'll stop your evil once and for all!"

"Your speeches leave you vulnerable." The dark-haired prince reached out, ostensibly to grab her; but his hand closed on empty air. Her four allies watched with stunned pride as Sailor Moon landed atop another console, her usually clutziness completely forgotten in her anger. She moved gracefully, skillfully out of a blast of energy, holding the moon stick up. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

Like a fine mist, healing magic spread out over the room. Artemis whimpered, as did Luna. On the floor, Motoki groaned in pain, holding his head as he woke up. Her wounded allies stood anew, preparing for another battle.

But Endymion stood untouched, sneering as he repelled the magic from his body. "Weak, pathetic, and you, the inheritor of such a holy stone!"

Arms appeared from behind him, a woman's slender pair. As darkness grew behind him like a cancer, those arms wrapped around his chest, caressing him in the same possessive manner Motoki had earlier. Beryl's piss-yellow eyes were the next to appear, along with the grating, painful laughter. "Ara ara, my Prince Endymion, don't concern yourself with her weakness! You see, she was always so pitiful."

"You…." Sailor Moon stared in horror as the woman fully revealed herself, smiling the same derogatory, mocking smile she had upon Mamoru's capture.

Endymion tilted his head back beneath her slow stroking, like a cat being petted. "Does it hurt you to see your loving prince in my arms, Princess Serenity? I hope it makes you suffer, for everything you ruined in your silly, insipid passion!"

"He truly is Endymion?" Mars said in disbelief.

"Of course! It makes this ever sweet…perhaps, I'll allow him the great honor of killing his beloved princess. He won't need her, after all, once I become the queen of this planet, taking him as my king! Metallia-sama need never grow strong, and will become my servant!"

The dark hole behind Beryl had to be a portal; as it grew, the winds increased, attempting to pull everything through like a vacuum. "I will be known as a great queen, no longer of a dank Dark Kingdom but of the world, and the name ‘Beryl' will be sung for eternity!"

Everything not attached began flying towards the opening, nearly hitting the sailor soldiers. They frantically danced around, dodging all manner of chairs, buttons, and empty aluminum cans, only to be rocked to the floor as the roof, unable to contain the pressure, blasted up and off. Sailor Moon was the only one, surprisingly, not screaming by this point, so focused was she on the woman laughing at her.

And it was Venus who yelled, "Beryl, the devil's advocate, the witch woman who sold her soul! I remember you, and your bloody crusade! Don't you realize, the evil uses you even now, as it did then!"

Insults were hurled, as Motoki moaned at Mercury's feet. He opened his eyes to see a particularly long length of thigh, a tousled mass of blue hair, and the open sky through the ragged hole in the ceiling. Realizing he was better off unconscious, he shut his eyes tight again, willing the world to just stop.

Outside, people were gathering as the shattered bits of roof came raining down. Police sirens rent the air as they drove frantically to the scene, though the towering blackness of dust and garbage that was reaching up into the sky was now hard to miss.

Beryl was unaware of the chaos she was causing, or maybe, she knew perfectly. She brushed off Sailor Moon's attempt at an attack, slapping her tiara away in mid-air. Venus's golden beams were diverted, ricocheting off to slam through the glass windows and into the crowd outside. Jupiter watched her lightning simply disappear into the darkness.

"I will know the secrets of the _Ginzuishou_, princess; I will have everything denied me once before!" At her silent command, Endymion darted at Sailor Moon, catching her before she could run again; his hand closer around her throat once more, lifting her off her feet. "Youth, longevity, it will all be mine!

"I knelt in offering to that prophesied darkness, and I have waited for the rewards for a millennium…nothing can stop me, I have won! All of your preparing, your feeble attacks, have been for nothing."

The _odango_-haired blonde dangled, kicking her legs uselessly.

Venus dove over the consoles, fighting the wind to dart in closer to the piss-eyed queen, screaming something that was completely lost in the air. As she leapt for the last time, the stone sword appeared in her hands, and she wielded it without pause to breach the space between Endymion and Beryl, burying the blade into the queen's chest to the hilt.

Two lifetimes of anger went into the thrust, and the force of it drove the queen to her knees. Enraged twilight blue eyes stared at her, defiant, blood splattered and streaked across her face. Beneath her hands, the sword pulsed like a halogen light, cracking; Beryl's blood darkened, revealing the true metal of the blade beneath it. With a shriek of sound, the stone disappeared completely.

The entire weapon glowed brilliant.

Endymion's expression revealed nothing but emptiness as he watched his queen writhe on the blade. He held the _odango_-haired blonde aloft as he turned his head away, completely ignoring her twisting and gasping. But his grip relaxed slightly as Beryl spat out a gout of blood from her lungs, spattering it across the floor and over his boots, as she tried to crawl towards him. The sword's blade jutted from her back, the hilt scraping the floor. "My…my prince…my handsome p-prince…"

"You stole what wasn't yours to own," Mars said quietly.

The piss-eyed queen rolled onto her side, spasming with pain. Above her, the faces blurred, and she could remember herself as a young girl in the palace, watching the forbidden romance. The cold pain she felt knowing Endymion could never be hers….the triumph over taking him away from Serenity. "And you…even forget the other one…for her…my Prince Endymion…."

Sailor Moon dropped, coughing, tears streaking her face. Though she had infinite reason to hate Beryl, to feel avenged by her death, she still cried; and as she held out her wobbling hand to the bleeding, dying queen, Beryl simply vanished. The sword, still coated in blood, clattered to the floor at her knees.

In Endymion's hand was a tiny nimbus of light.

But wasn't alive, not by a long shot; the _odango_-haired blonde could sense it. It was reflecting her sorrow and pain, but the bulk of its power was still buried deep within the dark-haired prince. He, however, didn't seem to realize the truth, which was obvious by the sudden grin on his face. All he knew was that the cold and lifeless crystal was now glowing, which meant something good. "Infinite power for my mistress."

"_Iie_, Mamo-chan!" Sailor Moon cried, watching in horror as he turned away to flee through the black hole, the crystal showing as a mere pinpoint of life through the unfathomable darkness.

Almost at once she felt her allies grab her arms, her waist, holding her back before her body could follow the directions of her mind. They knew she would follow her prince into _jigoku_ itself; and the anguish on her face was plain. "Sailor Moon, you can't just follow him without knowing what lies on the other side!" Venus argued, placing herself between her princess and the windy tunnel.

"I'm attempting to calculate its point of origin, but without a lock on Mamoru-san, I can't do it!" Mercury was the only one not holding onto Sailor Moon, instead rapidly tapping at her miniature computer. After Serenity had scoffed at such crude technology, the blue-haired genius fully realized the potential of her computer and gave herself over to it; made of Silver Millennium tech, it read her brainwaves as well as the physical info input. Her mind calculated, formulated hypotheses, and it all fed itself into the computer.

She was functioning at the speed of thought, but the response was always the same; without an anchor to trace, she had no reasonable way to pinpoint the location. "Undoubtedly, the portal would end at our enemies' kingdom, but unless one of us goes through…!"

"That isn't an option!" Jupiter, her fingers around one of the _odango_-haired blonde's arms, grabbed onto a console behind her to anchor herself.

Whatever Venus said in response was lost in the sudden gain of wind intensity, and they were all blasted apart as warm and cold air collided above their heads. The air began to twist and funnel, cyclonic, ripping even the heaviest, secured objects free and throwing them around. Within the Crown a tornado had formed.

The crowd gathered outside screamed in panic, crushing one another as they tried to escape the open street. A lone, undamaged TV in a picture window down the road flashed warnings, the reporter calmly reminding people to seek shelter before something bounced off their heads. The monitor was then blown apart, glass shards ripping into the fleeing bodies, as the wind sent them flying with the speed of a train.

Out of the building rose a cold, fine mist, and it expanded to rapidly engulf the street and many of the smaller stores. Without the opposing temperatures to whip up the circulation, the tornado began to fragment and lessen, dropping people and chunks of objects back onto the concrete. As soon as it had been born, it died.

Inside of the game center was a twisted wreck of machinery and scattered toys, tokens, and yen coins. Jupiter had been buried beneath a pile of UFO catchers and its torn-apart machine, her legs cut and bleeding, her fuku torn indecently, with Mars almost neatly lain out next to her without any injury at all, save for a bruise on her forehead. Mercury moaned behind the stripped counter, having landed in a tangle of limbs on the floor and not at all graciously.

Sailor Moon lay almost peacefully against one of the few remaining consoles, her skirt lost in the winds, leaving only a few shreds of blue fabric, one of her _odango_ undone. She opened her eyes slowly, looking about to see the decimated Crown and her guardian soldiers; but she knew without needing to search that Venus was gone. "V-chan…"

  
"Where the hell is Venus?!" the dark-haired shrine girl yelled most ungraciously, unable to sense what her princess could without thinking. "Was she foolish enough to take the fight to them alone?"

"She was blown through the portal," Jupiter snapped back, her voice strong despite her obvious injuries. She sat up, not even bothering to cover her exposure as she heaved the machine off her legs, and stood upright slowly. Her ponytail had come undone, and it rippled down far enough to modestly cover her bared breast, but she shoved it back behind her soldiers impatiently. "We have to find the enemy, to seal them away, before they attempt to use the _Ginzuishou_!"

Artemis and Luna, still obviously wounded, crawled out from beneath similar piles of shredded plastic and wood, padding slowly towards the soldiers. "The seal cannot be placed without the _Ginzuishou_," Luna panted, collapsing at the _odango_-haired blonde's feet. "And the _Ginzuishou_ has not yet come truly to life…"

"But we saw it glow, Luna!" Mercury replied, even as her eyes skimmed over the screen of her computer, fingers dancing over the keys. "And with Venus now on the other side, I can trace her energy signature."

"_Iie_." Sailor Moon massaged her neck, her white gloves stark against the darkening bruises Endymion had left on her skin. Her voice was hollow as she added, "It responds to me, as the carrier of the blood of the Moon, but its true life is still within Mamo-chan…protecting him…it listened to my wish."

Obviously, none of them knew what to say to that.

But then, Mercury cheered, snapping her fingers in victory. "_Ya ta_! I've traced V-chan north, to the Arctic Circle! Once there, the signal is distorted, but I'm almost positive I have the exact longitude!"

Sailor Moon, still sitting on the floor, held up her arms. "This is our destiny, _minna_; let's face it with positive spirits, and together!"

  
When the cyclone ripped the long-haired blonde away, she had still been standing in front of the portal, and Murphy's Law had come into affect to throw her straight through it. Tumbling head over ass over heels, she never touched the ground until she was halfway through the room that the portal opened into, and there she skidded on her hips and shoulder to hit the wall.

"…._itaaai_."

At least it had been her, and not her princess. She watched the black hole shrink, already far too small for her to even squeeze through, and pop out of existence to reveal a blank stone wall. The temperature dropped considerably, and she shivered, curling her arms across her chest for warmth.

The room was a natural cavern, and she rested in a small alcove, out of sight. But she could hear someone talking, a familiar voice that said, "...and Beryl had been defeated, Metallia-sama. She proved weak."

"Yare yare, I knew she would fail me," another voice said, and with a violent shudder of disgust and loathing, Venus realized who the brainwashed prince spoke to. "But it doesn't matter! Give me the holy stone, so I may properly form myself, and lower the cloud of darkness upon this disgusting, bright planet!"

She held her breath, clenching her fist in front of her face. The whispered words coalesced into the usual golden magic, though she concentrated to keep it at a steady, low level, holding her fist close to her heart. This was going to be an incredibly stupid kamikaze attack, but if she could stop Metallia from using Endymion as a puppet, or a possible body to inhabit, it would be worth death. She only wished she could see Usagi one more time before she got herself killed in possibly painful ways, but life was never fair.

As she stepped out from the alcove, she saw Endymion on his knees, face upturned in blank rapture as the dark cloud above him spiraled. In his hand the _Ginzuishou_ gave off the tiniest energy, meager warmth, reflecting the golden gleam of her magic as she fully revealed herself.

In the confines of the room, the energy of Venus seemed to crowd the corners, battling the darkness and pushing it away. Metallia snarled, shaking the walls as the light touched her, and Endymion began to turn as Venus pointed her finger. "Venus Love Megaton Shower!"

Endymion drew up his arm, blocking his eyes as she yelled, finally, "Release the evil from our world!" and released the attack.

Soldiers and _youma_ in the floors above were decimated as her attack punched through the stone ceilings and floors, cresting above the castle itself in the cold Arctic. Like a beacon it shone brightly for miles, shaking the entire castle to its ice foundations as Metallia screamed angrily, her puppet prince forcing a teleport mere seconds before the light hit him. He collapsed outside in the cold on hands and knees, shielding himself from the worst of the elements as he watched several roughly carved turrets collapse.

And then, the light died. He waited for a good solid minute before attempting to teleport back into his queen's chamber, prepared to throttle the stupid blonde bitch the moment he appeared. But it wasn't needed; before he could initiate the spell, he heard Metallia's laughter in his ear. Broken free of her confinement, and soaked with energy, her anger was now forgotten, and she appeared in front of the prince on the surface. Within the dark epicenter floated Venus, unconscious, drained of her energy from the attack.

"Foolish soldier. Perhaps I will use her body for my vessel, as a reward for freeing me!" Metallia laughed, lifting the long-haired blonde's body upright within her grasp.

"Leave V-chan and Mamo-chan alone!" a voice screamed out of the snowdrifts yards away. Healing energy, the very sort of power Metallia couldn't even attempt to gorge upon, spat out at them as Sailor Moon walked out from behind the drifts, holding the moon stick aloft.

Venus dropped to the frozen ground as Metallia retreated, compacting herself to float behind her puppet prince. The remaining sailor soldiers walked up behind Sailor Moon, looking fiercely determined as she lowered her weapon. "The instrument of evil," Mars pronounced as she pointed towards Metallia. "The reason for our pain and suffering in two lifetimes…"

"…this time, we won't fail," Jupiter added, clenching her fist.

"We believe in our princess, in Usagi-chan!" Mercury said in closing, as they flanked the odango-haired blonde.

Again, the crystal pulsed in Endymion's hand, brighter this time as Sailor Moon's conviction strengthened.

On the snow, Venus moaned, rolling her head. Seeing him standing over her, unaware of her return to consciousness, she reacted as quickly as her dulled senses would allow, and kicked up with the toe of her shoe. And even as he saw her move, she was still faster; he shouted in pain as she connected with the back of his hand, ripping his skin and sending the _Ginzuishou_ flying between the two groups.

He viciously kicked her in the ribs in return, and dove for the stone.

"Usagi-chan!" the girls screamed, as she moved to catch her inheritance.

Venus grabbed onto Endymion's legs, twisting him into the snow as Sailor Moon tried to run through knee-deep drifts, the crystal still in the air. She wasn't given much time as the dark-haired prince backhanded the long-haired blonde, shoving her away to again chase the _Ginzuishou_.

Metallia seemed to swallow the lone soldier, holding her within what would be relative to a gut, attacking her again and again with energy. Venus screamed bloody murder, twisting within the black mass as her princess began to jump like her namesake through the snow. The other three soldiers threw attacks at Metallia, only to watch her swallow them whole, unfazed.

As the crystal came within a foot of the ground, both Moon and Endymion dove forward as much as they could, hands extended. Having longer arms, the prince yelled in triumph; but the princess closed her fingers over his, both of them touching the sacred gem. The warmth flooded out from her palms as the _Ginzuishou_, again possessing the life she had relinquished to keep her prince safe, radiated its power once more.

But instead of releasing Endymion from his bondage, he slapped her away, keeping the crystal within his hand. Before she could react she felt the blast of his attack against her chest, flinging her straight up into the air. As she fell back down, she saw her allies given the same treatment in a stronger increment, Venus thrown across the way like a bat to bring them all down in a heap of painful, twisted limbs. She herself hit the snow hard, the cold just as shocking as the sudden pain shooting up her arm.

"You can't defeat the Dark Kingdom, sailor soldiers," Endymion crowed, lifting his hand. Dark energy spiraled from his palm as Metallia settled around his body, cloaking him in her essence as they both laughed. His eyes, still the same dense black, stared his princess down as she began to cry.

"Serenity….mama…I can't do this, I don't have the strength…! Mamo-chan, was this our true destiny?!"

Behind her, Venus slowly stood, unsteady on a twisted ankle and badly bruised right leg. "We have our ways, Earthen prince," she said, her voice graven and scratchy. The sword, forgotten in the Crown, appeared in her hand, and by the way she clutched it, it was still too heavy for her untrained arms to wield properly. But she gripped it with both hands, swinging it around as she tried to leap above the snow and at the dark-haired prince.

"You possess a strong spirit, Venus. If only I could say the same of your princess!" he sneered, flicking his attack into her hard enough to slam her back.

"We would all die for her, can you say the same for your convictions?" Mars taunted, holding her hands out. The chant she rapidly ran through was intelligible to her allies, but the results her obvious as a ball of energy formed. "_Akuryou Taisan_!" she finished, banishing the darkness as she aimed her attack at Metallia.

It was absorbed as the others had been, returned times ten.

Endymion was laughing cruelly, the glow of the _Ginzuishou_ visible between his fingers. His amusement never faltered, even as Sailor Moon lifted the heavy sword from where it had fallen, locking her knees to hold herself steady. With her friends fallen and badly injured, they couldn't stop her as she slogged through the snow one more time, dragging the sword with her. "Mamo-chan, I can't watch you do this anymore….I can't allow this evil!"

"And what will you do, little princess?" He sneered, holding his arms out. "Will you cry and attempt to reach the ‘goodness' in my heart?"

  
"_Iie_."

She stepped forward suddenly, swinging the blade around like a baseball bat. Nothing happened, as he simply laughed at her clumsy attack.

Then the blood gushed out from the slit in his stomach, blinding her.

Everything between them turned red as the blood poured down his legs and into the snow, and his expression twisted into shock. "Perhaps this was always my only option, Mamo-chan, and in our next lives, we will be truly happy," she whispered.

"You can purge the evil, Usagi-chan, you know you can!" Jupiter cried, as shocked as the others at their friend's sudden violence, but inwardly relieved. Without a vessel or a puppet, Metallia would be more defenseless, easier to attack.

But the _odango_-haired blonde didn't plan it that way, and as Endymion leaned forward, caught in the act of falling, she pressed her mouth to his. It was a loving, lingering kiss, and as she closed her eyes, his opened wide to reveal white within white, solid black turned to solid white. Blind, but cleansed.

She smiled gratefully, and lifted the sword with one last surge of tired muscles to shove it with all of her might into her yielding stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole "Usagi at the Crown with Endymion" plot was compacted like whoa, because the original was just ridiculous.
> 
> The story Ami is reading came from a book of Japanese folk tales I had sitting in my bookcase.


	12. Act 12 : sanze - Sacrifice

##### 

It wasn't really so bad, she decided, this form of suicide.

Once the blood loss grew significant, the pain dulled into a sort of hazy euphoria, her body's last attempts to stave off death as the natural chemicals in her body went into overdrive. But this time she had done it right; she would not drown slowly in her own blood.

As she settled onto her knees, she looked curiously down at her prince's cold, unmoving body. In this, the last moments of her life, she touched his unyielding face, slipped her fingers into his gaping wound as if she still wasn't sure of what she had done. And she wasn't; she had furiously denied the horror of her actions until right now, as she felt the matching, bloody hole in her own midsection. "Endymion…we can try it again, another time…we can truly be happy."

The ice looked so soft, despite its congealing layer of blood and a few unidentifiable lumps, and she rested her cheek against it. Next to her rested the blade of the sword, sticky and clotted, and her eyes traced its edge to see four blurred shapes, colourful shapes. Not shapes; her friends, allies, her guardian soldiers. Oh, but they would be so upset with her…

…but it didn't matter….

….she was…so…sleepy…

"USAGI-CHAN!" Jupiter screamed. She heard it echoed in varying degrees of anguish and intensity by her allies, even as Venus fell to her knees. It was happening again, she realized; they were watching the most important person in her lives bleed her life onto the ground. The tall brunette clenched her fists, beating them against her thighs as she repeated, "No, no, no!" over and over again, a pained mantra.

Venus knelt mutely, the tears streaming down her face. This wasn't supposed to be happening; they were supposed to win against the evil, not lose it all again. Good vs. Evil, and the guys in the white hats always triumphed. She could remember her own laughter as she had finally come into her own as Sailor V, treating Artemis terribly, acting as if it were all some sort of dress-up game with no hard responsibility. Even after awakening to Venus, there was still that part of her that hadn't taken it seriously.

"All of this fighting, all of this responsibility, only to see it all happen again?" Mars whispered, shaking as she held onto Mercury, who had almost completely collapsed when she had seen her princess shove the sword home. The blue-haired genius had screamed, then fallen silent; in Mars's arms she trembled like a guitar string, vibrating with tension. "Are we doomed to repeat everything?"

If there was ever a time they had all lost hope, it was now.

Above their fallen prince and princess rose the _Ginzuishou_, its sparkle and glow tainted by drying splatters of blood. Radiant and alive, it slowly spun in the air, and the broken soldiers felt the rush of warmth around them as the snow began to melt. Impossibly, flowers began to shoot up, giant roses and chrysanthemums, surrounding the two fallen lovers in an elegant sort of living coffin.

Below them shook the castle, breaking apart as the crystal continued to strengthen in intensity. _Youma_ and various human soldiers ran screaming, many of the lesser creatures simply disintegrating where they stood, and many others buried under the falling rocks and boulders. Beryl's throne was cleaved in half; the entire chamber then collapsed into itself.

And still, the crystal wasn't finished.

The weakened sailor soldiers felt their strength returning, though it did nothing for healing their physical wounds, or replacing ripped clothing. It filled them up to the brim, like glasses of water, before seeming to shatter into a fine glittering mist. Like rain it fell, sprinkling onto the prince and princess, and as her allies watched, formed a protective crystal wall. They were encased in slowly thickening facets so tightly that the sword, which had fallen inches from Sailor Moon, was left outside. "_M…masaka_," Mercury moaned, daring to look out from Mars's shoulder. "The _Ginzuishou_ is truly alive again….?"

"Protecting the body of our most precious person!" Jupiter exclaimed, taking Venus's hand to pull her to her feet.

But the ground began to quake again, even more violently than before, as Metallia began to laugh. In their sadness they had forgotten all about her, and they stared disbelieving as the darkness spread above them, grown fat and strong. "Such a powerful white light, the purest energy! I will take the rest of it into me and move freely again, away from this fallen kingdom!" the cloud crowed, surging around them like a dense fog.

"Metallia could absorb the power of the _Ginzuishou_ and become stronger….! But how? How could such a being of evil gain power from the healing light?" Venus felt sick as she felt the darkness press against her skin, almost slimy. She could see only the vaguest shapes, and the glittering purity of the crystal coffin, though Jupiter still gripped her hand.

And then the coffin itself was swallowed by the dark as Metallia continued to cackle, sounding like the witch who had surrendered her soul, and the evil intensified. "Such power! Reborn, I can finally put an end to the bright light that so taunted me!"

The shriek of the free-floating energy hurt their ears, and they screamed in pain. But then, the pressing weight was gone as Metallia rose into the sky, and began to spread out like a fine mist. The crystal coffin was gone; only the imprint in the ice marked where it had sat, the bloody sword, and the rapidly wilting, dying flowers. "It's begun again," Venus said finally, watching the darkening sky. "And without our princess…"

Chaos had arrived.

With the spreading of Metallia, violence was nurtured in the human heart.

Mobs began to form, attacking not just others but itself. Glass was shattered in store windows and houses, people were pulled from vehicles to be beaten, and worse. Children were picking up baseball bats and returning punishment on their parents; parents cut loose on their naughty sons and daughters.

And it was not in the least bit confined.

It was not as easy to teleport without Sailor Moon, but the four soldiers had no choice. They appeared in the ransacked Crown, Mercury pressed right up against the wall; any more of a miscalculation, and she would have reformed in the middle of it. Mutely, they released hands, looking around to see the gaping hole of the control center wide open to the world; the Sailor V game had been completely torn apart.

Then, Artemis peered up, the headset awkward on his feline head. "_Minna_, this is bad; Metallia's power is spreading at an abnormal rate, and the northern hemispheres are completely chaotic! What happened up there? Where's Sailor Moon?"

The last question came almost hesitantly as the white cat realized she wasn't with them. Behind him, Luna rose weakly and leaned against him without asking; though both of them were still injured from the last battle, she was much worse. They could see the effort it took for her to even breathe properly. "Usagi-chan….?"

"Dead."

Venus said it flatly, fists clenching at her sides. "We watched it happen again, repeating; Usagi-chan used the holy sword and killed Mamoru-san, then took her own life. The crystal came back to life and surrounded them in a coffin, which Metallia swallowed into herself. And that is why the evil is spreading. We couldn't stop it for the second time."

Down below they could hear the news reports on the screen, broadcasting emergency warnings. The cold was spreading rapidly from the north, and much of the northern island was already frozen over. People were advised to lock their doors and windows, and barricade themselves against the growing violence; reports of massive death tolls and vandalism were coming in from the entire world.

  
"Metallia has the power of the Mystical Silver Crystal to strengthen her," Mercury murmured, staring through the broken windows to watch the growing mass of people. "And the princess can no longer lock her away…"

"Usagi-chan isn't dead." Luna said it so simply that every single head turned to stare at her. How the hell could she be calm at a time like this? But it wasn't calm, as she added, "The _Ginzuishou_ has the power of healing. And for it to act so suddenly, protecting them; it is devoting itself entirely to healing the princess and Endymion, bringing back their life."

"If that were true…" Mars began, then stopped.

The news continued to warn everyone to protect themselves, the reporter's voice growing suddenly frantic. Loud noises issued from the screen, and Venus could imagine the poor man's face as the vandals broke into the studio. People were screaming, and the reporter cried out for mercy before suddenly silencing.

Lewd taunting and shouting filled the void, and Artemis went down below to turn the TV interception off. Mercury looked ashen, nearly sick.

Outside, the crowd had grown thick, and stones were being thrown into the remaining windows on the street. Several flew into the Crown itself, destroying the last window, and nearly hitting the soldiers in the process. Taunts followed, once they realized the Crown wasn't truly deserted. More stones were thrown, along with several chunks of wood and concrete, one of which ripped along Mars's calf.

"That does it!" Venus snapped, and she vaulted the remaining distance to clear the broken front doors. Mercury grabbed onto Mars to keep her from following, and began to pull her towards the command center as Jupiter ran out after their leader, who was throwing herself into the thick of the crowd, punching and kicking.

"Venus, what's gotten into you!?" the tall brunette yelled over the noise. A fist caught her in the gut, another in the chin; momentarily enraged, she returned both blows in full. "We're hurting innocent people caught in Metallia's influence! They don't really mean any of this!"

The long-haired blonde went down under the press of people, as Jupiter screamed her name. But then, the plan became apparent as a surge of golden light streamed out from the gathered bodies, and she could feel the heavy influence begin to wan. Faces cleared around her, confused and disoriented, and as she shook off a man's hands, she realized it was Motoki. "Furu-chan _onii-san_?"

She didn't stop to think of what she'd done, only smiled in relief to see him safe, if a bit bruised. Then she left him to plow through the crowd, apologizing profusely, searching for a familiar blonde head. And it didn't take very long; already was Venus standing up, a jagged cut across her forehead, but none the worse for wear. Seeing Jupiter, she flashed her victory sign and winked rakishly. "Did you really worry about me?"

"V-chan," Jupiter sighed, exasperated.

"We have to plan strategy; come on, let's get back inside."

Now, the crowd had finally thinned out, though they knew the respite was only temporary. Jupiter marveled silently at her leader's abilities to banish the evil; such a healing magic was something she had attributed only to Sailor Moon, their princess. Has she been given the power to make her masquerade so much more realistic, or was it something else? "V-chan, how could you consistently heal these people? You did the same to Furu-chan _onii-san_ as well."

As they stepped over the broken frame of the door, Venus gestured foppishly with her hand. "I never really thought about it, honestly! As Sailor V, I made up new attacks all of the time, unbound by the constraints I have as Sailor Venus. But perhaps, the healing was so I could act as princess more convincingly."

Glass crunched beneath their soles even on the steps leading down into the underground chamber. On the sole chair Mars sat, her leg propped up on the counter and wrapped with a clean bandage that looked suspiciously like a ripped shred of Mercury's skirt. On the counter itself stood Artemis and Luna, with the blue-haired genius leaning next to them – indeed missing a section of her skirt to reveal a longer length of thigh – deep in discussion. The screen revealed a flat map of the entire planet, marked by dark, lengthening shadows, and pulsating dots of red that stood for the larger cities.

Luna said, "The intense cold is spreading further south, affecting even the tip of Africa. But the epicenter of everything remains constant; D Point, at the Arctic Circle, where Beryl's Dark Kingdom lay hidden!"

"Terrible violence is following in its wake," Artemis added. "Metallia's influence is like a cancer, rotting everything good that it touches."

"But you said Usagi-chan may be alive, inside of that thing!" Mercury insisted, looking up as Venus and Jupiter entered, then away. "Our princess can still banish the evil once and for all, lock it away, but if she awakens within Metallia…."

"Metallia swallowed the crystal's light like candy." Venus stepped around a chunk of plastic lying in the middle of the room, coming closer. Her face had turned pensive. "Within Metallia's strong form, Usagi-chan can't fully create a shield. If we weaken Metallia, force her to release our princess, she can fulfill her destiny."

The screen was being swallowed up by the shadow; up above in the streets, they could hear the mob begin to gather force once more, angry and dangerous. Soon they would venture into the Crown, and possibly find the command center. Then, they would be assured of nothing, not of safety, not of freedom. Metallia would have most likely spread word of the sailor soldiers, to kill them on sight.

"How could we possibly weaken such a powerful evil?" Jupiter finally asked, folding her arms across her chest. Artemis, who had been averting his eyes every time he needed to look her way, finally gave her full attention.

"Perhaps a combined attack, as we had done to Beryl's general?" Mars mused as she re-adjusted her leg, looking not at all happy about being injured in such a manner. She looked even more annoyed as the black cat crawled into her lap, taking advantage to settle down into a softer seat.

Venus stared at the screen. "Iie. Only the strongest power could even touch Metallia, and a combined Planet Attack would do nothing. That isn't our full power."

  
She pulled forth her transformation pen, rubbing her thumb against the metal. "We were bound to these items in this lifetime, to ease into our transformations. They weren't needed a millennium ago; consequently, all of our possibility is contained within them. Over time, the power would be released, but we need it all now."

"Venus, what are you saying?" Mercury asked quietly.

Before the long-haired blonde could reply, Artemis did; and he stared his friend down as he said, "She wants you to destroy your pens, and release the power. You would all be your true, powerful selves long enough to attack Metallia severely, but the rush and the sudden intensity…you wouldn't be able to handle it. It would kill all of you."

"But Usagi-chan would have a chance." This from Mars, with a quiet intensity.

"It's suicide!" Artemis snapped, the fine hairs along his back beginning to stand up. "Even if you attacked her, even with that power, she still may not be affected, and then you would have sacrificed yourselves for nothing!"

The girls, in various degrees of pain and injury, looked at one another. One long, searching look; that was all they needed. Without another word, Mercury helped Mars to stand up, and, supporting her, they all began walking for the stairs. Artemis stared at the long-haired blonde's back with a look that broke Luna's heart; no doubt, if it had been Usagi, she would have done the same. The last time she had seen Usagi, it had been before they had teleported to the Arctic Circle, and none of them, in their wildest dreams, would have imagined she would kill herself.

  
But she nuzzled against the white cat's side, taking his attention away from the exiting sailor soldiers. "Artemis, it is the will of a sailor soldier; daijoubu. Have faith in our princess, in Usagi-chan."

"I have faith, Luna," he murmured softly, looking downward. "But Minako has suffered so much…! I want her to finally be happy, uncaring."

"Once Metallia has been purged, they will know happiness! Now," she added briskly, moving quickly despite the screaming pain in her ribs towards the keyboard, "I need to see the Crystal Tower, and pray for everyone, as our queen once did."

Artemis opened and closed his mouth, blinking. "Ano….just how did you expect to get there, without the girls?"

The look she gave him was one of dry condescension. Moving as ably as her wounded body allowed, she tapped out commands on the computer, and Artemis watched in shock as a circle of light began to grow to the right of the computer, appearing out of nowhere. He was gaping so much like a fish, he figured he had earned the right to be one in his next life.

"I found it a day ago, when Ami-chan and I were studying the sword," Luna explained as she smiled impishly at him. "It makes sense for the computer to have an easy way to travel to the Moon; after all, it came from there."

"Why is it I can never find these things?" he grumbled, following her as she padded down the counter towards the light. With a strong leap, both cats vaulted into the glowing pathway, and Artemis experienced a very intense sensation of just…nothing. As if he had ceased to exist. It only took a second, as they came out on the other side still in mid-air, landing in the silent dust and ruins.

With a sureness he envied, Luna padded quickly through the tilting ruins, following the undisturbed prints of the guardian soldiers. Over rubble they jumped, cutting their soft paws; when they landed, dirt ground into the open wounds. But Luna refused to slow down, and so he did not complain.

When they came up to the ruined tower, they could see the hole in the ground where the sword had been sunk, sitting for a millennium. It was at this hole that Luna finally stopped, bowing her head. "Serenity-sama, hear my prayer…though I am not royal blood, I'll offer up my prayer in your daughter's name! Open the pathway of the moon…let Usagi-chan win, let her finally have a happy life!

"In the name of the moon, let our princess live again!"

Through the cold wasteland, a colourful quartet of girls trudged.

Tired, freezing, and hungry, they nonetheless continued to trek hour after hour, unable to teleport any closer to the epicenter of the dark cloud. Metallia's power had repelled them, and without their fifth member, they were simply too weak to push through.

So they walked.

Venus led them, head tilted down against the frigid, blasting wind. The flying snow cut their bared skin, slivers of ice airborne at speeds far exceeding what they had been a mere hour ago. Mars had been thoughtful enough to attempt low-level attacks before their path, melting the flying snow and heating the way for them, but she had been, quite sharply, told to quit. Using up her power would have been detrimental to their plot.

As they walked, all of them kept to themselves, unable to share their personal thoughts or feelings with the group. Mercury wondered how her mother would handle having her only child disappear, with no warning nor explanation – ever – as to the cause. She would die up here a sailor soldier, as Sailor Mercury, but Mizuno Ami would be dead as well. There would be no more girl genius, no more catcalls and whispering down hallways as she walked by; perhaps rumours, but nothing more.

Mars, having lost her mother at an early age and knowing the devastation, cursed her inability to let her grandfather know. Her father would not be hurt too severely, would in fact be possibly relieved at a burden removed from his shoulders. Emotion was strangled in his soul, but her grandfather deserved to know after all he had done for a young Rei. She prayed, mentally reciting a poem written by a devout priestess centuries ago, hoping he would see only her love for him within the fire when he used it to search.

Having no parents, and knowing no religious conviction, Jupiter had no regrets.

And at the front, Venus thought of nothing. She had gone through the motions already, wishing she could have said so many things to her parents and Hikaru, to Natsuna oneechan. Regretting her cold shoulder to Artemis, and wanting to apologize. And as she knew, deep down, they would all die in this last stand, she did not bother to wish at all.

They crawled up the last drift, on hands and knees up the vertical slope, to look down on an awesome sight. In the time they had left, Metallia's power had sheered away the ice and snow surrounding the castle, and it had been left clean in the middle of a circle of ice. They could see the fallen turrets, the ruined, gaping hole of Beryl's audience chamber. Hundreds of bodies, not all humanoid, littered the snow in all directions, and a few had even made it so far to collapse into the dead flowers still poking up from the ice.

Above it all hovered Metallia, plump and bloated with power.

The girls slid down the other side of the drift, now shaking so hard from the bitter cold that they kept biting their tongues continuously. It helped to keep them awake, the pain; and, squaring their shoulders, they walked up to the dead mass of flowers. Metallia had not seen them yet, which gave them a slight advantage.

Venus produced her pen, staring at its unique design. Her true planetary sigil was not present on it, having instead a star and a crescent moon. It was a deception, and now, after everything she had done to protect Usagi from the truth, she felt useless. She was a capable leader now, when she put her mind to it, but here she was anyway, ready to die. "We need to smash the pens open for this to work," she said absently.

"I hope you brought the sledgehammer, V-chan; I left mine in my other uniform," Jupiter said, so seriously that the other three stared at her for a long moment. Then, they realized it had been a joke. Just badly-timed.

Each pen was held out to Venus, who collected them all in her hand. She lay them on the clear ice in a row, according to awakening; herself, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter. Then, she bent down to pick up the fallen sword, still in the same spot it had fallen. Not even the soldier lying on top of it had moved it an inch, and she slid it out from beneath his prone body.

"When I break the pens, there will be an enormous rush of power," Venus explained, hefting the weapon. "We have to do our attack quickly, or concentration will be lost." Not to mention that they would likely be dead. "If anyone has anything to say, it's now."

"I'm still upset with you, Venus." Mars spoke quietly, but firmly. Unsurprised, Venus lifted her eyes to the dark-haired shrine girl. "But as a leader, you are intense, and superior; and I'm honored we were reborn again, to fight with you."

"You make difficult decisions, but your top priority is always our princess," Mercury added. "And I wish we could have another chance to read to the children."

The long-haired blonde looked stunned, and she lowered the sword onto its tip as she whispered, "Mars, Mercury…"

"We'll be happy again," Jupiter said. "Usagi-chan will prevail. And maybe, there will be no need for sailor soldiers, and we can still be proud of V-chan for doing her best."

Venus finally just smiled, not knowing what to say. As they watched, she lifted the sword once again, finding it vastly easier without the coating of stone. Or maybe, it was out of relief. She swung it back, holding it there for a moment to aim, before she brought it around and down hard enough to nearly tip her over forwards as the blade went through each pen with a minimal resistance.

The resulting surge of power blasted her backwards, even as her own personal energy lifted her up off her feet. Her allies experienced the same euphoria, levitating as colours of blue, red, green, and orange swirled around them, infusing their bodies with immense power. She felt herself giving in to weakness, to unconsciousness, but fought it away, forcing her eyes to stay open and her mind alert. And just as suddenly, she touched the ground again.

Their reborn bodies were not capable of holding so much power at once, so suddenly. They could see it radiated out from their pores in an aura of personal colour, like fine mists that clung like static. On the ground lay the halves of their pens, which were losing colour and sparkle even as they watched.

And now, Metallia had spotted them; there was no way in hell that she could have missed the sudden surge of power. What passed for eyes turned towards them in the cloud, and rolling laughter shook the snow. "We have to strike now, _minna_! For the future, and our planet!"

The sword was lifted by four sets of hands, their auras mingling into beautiful new colours and hues as they stood close. Aiming the tip of the weapon towards those eyes, holding it straight until their arms ached, they screamed out their transformations: "Mercury Power! For Usagi-chan, banish the evil!"

"Mars Power! Begone, Metallia, from this blue planet!"

"Believe in Sailor Moon, our princess! Jupiter Power!"

"This is the end of it, Metallia! Your darkness will be destroyed, and the past will not be repeated! Venus Power!"

They felt, rather than saw, their energies being drawn into the sword, draining them just as rapidly as they had been filled up. At the tip glowed their power, like a white star that burned brightly into their eyes, even as those eyes began to fade. Their scream of attack was lost in the growing wind, but it was indeed powerful. Everything exploded out of them at once, travelling along the sword and like a laser into Metallia's thickest form. Along with it, the sword shattered in their hands, and they were thrown yards back into the snow.

Their landings were soft, but they didn't feel it. Death visited each soldier in turn, and as it finally came to Venus, she was smiling in triumph. She surrendered gratefully, the darkness falling down sweetly this time. But it was her floating essence that was horrified as it was pulled free, seeing in the moment before losing coherency that Metallia was laughing.

  
The chamber was like a medieval rendition of a great hall, with towering ceilings and a great stone fireplace. A personal room, it had been decorated to the prince's taste with hard, dark woods, and woven rugs and tapestries. In the middle of the hearth was a small table for secluded dining, and there was still a half-eaten dinner sitting there.

Serenity awoke in the bed, holding the warm blankets to her chest. For a moment, as always, she was disoriented upon waking in the unusual room, a far cry from the cold marble and gold she was surrounded with in her own chambers. But then, remembering the last few hours, she laughed to herself, marveling, before she woke up fully.

Casual with her state of undress she slipped from the bed, her unbound hair trailing to the floor as she walked across the wood and stone floor. Finding a large silk robe over one of the chairs she tied it on, giggling at the sensation of the fabric against her skin. Such pleasures the prince had awoke within her! She had no illusion that he was a virgin as she had been, but the thought didn't bother her, as she knew now they loved one another until eternity.

Eternity….was a very long time.

Passing the large mirror, she stopped in front of it to survey herself. Arms held out, she pirouetted gracefully, watching her hair spin around her body. But in the mirror, another girl slowly appeared, with her face, but not her clothes; she wore a Juuban uniform, her hair tied up into their neat _odango_. Slowly, Serenity stopped, as did the mirror girl. "Who are you?"

"I'm me." Laughing, the mirror girl lifted her arm, and the princess was shocked to find herself doing the same thing. Mimicking one another's movements, they danced and twisted, bowing and leaping. "You're me. Who is the real me?"

"I'm princess of the Silver Millennium."

"I'm a crybaby from Tokyo."

With ease, everything switched; standing in her own room, Usagi stared into the mirror to see Serenity as the image now. Back, and forth, like a door opening and closing, they exchanged one another as easily as changing clothes. But always was the glass between them, separating them; one did not exist without the other, but they couldn't both exist.

"I want to be Tsukino Usagi again," one said, touching the glass.

"I want to be Serenity again," the other countered.

Their hands didn't meet, couldn't touch. Helpless, they stared at one another, before Serenity and the chamber dissolved away, leaving only Usagi and a blank mirror behind. Slowly, her true reflection appeared, following her as she dropped her hand, leaving streaks of oil from her fingertips behind. Tsukino Usagi _no_ Sailor Moon…

She simply willed herself awake, and opened crystal blue eyes to an unfathomable darkness. Lying on her side, her arm had fallen asleep, along with her hip, and she sat up to allow the blood to rush back. Blood that had been replaced in her veins once more, obviously, as she felt for the wound in her stomach, knowing already it was gone. The _Ginzuishou_ had healed her body within the coffin, though it could do nothing for the lingering stains.

"It's so dark, and cold….am I still in the Arctic?" She was answered by silence. Crawling onto her knees, she bent over the unmoving body of Endymion, touching his face once more. He was still dressed as a civilian, not Tuxedo Kamen, nor a prince, and so she whispered, "Chiba Mamoru. Wake up."

He didn't respond, but Metallia, sensing her awake, began laughing.

As a princess, she had known the secrets of the crystal. Now, she held up her hands, willing it to solidify into them into its shape once again. Radiating light, she stood up, shielding Mamoru's body as Metallia attempted to squash them both like bugs. Pushing the darkness back firmly, she increased the power until Metallia screamed in shock, unable to swallow it up as she had before.

"I'm leaving now." So saying, she leveled the _Ginzuishou_ forward, focusing its power to violently blast open a path to the ice. Like a catapult she and Mamoru were shoved out, landing in the cold air roughly as above, Metallia howled.

"How could you hurt me! I swallowed your pitiful light, how could you wound my gaseous self?" the entity screeched, roiling in anger. The castle began to shake again, more towers and turrets snapping off under the vibrations.

On the Moon, the two felines watched in silent horror as the blackness engulfed the entire Earth facing them, obscuring the oceans and continents.

And it only grew as Metallia, now quite pissed off at being hurt, stretched herself to her limits, leeching off the energy of frantic humans. Swelling, much of her began to reach into space as well, growing at a rapid pace. If she sucked every human dry on the planet she would be unstoppable.

"I'm not a crybaby any longer," Sailor Moon yelled, barely hearing herself over the wind. "I have my strength back as a sailor soldier; I will seal you away, Metallia!"

"Yeess….your crystal has grown stronger since I absorbed it! Once I take you both back into me, I will have all of it!"

Tendrils of shadow wrapped around the _odango_-haired blonde's body, holding her spread eagle and aloft. But the crystal again flared, destroying the weak shadows, and she landed on the ice again, this time on her feet. "You can't do it, Metallia!"

Next to her foot, Mamoru was starting to breathe again. And she had no chance to greet him as she was forced to fend off more shadows, blasting the light of the crystal in a wide arc around her. Ice melted in rivers at the intense heat. But Metallia was larger, if not as strong; a shadow finally managed to reach in under the light, throwing her – again! – across the snow and into a large drift, burying her partway.

She sure was airborne a lot lately.

As she wriggled and kicked her way out, she rolled down the hill to collide with a body. Thinking it to be one of the Dark Kingdom denizens, she ignored it and stood, ready to face the evil again. Without conscious thought she summoned the _Ginzuishou_ again, releasing its light into the shadowy darkness. "I will defeat you, Metallia! Everyone will be happy again, free of your dark influence!"

She stepped forward, intent on releasing another blow, when she tripped over the body. Tumbling down, she landed face-first into another, her scream cut off. But the landing was remarkably soft…the body had not yet hardened in rigor mortis, though all of the Dark Kingdom dead had fallen hours ago. This one had died only a little while ago, still soft and reasonably pliant.

All she heard for a long minute was her own heartbeat, thudding within her chest. Then, slowly, she lifted her head, feeling fabric brush her cheek, red as an apple. A white expanse of uniform followed, and she was looking down Mars's unmoving body, her limbs splayed where they had fallen, legs akimbo and wide for the world to see.

Sailor Moon screamed.

Scrambling away, she realized with growing horror that around her lay the bodies of all four of her guardian soldiers, all without a doubt dead. This close to them, conscious of them again, she could feel the lack of life in their forms. And she knew without having to think too deeply that they had tried one last stand against Metallia, assuming her dead.

In that moment, she knew how selfish she had been.

The halved pens had been scattered around their corpses by the wind, and she lifted up the sigil of Mercury. In her hand it was cold, its magic completely gone. In random order she picked up the others, growing more frantic with each one, but every answer was the same; dead. Holding them in her palm, she felt her sureness drain away, her will to fight, and she began to cry pitifully.

"Usako…."

She turned, clutching the sigils to her chest.

The dark-haired prince was strangely blind, but he stumbled nonetheless towards the sound of her crying. And she watched him as he moved close, reaching the light she herself released as a sailor soldier, his civilian costume barely protecting his fragile body from the cold. "Usako….Sailor Moon…I can hear you, but not see your form….."

"Mamo-chan, you're alive!" Still holding the sigils in her hand, she hugged him in joy. And he returned the embrace just as tightly, whispering her name over and over again.

For them, time was standing still, and they held one another close. "Oh, Mamo-chan, I thought you were dead…."

"I was. And it was horrible. I don't recommend it," he replied, though his serious tone belied the humour. She giggled, her horror momentarily forgotten, nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

The ground swelled beneath them again as Metallia reminded them of her existence, throwing them and the bodies of her friends around like dolls. Ice began to crack open around them, fissures growing immense to nearly swallow them, indeed taking some of the Dark Kingdom's dead. Mamoru picked up the _odango_-haired blonde before she could protest, and began running as cracks attempted to open beneath their feet deliberately. Jumping and leaping, he moved without seeing to make it to the drifts, listening to the noise to avoid each crack as it split open, and finally threw her up into the snow.

He followed just in time, rolling up over the drift as one last opening nearly dropped him. Sailor Moon grabbed his hands, pulling him with her as she fell down into the snow, crying. Though Metallia had not swallowed them, she had taken the bodies of the four soldiers instead, dropping their fragile forms deep into the crevasses to perhaps shatter. The _odango_-haired blonde did not want to think of it, but her mind pulled forth increasingly dire images against her will; and with each one, she felt her spirit falter.

"_Minna_….Ami-chan, Mako-chan….V-chan….Rei…Rei-chan…" she softly burbled, feeling the huge lump in her throat, the hot tears spilling down her face. The _Ginzuishou_, which had followed her like a hovering, faithful dog, had begun to dim rapidly, its luster fading. There was no harmony in any of this.

"Usako, you can't lose your faith," Mamoru said seriously, lying beside her in the snow. Though he still could not see her face, he could hear the tiny noises she made, the catching of her throat; already he had memorized them as the sounds she made when she was trying to hide her sorrow. "Your allies would never want you to lose like this! Take the _Ginzuishou_, Sailor Moon, and lock away Metallia forever, so we can live happy lives again."

"I can't!" And she knew it. "Everyone is dead, everyone I counted on to greet me with smiles when I won! I have no power that rivals theirs; I am not Princess Serenity!"

Tripping over her clumsy feet and the knee-deep snow, she began to run away from the dark-haired prince, from the epicenter of the evil. Ignoring his calls for her to come back, she closed her eyes against the wind and simply ran, feeling the numbness creeping up her legs with every slog.

Yards away she finally fell, collapsing into the snow as she screamed helplessly, beating her fists against the drift caused by her impact. And with another cry, she felt her transformation melt away, leaving her even more vulnerable as Tsukino Usagi to the elements. She had neither hope nor faith in herself; she was finished, forgotten, and unworthy of a soldier's status. Her brooch, unable to transform her with its magic once she lost the spirit to recognize it, was cold and dead; it fell from her breast, sinking into the snow.

"What are you doing?"

And now, she was hallucinating. Lifting her head up, feeling the frostbite on her cheeks, she stared at the ghostly image of herself – no, Serenity. Only a hallucination would be mad enough to be wearing such a thin dress in this weather. "Ne, did you hear me?"

"_Hai, hai_," Usagi murmured. In this intense wind, she would surely be dead within a few minutes, frozen into a popsicle. Her third time; maybe this time, she would be allowed to rest peacefully.

"Well, answer her, then! Mou!"

Usagi gaped as herself stepped out from behind herself. Or, rather, Sailor Moon stepped out from behind Serenity. Both looked displeased at the girl that cowered in the snow before them, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the snow whipping through both of their figures. "This is no way for a soldier to act!"

"It is no way for the chosen princess of the galaxy to act!" Serenity added.

"I never asked to be a sailor soldier, or a reborn princess! I want to be Tsukino Usagi again, klutzy and normal and a crybaby!" Usagi retorted, feeling her lips crack with the cold. She felt tired, weighted down.

Both apparitions traded a similar look, both staring down again. "No one asked us to share the same body, you know," Sailor Moon replied calmly. "But we chose to be harmonious; the soldier's will is a princess's strength. Both are the same."

"…._nani_?"

Serenity sighed. "A princess is not a soldier. But a soldier can be a princess, just as a princess can be a soldier. Just as a princess and a soldier can be an ordinary girl." She reached out with a ghostly hand, and Usagi felt it pass through her face, like thickened air. "You are Tsukino Usagi. But you can be Sailor Moon, and you can be Princess Serenity. It is acceptance of yourself, in all your forms and ways, that makes you whole and happy."

  
"But I don't want either of you within me! Everything has been horrible ever since Luna gave me that brooch…I want to just wake up, and find it was all a dream…" Usagi whimpered, pressing her face into the snow.

"Usagi-chan…we are you. And perhaps, yes, having us within you makes you get hurt, and cry a lot, but it also makes you happy!" Sailor Moon countered. "Would you have met Ami, Rei, Makoto, or Minako? Under normal circumstances, you could have a happy life, but would you have made such friends? Mamoru could have passed you by without a second glance; and the world would not be as rich, as you can appreciate it so much more!"

"Through me, you know peace and gentleness," Serenity said.

  
"Through me, you know true friendship and love," Sailor Moon added.

"…and through me, you know normal life?" Usagi ventured to say, stunned when both ghosts nodded in agreement.

No stars shone through the clouds that made up the bulk of Metallia. It would be a bleak, cold world if she was not vanquished, and Usagi knew that if she didn't do anything, no one would. She would not be whole, a trio of lives together in beneficial harmony, because she would be finally, and forever, dead.

She held out her arms, feeling both passing into her, like a warm rush of air. Her brooch, buried in the snow, was lost to her forever, but she had no need for it. With the _Ginzuishou_, she could do anything, and it was pure power that pushed life back into her limbs, clothing her in the familiar fuku of red and blue. It was an intense rush, one she knew she had taken on much too fast for her human form, but she willed herself to relax, to let it flow over her.

The crystal itself formed above her head, and she recalled the moon stick to her hand. She remembered her mother using it in the same manner, increasing its healing property tenfold; now, she lifted the weapon up to lock with the crystal properly, watching in awe as the handle lengthened to a staff.

She held it like a jousting rod and began to run again, this time knowing how to place her steps, to run in the path she had unintentionally carved out. Up ahead she could see Mamoru kneeling atop the high drift, patiently waiting for her return. Neither of them said a word as she came closer, meeting in the space between to kiss long and hard.

"Mamo-chan…know that you made me happy," she whispered into his mouth.

"I have faith in you, Usako," he murmured in return, straining to see her as she stood up and slid down the opposite side.

Using the moon stick like a vaulting pole, she leapt the spaces over each crevasse, unnoticed by Metallia until she had landed atop the ruins of the castle. Directly above was the swirling black mass that made up the entity's epicenter, and it was to this she yelled, "Metallia!"

"Yare yare, the weak little princess won't give up!" Metallia replied harshly, rumbling like a particularly nasty storm. "Your planet is dead, and so shall the Earth fall too. I will smash you, crush you, and your annoying light will no longer bother me!"

In retaliation, the moon stick was held up high, and a beam of white light punched upwards through the shadows. Metallia's scream of pain shook the building below the _odango_-haired blonde's feet, but she braced herself firmly, continuing to hold her weapon up to the sky, pushing her power to its limit. She could feel her alternate selves inside of her working together, giving her strength; she was whole, and her power was great. Metallia could not absorb this power.

The glowing orb of the moon shone above her head, rays of pure white light connecting with the light she was releasing. Everything grew more intense as the moon gave its strength to its blood princess, and she screamed, "Now, Metallia, forever! I am Sailor Moon, and I am Tsukino Usagi, and I am Princess Serenity! I am all and one, and I will be the one to seal you into darkness eternal!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The three-who-are-one is a common theme running through this story, simply because it was all over the place in the original. Usagi/Serenity/Sailormoon. Usagi/Queen/Chibi-Usa. Usagi/Chibi-Usa/Nehellenia. Etc, etc. Plus, it proves that, despite reincarnation and the like, Usagi isn't the same as Serenity, and likely will not be for years to come. Again, this came out of my annoyance that everyone assumes these girls are exactly the same.


	13. Act 13 : zanrui - Snapped Strings

##### 

The moon stick was radiant, bathed in light from the brilliant globe up above. Though her arms were tired from holding them up so long, Sailor Moon continued to stand firm, feeling the power course through her body as the object of her focus continued to scream in anger and pain. Serenity called the moon down; Sailor Moon absorbed the power; Usagi directed it. "Now and forever…destiny cannot be avoided! Metallia! I will seal you away!"

Around her, the Moon Castle was beautiful again, marble and crystal and gold. Wealth unimaginable and she walked through it with ease, following the white figure that glided over the floor with grace, no sound to mark her path. Various uniformed servants, all ostensibly happy to be in their positions, bowed low to the two as they passed by. And both nodded in return gestures of respect, for no one was beneath such a thing in this kingdom.

As Luna followed her queen, a part of her recognized that it was only a memory, and that she in actuality sat in the ruins of the castle, before what remained of the Crystal Tower. In the past, she would never have been allowed even this far, because the room of prayer was forbidden to all but the queen herself; even their princess was not allowed to set foot inside. And true to that rule, the queen stopped before they crossed the threshold. "Luna, what is the solemn purpose of the Crystal Tower?"

"For our queen to pray for the kingdom, in times of peril and joy," Luna replied, the mechanical nature of the quote offset by her tone. She settled onto her hindquarters, tail curling neatly around her legs, as she stared through the doorway to see the glittering crystal.

Serenity did indeed laugh, a sound that had always reminded Luna of tinkling bells, or water over the crystal that they so held sacred. "You've memorized the oath, I see." She turned away to look into the room as well, and stepped inside without hesitation. "And what is the most sacred rule?"

The black feline dipped her head, reciting again from memory. "That none shall pass the doorway but the inheritor of the blood of the Moon; and not princess, but queen, shall pray." Formulating the oaths and rules into poetry was certainly an easy way to make the castle inhabitants remember. Though she did recall one noble who forgot a certain rule about not wandering into the royal handmaiden's dressing chamber….

What her queen said next shocked her out of her reverie violently.

"Forget that rule, Luna. Strike it from your memory. I tell you now, it is simply a petty way to keep people out of our personal space." As the black cat gaped, Serenity pointed to the four small crystals embedded in the frame at its four corners, ceiling and floor. They were designed to emit a force field that would recognize only the carriers of the _Ginzuishou_, and strike dead any other whom dared to step across, even the princess. "Fanciful decoration, nothing more. It was my greatest grandmother who thought of it."

"…my pardon, Serenity-sama, but…why are you telling me this?" Luna was still reeling from surprise, but curiosity was winning out over any other emotion. She was, after all, a cat, if a personage from Mau.

"Because I want you, on your solemn word, to enter this room in time of tragedy. If ever our kingdom is in peril, our princess in danger, I know I will be unable to function – I entrust you to pray in my place, to invoke the planet's spirit to protect us."

Someone was standing over the feline, speaking; but it was all fading away, dissolving as Luna realized why she had come to the remnants of the tower. It was all written millennium ago, their separate roles; and she knew, if Usagi was to truly lock Metallia away, someone needed to pray for her guardian planet to open to her.

That had been half an hour ago, and Luna was tired, aching in a dozen different places. She was beginning to give up hope, afraid that the worst had occurred, and Usagi had not awakened. "_Onegai…onegai_! In place of Serenity-sama, I beg for the passage to be open, for aid to be given….!"

And then, the tower had begun to grow.

Though they stood on the surface, they could see the corona of the satellite as it expanded, shining white light onto the shadowed planet. The smallest hole had been punched through the darkness, brilliant and white, growing as the moon fed its energy. "Usagi-chan…she's alive, she's praying to the moon…!" Luna gasped.

"Luna, the ruins! Look around us, everything is beginning to grow tall again!" Artemis looked around frantically, as did she, to see the buildings indeed begin to reform and rise, taking on their old shine and luster. The floors swept themselves clean of the dust, and Artemis was dumped unceremoniously onto the marble as the chunk he stood on was lifted into the ceiling. "With her power growing, she's bringing her kingdom back to life!"

On the surface, Sailor Moon had no indication of the housecleaning she was performing unconsciously. All she knew was that Metallia was growing strong again, pushing back the light, and shaking the castle beneath her feet, trying to swallow her whole.

But she trusted her spirit, and as the ceiling did indeed give way below, she felt herself fly upwards, having grown literal diaphanous wings. Like the crystal she wielded they were multifaceted, thin as paper but strong; she beat them sharply to swing around, dodging a thick shadow attempting to spear her. "I call down the moon! Help me banish the darkness, as my mother did before me!" she yelled, stabbing the moon stick into Metallia's middle.

The resulting howl sent her spinning away, heels over head, and it took her several yards to slow down and right herself. Below her was Mamoru, still on the drift, his head turned up towards the healing light. Their eyes met, and she was gratified beyond everything to see him focus on her face.

And then, another blasting scream hit her, shattering her wings.

She landed ungracefully in a pile of snow, legs sticking up, the moon stick twisting through the air to drop into one of the fissures still open. Coughing and sputtering she kicked and clawed her way out, only to realize she had lost her weapon. "_Shimatta_…what did they do in Star Wars when this happened?"

Metallia chortled as she slid to her knees to the edge of the fissure, looking down into it despite the blatant stupidity of her thoughtless action. Just above the impregnable darkness she could see the glow of the crystal, the moon stick wedged into the ice walls, too long to fall any further down. But the depth was still mind-boggling.

Again, the ground rumbled, shaking her violently as she balanced on the edge. Of course, as gravity and Murphy's Law had not quite given up functioning yet, she fell headfirst into the darkness, her scream echoing off the ice.

"Sailor Moon! Usako!" Mamoru screamed in kind, tumbling down the hill in his haste. He slid to the very edge himself, his hand sweeping down into empty air, far too slow; but as his eyes adjusted, he began to gape at the sight of her dangling from the wedged moon stick. With her hands back on the weapon, she began to rise into the air again, clearing the crevasse as she held the stick aloft.

This time, unfortunately, she didn't have wings.

She landed into Mamoru's arms, and he took her hand. "_Baka_," he said affectionately. "You had me scared for a minute."

Between them, she could feel their magic, their energy, and it combined within her like a raging fire. The moon was blinding as it met with the power of his planet, coalescing in the crystal, which turned into a nearly painful flare. Love really did go a long way. She smiled, stepping forward and releasing his hand to hold the moon stick high once more.

"To dust, I strike you, Metallia!"

And there was light.

The planet rejected Metallia, forcing away her hold. As she retreated into the smaller cloud form she had retained for so long, the light enveloped her; it shattered her, decimated her, and wiped her very existence away. Stars began to shine once more in the sky. The planet began to wake up.

And her body pushed to its limits, for no human was made to hold such immense amounts of power in such a sudden manner, Sailor Moon ceased to be, and Usagi dropped backwards onto the snow.

"Usako? _Iie_, Usako!" Next to her was the moon stick, its crystal focus dim, then dissipated into thin air. Mamoru stared at it, realizing with dawning horror what that meant. He gathered up the _odango_-haired blonde into his arms, feeling her pulse, her forehead, pressed his ear to her chest to listen for a heartbeat.

Nothing.

"Usako…dammit, open your eyes! We didn't come this far to be separated again!" he snapped, and slapped her across the face lightly to attempt to shock her into awakening. When she didn't respond, he hugged her tight to his chest, moaning into her shoulder. Like his parents and his true life, she was dead and gone to him, without a goodbye.

  
The biting cold had abated somewhat, but being the Arctic, it was still nippy enough to freeze off his tender skin. Dressed for a spring day in Tokyo still, he was completely chilled to the bone, no longer basking in the warmth his love had given him for that last battle. Holding her in his arms he stood up, facing the midnight sun with a wearied expression.

He didn't want to admit she was dead, when it had been only days – or was it weeks? Everything was still so foggy in his mind – ago when he had last seen her smile at him, casual abandon in her gestures and speech. She was a child, but so enticing to him with her dedication and purity, a shining star in his heart all of these long nights. Like a rosetta stone she had somehow unlocked all of the secrets in his life for him, showing him the way, giving him purpose and meaning.

Standing there, a frozen, half-dead man, he kissed her cold mouth. Remembering her smile, her radiant eyes, her careless talk. Everything he could have been to her he put into his kiss, falling to his knees as he breathed between her lips, "Usako…"

His limbs suffused with sudden warmth as she stole his life away.

…no. He gave it to her willingly.

It was a prayer being answered, as he realized the _Ginzuishou_ was responding, borrowing his energy and giving it to the limp, cold girl in his arms. And though he himself felt that one foot was already in the grave, he offered up more and more, weakening as it was taken away. Like a blood transfusion, he realized, a bit giddy.

And slowly, he watched the colour rise into her cheeks. Her fingers grew warm in his hand, suddenly clutching in a death grip as she whimpered, opening her eyes. Muscles spasming, she jolted up out of his arms and onto the snow, crying, "Mamo-chan, Mamo-chan! It hurts, oh, it hurts….!"

"_Daijoubu_, Usako, everything will pass," he murmured comfortingly, gathering her back against his chest as she writhed, every nerve ending on fire as her skin repaired itself, fixing the damage from the cold and her battle. Everything was happening in a span of minutes that should have taken hours, and he watched helplessly as she jerked and twisted in pain.

Finally, she stilled in his arms. Her school uniform, ripped to shreds by wind and frozen off in chunks, barely gave her any protection against the elements, and she began to shiver violently, now from cold. Ever gallant, he didn't even hesitate to take off the long-sleeve shirt he had been wearing, albeit a thin, lightweight garment, and pull it over her unresisting torso. "Usako, speak to me."

Staring at him, buried to her knees in his shirt, she began to cry. "Can we finally be happy, Mamo-chan?"

"_Sou yo_, Usako….Serenity…I could call you my princess for eternity, gladly," he whispered in return, tilting her chin up to meet her eyes. "I love you."

If her crying had been intense before, it was cataclysmic now. Ignoring the lingering pain of her rebirth, she flung herself against his chest hard enough to tip him back, hugging him tightly as she kissed him. He was pretty sure the words she kept repeating into his mouth were various declarations of love, and he thought of nothing else for the next solid minute.

Any passing northern animals would have witnessed quite the reunion make-out.

They ended up in the dead flower patch, their positions reversed as he held himself over her. Releasing the kiss, he lifted his head to smile rakishly, though it dimmed considerably as her expression faltered. Her eyes grew dim, unfocusing, and he realized suddenly that there were voices around them. They were not in the least malicious, and he recognized them almost painfully as they spoke. "Usagi-chan, be happy…."

"Don't be sad for us! Live your life in joy…."

"Usagi-chan…."

"_Daijoubu_, Usagi-chan…."

Helplessly, he stared at the crevasses that littered the snow in front of them, remembering the four bodies that had fallen into them. Maybe it wasn't a fairy tale ending after all.

Then, he sensed Usagi stand up and scan the horizon. "I have to save them, Mamo-chan. My friends and allies. Surely I can do it, with the power of my holy stone!"

"Resurrecting them would kill you, Usako. And then, everything would be back to the way it began," he replied a bit sharply, pained at the look he gave him. Disgust did not wear well on her impish face. "The _Ginzuishou_ only brought you back after I gave it my energy; and surely, when you foolishly killed yourself, it managed to do so only over time. You can't continue to make miracles with it so soon, Usako!"

Her stare began to waver as she realized he was right, and she sank back down onto her knees in the snow. "_Demo sa_…"

Then it hit her.

Somewhat literally, as the sudden appearance around her of the Moon Castle knocked her backwards. The frozen Arctic was gone, replaced with the immense hallways of her previous home, and she in her white dress. She was only a child at this time, and curious as a cat; she quivered with excitement as she peeked in the forbidden doorway, her guardian Mars behind her attempting to do the same. "Ne, mama has been praying for many days," the princess whispered.

"Jupiter's planet is in turmoil," Mars replied softly. "Serenity-sama is praying for the planet to heal after such suffering…"

Crystal blue eyes stared up at a sunny sky as the castle just as suddenly vanished.

"The Crystal Tower…the sacred room of prayer!" She leapt up, nearly knocking heads with her prince as he was bending over her in concern. Taking his hand, the moon stick in the other, she laughed joyously. "Mamo-chan, to the moon! We have to go back to the moon!"

  
Having not had the pleasure of such a mode of travel since his rebirth, Mamoru found the trip to the satellite rather…jarring. But the _odango_-haired blonde was kind enough to hold his head as he emptied the meager contents of his stomach into the dust, mopping away the sweat with his bare arm.

Post-travel sickness over and done with, they stared in awe at the beautiful kingdom that had risen from the moon's surface once more.

Even fairy tales didn't have such lovely castles, done in the purest marble and crystal and domed with stained glass. Water poured from jar-wielding nymphs into warm pools, and gardens were fantastically set out along the road to the palace, contained within their own personal weather dome. Though no greenery still existed, the dark-haired prince could remember in dim detail the unbelievable variety of flowers and trees.

And on the road, running towards them, was Luna.

Usagi let out a squeal and ran, letting go of her prince's hand to catch the black feline as she jumped up into her arms, nuzzling and licking her cheek. Artemis was not far behind, though he forwent the leap and simply circled the odango-haired blonde's legs, rubbing and purring in affection.

"Usagi-chan, I prayed so hard for you to prevail," Luna said happily, rubbing her head beneath Usagi's chin. "I saw you in my mind; your spirit was beautiful!"

"_Arigatou_, Luna." Scratching the feline behind the ears, she looked up at the castle that towered over them, shining new. "But what happened here? Everything was destroyed, turned to stone! How did it come back?"

Luna made a tittering noise and leapt from her comfortable hold, her paws making no sound as they touched the marble walkway. With a mysterious look that bordered on near-hysterical excitement, she began to pad briskly to and up the steps of the main entrance, lost within minutes through the garage-sized door.

Artemis shrugged as Usagi opened her mouth to question, following his feline companion at a quick jog. Realizing nothing would be answered until they found Luna again, Mamoru took hold of his princess's hand, giving the back of it a kiss, before he bowed. "After you, my lady."

Giggling, the _odango_-haired blonde led him up the steps, though their walk hesitated as they reached the top. Through the door they could see a branching serious of hallways, with the main being just as wide as the door, and lit by glass domes on the walls. "Electricity?" Mamoru muttered.

"_Iie_…crystals. What else would they be?" Smiling impishly she pulled at his hand, following the main hallway, knowing from another life's memories where it led. And it was a long walk; the walls, hung with elegant tapestries and paintings, kept them from walking very fast, pausing to stare at each one.

Almost everything had been reborn from the dust, down to the marble and quartz mosaic that lay in front of a double set of doors at the end of the hall. The _odango_-haired blonde remembered it as a scene showing off the victory of her twice-great grandmother over a vicious entity from space. In abstract detail, her ancestor held aloft the crystal, shaped like a six-pointed star, its jagged beams destroying a weird creature that looked like Mothra on steroids.

She also remembered coloring her ancestor's hair blue one particularly painful day.

Just the lightest touch sent the doors open, moving under their own power to slowly bang against the walls. The immense throne room, its ceiling the stained glass dome Mamoru had noticed in particular, was almost simple compared to the rest of the building. Thin strips of gold marked the quartz path straight up to the throne itself, a circle denoting where those who asked favours, or were to be punished or commended, were to kneel. On a dais was the throne itself, decorated with a silk pillow for back and rump, and carved out of solid marble, flanked by two smaller versions on either side on a lower echelon.

The entire room was acoustically perfect, and both could hear the sound of their shoes as they walked the path. In the circle sat the two felines, waiting patiently. "Usagi-chan, do you remember this?"

Passing the felines by, the _odango_-haired blonde reached out to touch the lower throne on the right, running her hand over the armrest. Many a day she had sat with her mother as she granted audience to her subjects, after she had reached womanhood of course, and finding out just how damned uncomfortable the thrones were. Even with pillows, her back ached horribly, and once, she had even managed to fall asleep during a particularly inspiring plea for aid in the outer regions.

She sat down slowly, noting with amusement that her feet just barely touched the ground still. "_Hai_. This was my throne, below mama's. But I don't remember who sat in the other throne…the king, before he died?"

It was sad how she recalled the queen with such emotion, but not the king. Her father had died before she had been born, that she knew, and so she had never been held by him, or spoken to, or given advice; that had been her mother's responsibility.

"Usagi-chan, did you ever sneak onto Serenity-sama's throne?"

Smiling at the memory, Usagi nodded. She switched seats, wriggling her butt into the plump cushion, her legs dangling even higher than in her old seat. "_Mochiron_! Mama would always find me, and she would remind me that I had to learn a lot before I could sit in the throne for real."

It was as she finished the sentence that she felt the heat rise from beneath her. She had no time to cry out, as it was gone within seconds, having clothed her in the simple white dress of Princess Serenity, though more flattering, tighter. "_Nani_!? All I did was sit down!"

Apparently, she was not the only one affected. Still shielding his eyes, Mamoru had been washed over as well, the livery of Prince Endymion replacing his pants and shoes, down to the sword in its scabbard. Blinking dumbly, he ran his hands over his shirt, the sword.

"With the power of the _Ginzuishou_, you've resurrected our kingdom. The blood of the moon is in your veins, Usagi-chan, and now, you are the mistress here. My Queen Serenity, I pledge my loyalty." Luna bowed her head, as Usagi slowly realized what had happened. "The Silver Millennium has been reborn."

"Luna, I am no queen." With deliberate movements, Usagi stood from the throne and stepped down, feeling the weight of her dress. As she refused the throne, the clothing melted away and left her as a Tokyo schoolgirl again; Mamoru again went topless. The black feline stared sadly at her. "I'm glad I brought beauty back to my planet. But I can't be Serenity; I was reborn as Tsukino Usagi, and I have a family now, and Mamo-chan. Everyone on Earth who needs me."

"It's your choice, Usagi," Artemis said. "But returning to Earth to be Tsukino Usagi doesn't release you of your responsibilities as a sailor soldier, or sacred bearer of the holy stone. Your kingdom will remain, forever immaculate."

Taking Mamoru's hand, the _odango_-haired blonde smiled. "_Hai_. But this is my choice. Destiny led me until this point."

So saying, she gently pulled at the dark-haired prince's hand, leading him towards a door set back behind the dais. Though obviously disappointed, Luna ran to catch up after both disappeared into another set of hallways, Artemis close at her heels. They ran at an easy pace through the door, ignoring the right and left and going simply straight on, seeing their princess in front of a familiar archway.

With superstition strong in her memory, Usagi left her prince outside of the prayer room and stepped inside alone. The first time in her life she had entered the room, and it was to pray for a miracle that, quite possibly, she could not pull off. It would have been a good time for the queen's spirit to come back just one more time for some guidance.

It was impossible, of course, and so she knelt on her own before the tower. "I don't know the words to say," she started off, clasping her hands in her lap. "But I want my friends alive, laughing with me in the sun. I want their planets to know my heart, to respect my wish, and to lend their power to revive my fallen guardian soldiers. _Onegai_! Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, give them another chance! Surely this time, it's worth it!"

  
Seemingly dead planets in space.

Each one had all but eradicated all traces of civilization from human discovery, be it by violent gas storms swallowing colonies whole, or intense heat melting away oceans and bodies. Like domino, they had fallen one by one, lifeless and content to simple turn slowly, like clockwork.

Now, after a millennium, their avatars had finally woken up, releasing the power so long denied to their planets. Like lamps given brand-new bulbs, they lit up strong, radiating like stars in the heavens. Though its great cities and population were long gone, turned to dust, more could be created. What few ruins remained began to thrum with energy, lights turning on in buildings unused for over a millennium, fountains pouring dust instead of water into cracked tubs.

Suddenly, these avatars gave up their powers in their entirety, no longer tying them to a flesh-and-blood vessel. They suffused with the planets' cores, initiating an ageless pattern once more of patient waiting, of expectation. Sailor soldiers did not pass these powers down through blood, though worthy recipients had, more than once, been mother and then daughter.

And just as quickly they heard the prayer that came to them; though they were not, by definition, feeling creatures, the very thing that gave each soldier their power was an empathic source. After all, it had to choose wisely to bestow its abilities, did it not?

And they had known the purest souls in this last millennium to wield these powers.

It made sense to give it back.

If any of them had stood outside in that moment, they would have seen the brilliant twinkling of four heavenly bodies, far too big to be simple stars. Like lasers the light that flew towards the blue planet, in a quartet of basic colours, to connect on a single island within the expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Broken bodies were reborn within the span of seconds, from childhood to near maturity.

In her soft bed, warm and snug, Aino Minako opened her eyes.

Across her pillow her alarm clock read steady at 9 in the morning. It was a Sunday; school was not in session today; and she was glad, because explaining the cause of her tardiness would have been hell.

That is, of course, if her school had survived.

Sitting up, she recalled the last painful minutes of her life, lying on the cold floor of the Arctic. And there had been a brief flash afterwards of something enormously terrifying, a horrid sight as her spirit moved on, but it had been left behind like detritus in the time between. Somehow, it also didn't surprise her to be alive again so soon.

There was a rather strange calmness in her as she reminisced about her death. Any sane, normal person would have broken down and screamed for a mental institution in the States, but not Aino Minako; no, she had to be the cool and collected sailor soldier who could swallow anything and ask for more. She had to be the one burdened with so many memories and recollections and what the daytime temperature had been in Magellan Castle.

_Kami-sama_, she even remembered the head cook's birthday.

Being killed and reborn was a piece of cake otherwise, in an otherwise turbulent year, and it was only promising to get worse.

Heaving a sigh, she slipped out from beneath her sheets, not in the least surprised to find her feline companion nowhere in sight. And, slipping off her rather plain orange pajamas, she mused that she was at least a bit more appreciative of Tokyo's current mild weather in retrospect. No flash freezing temperatures for this girl, not for a while if she could help it.

A blue tank top, white shorts and socks, and she sat back on the edge of her bed. The day was very beautiful, with blue clear skies and gentle breezes, and she knew she was going to be unable to bask in it. In the back of her mind was the faintest noise, like a ringing of bells, and she knew she was being summoned. So she left her room and her house, after slipping on sandals resembling some black Roman fashion trend in multitudes of useless straps, and jogged for the bus stop.

No surprise either that a patiently calm Ami sat in the back, obviously visible over the sparse crowd of giggling girls and older folks carrying groceries. The citizens of Tokyo had apparently survived the cataclysm with their usual ignorance intact. The long-haired blonde settled next to Ami without a word, stretching out into a slouch that her back would murder her for later, and prepared for the long ride.

She fell asleep, in fact, snoring quietly. Her wake-up was nothing more than a soft serious of shakes, and the blue-haired genius whispering, "Minako-chan, we're here. Minako-chan, wake up."

"Maaah…." was her muttered response. Blinking heavy eyelids, she stared outside to see the very last stop on the route, just outside the massive stretch of multiple-stories buildings – some missing chunks still – that made up Tokyo proper. From here was nothing but sparse housing and what untouched, undeveloped land there was left on such a crammed island.

Following Ami like a dutiful pet, they stepped out into a drowsy afternoon, warmer now that they were away from the bay and its ocean breezes. There was a hill, which the bus was even now rumbling up, which looked down onto the city as it rose up over the plain, and it was there that she could see Rei and Makoto standing.

Both girls made the long trek up without a complaint, even as the sweat began to trickle down their backs beneath their shirts. Minako felt some collect beneath her hair, so long it warmed her like a personal oven; Ami, with her short style, had no such problems, though it was so thick and dark that she probably had troubles as well.

Without word, as soon as they had crested the hill, the tall brunette hugged them both. It was a sudden bear hug of tight proportions, and both girls felt the air squeezed out of their lungs. They hugged her awkwardly back, glad to be released finally.

Rei merely looked away, across the field that stretched out in front of them. Far above the horizon but within their lines of sight rose the moon, no longer full, and dim in the lowering light of the sun. And as they watched, black shapes rose against it like shadows, of people running perhaps.

Ponytails streamed as Usagi came into detail, pushing herself to her limit as she ran frantically towards them. It was only when they saw Mamoru as well, the two felines at his heels, that they could hear her crying their names like a mantra.

And as she came into the circle of their bodies and their arms, they finally let themselves cry as well. Their princess was here, and they were all alive, and everything was going to be all right, they could cry against her and be well.

It was an emotional group of girls who stood there on the hilltop, alternately crying and hiccuping and laughing, touching one another's sleeve, unsure they were real. Mamoru came up at a leisurely walk to stand a few feet away, dressed in a white tunic and pants that were just the littlest bit tight on him, and whom Makoto was the first to stare at.

One by one they released sleeves and skirts from their grip, turning to face the dark-haired prince with faces full of joy. Usagi, still crying, reached out with both hands for her prince, curling herself against his chest like a kitten. "_Minna_, is this what a happy ending feels like?"

And the next morning was even more beautiful.

Too bad it was a school day, though Makoto was beside herself with joy knowing she was alive to go to it, and that her teachers had survived to have class. She even got up earlier to celebrate, eating a large breakfast at the café down the street that she so enjoyed, which served, of all things, Cajun food from America.

Spices still lingering on her tongue she wandered through her apartment, trading the skirt and top she had chosen for the morning for her tan uniform and black flats. Tying up her hair she experienced a little shiver, thinking of what she had seen after death, or rather, what she had forgotten. She was pretty sure it had to do with a sort of carefree attitude, no punishments or eternal blissful happiness unless you were a masochist or just a happy dip. And hadn't someone told her something about her life, yes, Kouyouko had said nothing was set in stone. Even destiny was just a directional marker, not a single road.

But of course, that was silly, because Kouyouko was her mother.

And then she realized the utter unfairness of the universe, that she had at last had a meaningful conversation with her mother, and it had been cut short on account of life.

If that wasn't some sort of ridiculous screw-up, she didn't know what was. Her hair tied back, she scowled at the pretty face that reflected in the mirror, touching her cheeks and nose as she realized she strongly resembled her mother now.

Hopping on one foot to adjust her shoe, keys jingling in her school case as she bounced through the door, she thought no more of it. She tested the door to make sure it was locked, though she really didn't need to, and sauntered down the hallway, whistling cheerfully. Yes, it was a beautiful day, and she wasn't going to think any more except for when a test absolutely called for it….

Rei wished she could say the same.

At the same time that Makoto enjoyed with vigor a bowl full of gumbo, she knelt in front of the sacred fire, wishing the breeze would come through the window a little stronger. Her robes grew so much heavier in the spring and summer, when the heat from the fire was intense and the warm air barely moved through the sparsely decorated room. Just one tiny window opened to the outside, small enough to keep any gusting breezes from disturbing the flames, and it created a veritable hell as the wind almost never came through.

But, religious devotion overcame all obstacles, and the heat was merely something her physical form had to deal with, as her spiritual form transcended all of it to come closer to their gods.

Or so her grandfather usually said, whenever she complained.

Six-thirty in the morning, and she was going through the motions of prayer as normal, pretending she wasn't going to shed all of this for the ludicrous guise of a Catholic schoolgirl come the next hour. Fingers locked, she repeated in rather archaic Japanese her usual mantra for peace and enlightenment, and for the gods to look favourably upon all. Even her father, worthless piece of flesh that he was, and his damned political underlings.

Homura had told her in careless ways of how she simply took everything too seriously. "…and now you see, don't you, why nothing matters but the present and the day? Life is for living, _musume-chan_, and things will still be silly and stupid when you're ash, like me." Of course, she had understood then, everything was so suddenly readable in that time, and she had been loath to let go.

Being a reader of spirits, Rei had taken the sight of her mother as an omen. To loosen up, perhaps, as now she had four friends to share life with, and to not always be such a stick in the mud. And to not be such a bitch, to put it bluntly, to other people.

Hm. One out of the two wouldn't be so bad.

Her thoughts faltered, and she stopped reciting her prayers altogether. And it was then that she realized the fire was raging far higher than normal, almost painful in its intensity. Like fingers it reached out for her, as a leering male face appeared in its center, red of hair and marked with an inverted black crescent sigil on his forehead. She didn't scream, but she did roll frantically as the fingers brushed her robes, igniting the cloth.

When she sat up, the fire was again its calmly flickering self.

Well, that was certainly auspicious. Taking it as a sign that her prayer session was over, she bowed as she muttered a prayer for peace and escaped the stuffy room, sliding the shoji screen shut with a feeling of finality behind her. Then she lifted up the corner of her robe, sighing deeply at the sight of the large burn hole, its edges ragged and still warm to the touch. Explaining this to her grandfather was going to be difficult, as he knew she wasn't stupid enough to get close enough to get burnt. And it was, on top of that, her only set of robes.

"_Kuso_," she uttered quietly. Holding the burnt edge up, she padded down the roofed walk to her room, opening the screen to enter a room of blissful quiet. On top of her futon she had laid out her uniform neatly, socks and all, and the only disarray was the empty bowl she had eaten ramen out of last night. She took pleasure in order; it made everything easier, and it was with annoyance that she reminded herself to put the bowl in the kitchen.

Carefully untying the folds of her robes, she hung them on a hanger positioned at the empty end of her closet, so she would be sure to remember to tell her grandfather in the evening. Then she pulled on her gray top and burgundy skirt, adjusting the two rows of useless buttons that adorned the breast and waist. Tying on her kerchief, she looked around at her spartan room, plain except for the futon and two lamps, along with a low table against the wall. Ever since she had arrived here all those years ago, she had kept meaning to add some sort of decoration, but never had gotten around to it. Now with her dead mother's words, she thought of stopping at a store after school and buying a framed picture.

In a few minutes she was fully dressed and walking down the intimidating length of steps, stopping at the bus stop to wait with the two other students. All three of them went to separate schools, and Rei was, as always, regarded with thinly veiled hostility. Her private school uniform marked her as a student more likely to achieve what they desired, and she was oftentimes the one whistled at as they stood and waited. She disliked male attention; they thought she flaunted it.

As always, her contempt threatened to overwhelm her. She stared out the window of the bus as she sat alone in her seat, watching the students walk by on their way to their public schools, various uniforms of all colours waiting on the corners to cross. A flash of blonde hair marked a frantically running Minako as the bus turned the corner and drove past, prompting a thinly amused smile from the dark-haired shrine girl. She had no true anger for Minako any more, in fact admired her for what she had accomplished, but thought her personality and attitude could use a lot more fine-tuning.

Getting off a block away from the gates of her school, she rather somberly realized she had her own fine-tuning to go through.

But walking through the front archway and entering the pristine, somber world of the Catholic school, she was besieged by classmates who adored her, worshipped her, and thought her to be the pinnacle of breeding. It was "Hino-san!" this and "Hino-san!" that every way she turned, and it really was a comfortable way for her to be, all staid and aloof. Why did she have to change so much?

"Hino-saaan!"

For a moment, Rei thought Minako had lost her mind and tried to sneak into the schoolyard. But as the blonde head appeared in front of her, all smiles and cheery attitude, she felt her heart sink. "Hino-san, I'm so glad you were picked to help us out! At the festival this year, we'll spread the truth in rapid order!"

"…..ahh. Kotono-san, what are you…."

"Ara, you don't know yet!" Kotono clapped her hands frantically together, doing a barely repressed dance of joy right there in the courtyard. "For the school festival this year, the sisters picked students at random to help out. And you were chosen for our booth, which will be focused on supernatural forces. We would love it if you would do fortune-telling for us!"

A nervous tic began above Rei's eye. "A…supernatural…forces…booth?"

The bells began to ring for the first mass in church as Rei just moaned.

Entering the church, she remembered that her vision was definitely not of the good sort, and wondered rather irrationally if she could somehow use it to get out of the festival.

Belting out a badly pronounced version of "As The World Falls Down," Usagi skipped down the sidewalk an hour after school, swinging her school case with gusto. She had no recollection of the meaning of what she sang, but she liked the melody and David Bowie's unusual voice, so she just kept singing despite all of the looks she was getting.

"…asu saa woru-lu-do falsu da-un….falu-ingu in-u laabu…." Stopping right before the entrance to Ichinohashi Park, she belted out the refrain to the birds perched atop a nearby tree, giving quite the performance to the avians as they continued to warble to themselves. Topping it off with another random set of lyrics she bowed, hearing applause.

But as she stood upright, she realized the applause was from a girl on crutches in the middle of the road, who leaned heavily on her means of support to clap. And though the street was deserted otherwise, a car was screaming around the corner and coming right for her.

In a reversed set of circumstance, Usagi jumped off the curb, dropping her school case. As the car came within feet of hitting the frantic girl, who couldn't hobble fast enough, the _odango_-haired blonde grabbed her around the waist, the impact hard enough to send them both onto the opposite sidewalk and just out of harm's way by inches. One of the crutches, fallen backwards, lay twisted and broken by the car's tires in the street.

"_A-a-arigatou gozaimasu_!" the girl stuttered frantically, still holding onto the other crutch. A red scrape decorated her palm from where she landed, but she was otherwise unhurt. Usagi helped her to her feet, marveling.

Watching her hobble slowly up the sidewalk, her means of support cut in half, the _odango_-haired blonde felt as if some sort of pattern had been disrupted….but she was happy nonetheless. Looking for cars herself she skipped back across the street, picking up her school case as she continued where she had left off, singing another random set of lyrics as she entered the park. And, seeing a familiar black head of hair at the fountain, she skipped faster.

Mamoru, his head buried in a book, heard her coming. But he pretended to be completely oblivious, looking up only once she landed in a happy heap at his side, kissing his cheek with childish abandon. She brimmed with mirth, kicking her feet against the concrete sides of the fountain, as he removed his glasses and smiled. "Detention again, Usako?"

She stuck out her tongue as she laughed, saying, "No! I have a surprise for you, Mamo-chan, and it took my whole allowance. Hold out your hand!"

He did as requested, amused. With a flourish she pulled out a jewelry box, covered in black velvet, and set it in his hand. As she stared at him, he pried it open to see his moon phase watch lying on the satin, merrily ticking away. "Do you like it, Mamo-chan? I thought it would be nice to have it fixed and working again for you."

"It was my father's watch," he murmured faintly, listening to it tick. It was not an expensive operation by any means, but he felt unbelievably touched. He closed it far gentler than he opened it, setting it next to his book. As she snuggled up against his side, he smiled down at her, holding her with his free arm. "And, Usako, how do you feel?"

His fingers brushed a round brooch that hung now on her breast, decorated with a star. Before they had left the moon, she had found it amongst her mother's jewels, reformed along with the rest of the personal objects in the castle, and took it with her. It had a perfect spot for the _Ginzuishou_ within, though all Luna had said in her mysterious way was that she could use it. Somehow, knowing she could still transform into Sailor Moon comforted her.

"Happy, of course. And not so tired. I think mama put this for me to find, so I could still be Sailor Moon even though I lost my old brooch." It was a silly idea, the queen being long dead and not of the physical for a thousand years, but it made sense to her; she knew it, somehow, to be true.

Their fingers entwined. Still a bit shy about their affection, they leaned in to one another slowly, a bit clumsy. Mamoru pulled Usagi up with him, holding her in his arms as they finally managed a kiss, growing less shy and more passionate as the seconds passed. Eyes closing, they were oblivious to the smiling faces walking by, of the people who regarded them with happiness because they themselves were happy.

An earthquake could have hit, and they wouldn't have noticed.

So instead, a black ball dropped out of the sky and clonked Mamoru on the head.

Mamoru opened his eyes in shock, looking over Usagi's shoulder to see the ball still rolling on the ground. With large conical ears, and a comically exaggerated cat face, it rather resembled a blown-up Luna head, crescent moon and all.

Neither of them could miss the bright flash of light that followed up in the sky, right above their heads. Usagi, still in his arms, screamed piteously and buried her face in his chest, as he, ever gallant, sought to simultaneously protect her from the explosion. And the damned cat head was still rolling back and forth….

Wind whistled as something bigger fell out of the light.

Usagi screeched as something landed on her neck rather hard, knocking her to the ground. Mamoru had no time to react, as the thing that landed was a small child, and managed to lock lips with him as she fell right between them. He fell backwards, and she rode him like a horse to end up in his lap. His ever-brave princess, always concerned with others over herself, was crying like a baby as she held her neck.

"My neck, my neck, it's been broken! In the prime of womanhood I've broken my spine!" she yelled, absolutely furious.

It only got worse as she looked up, testing her poor, mutilated neck, to see what landed on her. The child that sat in Mamoru's lap had to be no more than eight years old from what she could see of her, with audaciously pink hair tied up into two conical buns on her head, her ponytails thick and barely passing her shoulders. Her blue school uniform was completely unfamiliar looking. "Whoever you are, you're sitting in my Mamo-chan's lap! Get off of him this instant!"

Mamoru felt a sudden camaraderie and pity for the male schoolmates he had always overheard talking about their jealous girlfriends. He was now, to his sudden fear, right in the thick of it, and sinking fast.

The young girl stared up into his face with eyes as pink as her hair, clutching at his shirt as if afraid he would leave her. "Is that right? ‘Mamo-chan'…."

"_Hai, my_ Mamo-chan! And who are you, you Mamo-chan thief! You broke my neck, too!" Usagi added, holding her neck still. She stiffened as the girl turned her head, staring at her with a face that struck her as familiar, though she couldn't quite place it.

"I'm Usagi! And who are you, with your _odango_ like mine?" the girl came right back with, crawling off Mamoru's lap to stare petulantly. She would just reached Usagi's shoulders with the top of her head, but she managed to unnerve the _odango_-haired blonde with her stare nonetheless, still on her butt on the ground.

That, coupled with the shock of her announcement, that is. "U-usagi? But I'm Usagi! My name is Tsukino Usagi, and that is my hairstyle! You stole it from me, you thief and neck breaker!"

Mamoru was sure he would have a heart attack by nineteen if he had to put up with this for a few years straight. Even the couple of minutes the girl had been here, getting into a fight with his princess, was driving him to a lifetime of stress. Though, when his hand had brushed hers, he was sure he had seen a tall, rising crystal palace….

"Tsukino Usagi." Before either of them had time to react fully, she had a gun out and pointed at Usagi's forehead, holding it steady with both hands. "You have the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_, then! I want it!

"Hurry up and give it to me, or else!"

Usagi gaped stupidly, momentarily frozen at the sight of the weapon, as was Mamoru. Even the damned police force didn't have guns to carry around regularly! Yet, a little girl held them at bay with one, and as Mamoru watched, she tightened her finger on the trigger.

Far away from the noise and smell of physical existence, she drifted.

There was only soothing blackness as far as the eye could see, warm and comforting; it was all she knew as she continued to lazily bob along. How long had she been here? It felt like years, or two days ago; time had no more meaning.

She was content to never leave, floating forever in this calm world. Only the vaguest memory of a painful life remained in her mind, dissolving with every passing day, second, century. Maybe she had never lived at all, and merely dreamed it. None of it mattered, nothing at all touched her.

Abruptly, she heard a voice say, "I'm sorry."

Suddenly there was solid ground, and she was standing. There had been no warning, no knowledge at all of the change; she was floating, and then she was upright. Annoyed at being disturbed she turned around and around, to see the same endless black as before. She walked a few steps, only to find herself smacking into a wall.

"You could have had a good life, but some things are unavoidable."

Another wall behind her, next to her, but not in front of her. A hallway. The voice echoed from the end of it. "It was much sooner than expected, but you only were doing what was in you from the beginning."

"Who are you?"

Turning again, and there was a room. A glass case on a pedestal took up the exact middle, flooded with light that came from nowhere. On top of it sat someone smoking a cigarette, of all things, face obscured by a blue velvet hood and cape. "Do you know how long you've known the answer to everything, Chouno Moriyakumi?"

All very calm and genial, as if they were friends. Dressed in the school uniform of Juuban as her mind had unconsciously chosen, Moriya remembered what had happened. The irrational disruption of the city's light; when it had happened, she had crept out in her thief's guise, tracking it to the source. Hiding in the elevator she had watched the fight, and at the pinnacle had heard the tuxedo-clad man call Sailor Moon ‘Usagi-chan.'

Flinging herself in front of the oncoming energy had quite possibly been the most idiotic, and last, thing she had ever done. She had known immense, engulfing pain.

Then she had arrived here.

"If I know the answer, why am I asking you a question?" Moriya replied tartly after a moment, pausing as she realized the other person was speaking in English, and was either a woman, or a very effeminate man.

The cigarette was flicked off into the blackness, where, after a minute, it disappeared entirely. "Filthy habit anyway. I only do it when I get nervous, when I have to do something with my hands. Do you know that feeling, Moriya?"

Sliding from the glass case, the cloaked woman set both hands on its top. Curiously, Moriya stepped up on the other side to peer within, wondering at what was so important as to be protected beneath glass; and she screamed. She screamed and screamed as she saw her own face.

Though it wasn't truly her face. It was a face she would have had in about five years, at the height of her maturity, an androgynous shape of bones that could be male or female with the right style of clothes. But the copper hair that rested on the pillow was long, waist length, and the breasts beneath her shirt were quite ample; they were just fine on a frame that was at least six feet tall.

And it wore a familiar blue soldier's uniform.

Moriya commenced to tremble, staring at a woman she herself had drawn just weeks before her death. Even the crescent sigil that clasped the cape to her shoulder. "She…she's me…." she said weakly, looking up at the cloaked woman across the glass.

She found herself talking to that same adult face. With the hood down, she was the very image of the woman between them, if a bit more lively, and clad in the same blue uniform. White gloved hands laced beneath her chin as she watched Moriya's face utterly drain of blood. "You know what's happening, Moriya. The body you wear, ‘Chouno Moriyakumi,' was only a secondary form. To protect the princess.

"When the kingdom was destroyed, and the princess sent into stasis, we had nowhere to go. So we gave ourself up to the galaxy in our purest form, watching and waiting for an event to force Serenity's rebirth. Metallia would awaken, it was obvious, and it was the opening of the seal that prompted us to find mothers for Serenity and her court to be reborn through. They were to be born as humans for a new chance at life, and awakened when the time was right.

"But though Luna and Artemis were chosen to be their guides, it wasn't enough. And so we split into sections."

"I don't understand—"

"'Chouno Moriyakumi' is a created person, containing the essential personality of us. Given a childhood and parents that never existed, you were then placed into the orphanage run by Sakakku Kotaiko.

"Found just seconds after death, Sakakku Kotaiko had been a miserly woman, trained as a nurse but hating life; she died of a head wound in her apartment. Her body was filled up by another half of our essence, directed to watch and wait, to place Moriya in the position to meet our princess, Tsukino Usagi.

"And I was the last remaining piece, left to drift formless. I awoke Luna and Artemis, with the aid of our queen. I transported the bulk of the moon's computer to a safe location in Tokyo. I spoke to V as ‘Boss.' And all of this time, I've been waiting for you to die. Sakakku was to follow directly after you into death, so finally, we can wake up. Her half is already within."

Moriya looked down at the body in the glass case. "…I…I remember now. And that's all I am? Just a created form to protect Usagi-chan?"

"You would have done it anyway," the other said mildly, to which Moriya nodded.

Staring into the glass case, it all finally made sense. And so she held out her hand to the other woman, not flinching as she took it in a tight grip. "I remember now. I'm not Chouno Moriyakumi, of Tokyo. All of it was a lie, to protect that important person."

"Not all a lie. You are not Chouno Moriyakumi, but you are the person she was."

  
Drifting on a sea of darkness, Moriya opened her eyes.

But her name was not Moriya, and she had been sleeping for a very long time.

Waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The theme of Usagi as a helpless victim is broken, as proven by her rescue of the girl in the street; instead of being rescued herself, she is now the rescuer.
> 
> Makoto and Rei's mother's names are made up.
> 
> The destruction of Tokyo was meant to prove that yes, the city gets beat up quite a bit because of the girls, and that it doesn't just miraculously solve itself.


	14. Act 14 : black•moon•koan - Sailormars

##### 

It was a beautiful day. Birds chirping, people talking, the city abuzz.

And Usagi staring down the barrel of a gun.

Whoever the girl was, she was obviously insane, and possibly insanely rich to freely be wielding such a weapon. "You must be deaf in this time! I want the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_, do you understand? The holy stone!"

Mamoru, frozen in place, stared in disbelief as an eight-year-old waved the gun menacingly in his princess's face, forcing her eyes to cross. He should have been doing something amazingly heroic, possibly stupendous, but as ordinary Chiba Mamoru, he felt like lead. Funny how he never realized how much love could scare the shit out of you and leave you so totally helpless.

Usagi whimpered as she felt the barrel edged into her right nostril, obviously meant to be intimidating. Unfortunately, it only caused a chain reaction best described as a massive explosion and forceful evacuation of the mucus membranes.

Basically, she sneezed.

Snot spewed into the girl's face, and she, completely disgusted and taken unaware, pulled the trigger as she recoiled backwards. The sound of the shot mingled with the scream Usagi cut loose with, holding her nose as it again erupted. It was a rather nasty, disgusting scene after all of the heavy romance of a few minutes prior, and Mamoru could do nothing more than catch the pink-haired menace as she bounced into his arms for the second time.

Flowers and a little "BANG!" flag hung limp from the moist barrel of the gun.

They were plastic, adding further insult to injury.

"A toy…? You threatened us with a _toy_?" he slowly stated, holding the girl at arm's length. Resisting a sudden urge to shake her, he looked past her to see Usagi lying on the ground, whimpering but alive.

As he checked in on his ladylove, the girl, obviously very well practiced at this, wriggled and squirmed her way right out of his hands. She bounced off the concrete into an immediate run, dropping the useless toy at his feet as he yelled "Hey! Come back here, you little troublemaker!" in his best adult, authoritarian voice. Obviously he had a lot to learn, as she just kept hauling ass deeper into the park, followed by, incredibly, the cat head at a quick hover.

She ran fast for a little girl, too.

Staring after her, he never noticed Usagi crawling up until she used his tie to haul herself to her feet. Yanked down rather painfully, he gasped and choked as she cried out for sympathy for her own plight. "Mamo-chan, Mamo-chan! Who was that? Did you hear, she wanted the _Ginzuishou_! How does she know about it!"

"….air…."

"And she threatened me with a gun! A gun! Mamo-chan!"

His pleas for air gurgled into some sort of incoherent babble. She released his tie suddenly, realizing what she was doing, and managed to calm herself down as he forcibly yanked the knot open and took a blessed breath of air. Massaging his neck, he eyed the _odango_-haired blonde as she did her worried, impatient little dance. "Calm down, Usako, the gun was fake. It looked real enough, but she didn't plan on hurting us!"

"A GUN, Mamo-chan!"

"Usako, it was a toy…" he sighed, wincing as his Adam's apple protested. "That girl, with such a similar hairstyle, are you sure you don't know her? Maybe she's family you've forgotten about."

The look she gave him stopped him dead, hand frozen in the act of providing relief. "I think I would remember family members with illegal weapons and pink hair! Also, little kids who fall under that category! Be serious, Mamo-chan!"

He held up both hands in forgiveness. "_Gomen nasai_. But she acted as if she knew you, or even, us."

"Well, if she knows about the _Ginzuishou_, she has to be an enemy!"

She looked resolved on that matter, and she assumed what he took to be an assertive pose. "Only a new enemy would know of the _Ginzuishou_ and want to take it in such a violent way! No one else but us knows of it!"

"No one?"

"No one! …..except Chouko-kun."

"'Chouko-kun'?"

"Well, he's a boy at my school, he had that sculpture exhibit, and he was blind, but now he can see, and he was an artist in the Silver Millennium, and he remembers—"

_Kami-sama_, this was giving him a headache. He massaged his forehead as he had his neck, closing his eyes in a moment of patience. "You mean others were reborn as well? Usako, any of them could know of the stone, and want to resume fighting for it again."

He watched her pause in mid-breath, the realization blossoming in her face. "….but…why would they want it? The people of the Silver Millennium were peaceful and kind!"

"_Hai_, but being reborn has placed them into a position of quicker mortality, Usako. They aren't citizens of a beautiful utopia, living centuries long. They're just normal human beings, of a normal life span, and they could be quite angry if they remembered what the _Ginzuishou_ can – and once did – give them," he replied calmly. For him, this observation was nearly clinical and hardly personal; after all, in both of his lifetimes he had been a pitiful human.

But Usagi had been not only a princess, but The Princess; the carrier of the blood of the white moon, she who would inherit the entire galaxy, and with it, immeasurably long life. She had barely known strife until Metallia's brainwashed horde had attacked, and the idea of fighting over a couple of extra centuries of life had been alien to her. He hated to admit, personally, that she had been extremely naïve.

She began to nibble at her thumbnail, crystal blue eyes downcast. Her babbling excitement of a minute ago had been completely forgotten in this, her sudden depression. He marveled at how fast she could switch gears, so entirely the innocent despite everything that had happened. "Usako…perhaps, the girl is just confused. If she is a reborn Silver Millennium citizen, it could just be a submerged memory or personality." With the gentlest touch he pulled the _odango_-haired blonde against his chest, holding her. "I bet she's in the playground area right now, confused and wondering why she acted so rashly."

"Do you think so, Mamo-chan?" Usagi murmured, absentmindedly ripping off a good chunk of her nail with her teeth.

"_Sou yo_. I did the sleepwalker routine myself, ne?" The dark-haired prince chuckled at the memory, slowly stroking a long ponytail of her hair. "The memory doesn't come all at once unless forced; it usually trickles out over a period of time, and you re-enact events, people. _Daijoubu_, Usako. She'll be alright."

Her nuzzle against his chest was inspiring a whole slew of quite wicked memories of his own. She was lightly pried away, and he bent to collect his pile of books, the felt box. "It's close to dinnertime, isn't it? Maybe I should walk you home."

Usagi tipped her head up, staring at the sky's mixing colour scheme. "Ara, it is! And my tummy's been so quiet all this time. I never even realized I was hungry!" she burbled joyously, obviously over her shock. "But shouldn't we go look for her, just in case she's lost, or hurt?"

"There's always a policeman wandering around, they'll find her. And seeing us again could just make her problem worse; it's best to forgot this." So saying he held open his arm to her, to draw her against his side. Smelling the clean scent of her hair was heaven; he nuzzled against her head until she squealed, walking so close as to be one person all the way home.

  
Metallia was gone.

After a millennium, the sailor soldiers of the Silver Millennium were reborn for the sole purpose of destroying the threat, of once and for all ending the terrible violence and death brought on by the entity. With its climax came the inability for four of them to become soldiers again, but it didn't matter; their entire reason for awakening had been fulfilled. Peace was sure to come.

Of course, that would have been simplistic. For what is a sailor soldier but an eternal warrior, constantly going on to the next battle?

Even now, another loomed. Though it was full-grown in another era, in 21st century Tokyo it was merely a seed, and on a planet of darkness and cultured hate, it had been born. Sipping wine from a crystal glass, the man who had helped nurture it sat on that planet's throne, though it was more ceremonial than truth, for their numbers, already few, had diminished greatly amidst the treacherous, native population.

Nemesis, the tenth planet, was an unforgiving refuge.

Amidst the darkness that permeated even their castle, the man they considered their prince was a blot of white. Hair like swan's feathers hung past his chin, inviting; but his eyes were piercing, cold. He lounged in a uniform of white decorated with curlicues of blue, pure white down to his shoes and flowing cape lined with lavender silk. The only hint of darkness on his body was a pair of black crystal earrings, heavy in their fittings of gold, and a black crescent sigil, inverted on his forehead. "And you've finally registered a reaction from the _Ginzuishou_, Saphir?"

Silk and velvet was his voice, and it mingled with the dark to create something wholly erotic in the sweeping expanse of the room. He could have captured the attention of hundreds with a simple poem. But the man who stood next to him had an uninspiring voice, one that was well used to boredom and being ignored. It was almost impossible to tell that they were brothers, the man in white and this second male.

A blue shirt darkened to its deepest tone was immaculate on his skinner frame, along with white pants and grey gloves – all the better to not touch anything, to contaminate it or himself. His equally sapphiric hair was neatly trimmed short, showing his bare earlobes and marked forehead. "_Hai_, Demand _nii-san_. It was a small reaction, but enough; it still lives, in the area of Tokyo."

"Excellent." Demand held up the wineglass to the meager light that burned above their heads, swirling the vintage inside slowly. Taken with them on their crusade it was the last of its dregs, and he intended to savour every drop. "Then it means our hunch was correct. If the rabbit has the crystal in the past, she obviously intends to find the sailor soldiers."

As he took another tiny sip, the air in the castle was violently disturbed. Behind Demand formed what appeared to be a body in monk's robe and hood, legs folded as they hovered well off the ground. Hands without true physical definition slowly gestured around a crystal ball, much in the same way Beryl had done. The light the crystal gave off was enough to highlight the folds of fabric, but not enough to even hint at what lay beneath the hood. "The rabbit has the fake stone, the stone of light and longevity, and that is what I desire. With it destroyed, our _Jakokusuishou_ will be the ultimate power of death."

"And without it protecting them, we can crush the queen and her devils and begin the cycle again, properly," another male added, tipping back his own glass. His hair burned like fire in the room, a wild twisting poof of pure red. He wore the same heavy gold and black earrings Demand had, though they looked slightly ridiculous along with his fatigue brown vest and camo pants tucked into boots; he looked like an effeminate man who had raided an Army surplus store.

"Rubeus, you put it so eloquently!" the female to his right laughed, touching her fingers coyly to her lips. She kept an aloof distance from all three men, though her aggressive stance indicated that she considered herself an equal. Green hair fell in waves to her knees, its curls complimenting her pair of earrings nicely. Her dress was a darker shade of green, nearly emerald in hue, with a decoration of large green stones looping down the chest in gaudy fashion. Matching gloves to her upper arms and high-heeled boots to the knee completed the look. She, as well as Rubeus, bore the black crescent sigil.

Demand gestured for quiet with the barest motion of his hand; like well-trained monkeys, they all shut up. He held his glass for an obvious toast, and he smiled at the clink of crystal as they did the same. "To restoring the proper order, and the greatness of humanity."

"And to destroying the infinite vessels who disrupted everything!"

They drank.

When they had left to pursue their holy cause, they had taken with them very few believers. After all, who wanted to give up longevity and peace for death and chaos? Many people sneered at them and turned away, leaving a scant group of them to flee. With Demand chosen as their prince for having led them so far, he more than anyone else felt his hatred for the utopia of Earth as he watched his followers from that blue planet slowly die.

And out of them all, only four remained.

One of them stepped forward now, having kept quiet as her superiors drank and toasted and schemed. And if her four betters dressed in an unusual manner, her frilly purple tutu and striped bodysuit, high heels and purple hair – styled into a pair of cat ears – put them all to shame. On her widow's peak was a large gemstone brooch, not in the least bit complimentary to her black moon mark just beneath it. Hideous, all of it; it would have been a far kinder thing to simply say she had dressed in pitch darkness and never saw the mirror.

"Demand-sama," she began, cooing indulgently with a rather pretty voice. "The _Ginzuishou_ is powerful, and it is felt by us, the four sisters who have followed you faithfully. Allow us to go to Earth and procure the rabbit, and servants for our cause; even now, I have a way to take them unaware. Give us this job, Rubeus!"

Behind her stood three shadowed forms, obviously her sisters. They crept close to the purple frilled woman in agreement as Rubeus nodded, laughing shortly. "Of course, Koan. We could entrust this to no one else! Begin the operation as you see fit, Code : 001 we shall call it! Operation: Recruit. Find the rabbit, procure the _Ginzuishou_!"

"Maa-ma, _tadaima-aa_! I'm hungry and wasting away for lack of food!"

As usual, Usagi's entrance was neither quiet nor slow. Her shoes were pried and kicked off her feet and into the corner, her socked toes shoved into a pair of fuzzy white bunny slippers. Onto the stairs she vaulted, taking them two at a time as usual, to do a dancing dive into her bedroom. She was intent on throwing her case into a corner, to be forgotten until tomorrow, stripping her uniform off for a comfy pair of pajamas, and simply vegetating until dinner.

What she got was a near-collision with a stranger in her doorway.

Pigtails of two colours tangled together as the two thumped into a pile of dirty laundry and one lone pillow, her school case bouncing hard on the floor and clicking open. Various papers spilled and fluttered everywhere as Usagi finally screamed, staring into a pair of familiar, angry pink eyes. "MAAAMAAA!"

She flung the offending child onto her bed, gathering her rage into one big secondary harangue, when she caught sight of her room at large. Slowly did details present themselves to her, like the dresser drawers askew, seemingly drooling clothing over their lips. The piles of laundry that had migrated from the hamper to the door, in a single file line. Her closet doors shoved wide open, hangers empty, their shirts and dresses dangling precariously or simply fallen to the ground. And Moriya's boxes overturned, their contents scattered to every corner of her room.

Beyond rational speech, she stared. This was now becoming something like an episode of a science fiction show, one of those strange American imports where people wore silly jumpsuits and paused after each word and had weird ears. This just didn't happen in a sane, orderly universe, and even though her conscience was telling her snidely that her universe was not in the least bit sane, nor orderly, she was violently shocked.

And the pink-haired child sat on her bed, crouched rather, staring at her as if she were the cause of it. The anger simply radiated from her petite body, wide pink eyes gone narrow and focused. It was all the more terrible simply because she should have had an innocent, carefree smile to go along with her heart-shaped, sweet face. "I know you have it, Tsukino Usagi."

"Have what! Are you some sort of crazy terrorist!" Usagi stammered in return, turning her entire body away. "You don't just barge into my room like this!"

"I want it," the girl said slowly, acting as if Usagi hadn't even spoken. "The _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_, I told you. You have it, and I want it!"

Mamoru's calm explanation of half an hour ago died a very violent death.

Usagi flung herself across the floor, grabbing the girl by her ankle as she tried to move out of the way. She hauled the girl up into her arms, holding her tight as she kicked and yelled, and proceeded to stomp towards her door. "Invasion of privacy, breaking and entering, I don't care what Mamo-chan said! Mama!" she yelled down the stairs. "Mama, don't you notice intruders in our house?!"

Stomping down the stairs like a maddened bull elephant, she entered the living room with the wriggling, pink-haired child firmly tucked into her arms. But she stopped dead at the sight of her mother sitting calmly on the couch, her father next to her in the loose suit he had gone to work in, both relaxed. Shingo sat on the floor, staring at the TV, and he, along with her parents, seemed totally calm about the fact a round cat's head hovered next to the set. Beeping, no less, and emitting other quiet, unusual noises.

"…._nani_?"

Then, a minute later: "That _thing_ is in our house, and no one has a problem with that!?"

Ikuko said, "Tsukino Usagi, put your cousin down this instant!"

That cinched it. She had saved the entirely wrong dimension, and even now, her true world was missing a certain _odango_-haired blonde and no worse for it. Her hold slackened, and the girl dropped onto the floor with a grunt, crawling hastily to the shelter of Ikuko's open arms. Once there she celebrated her victory by sticking her tongue out.

Dumbfounded, Usagi just stared.

Then she said, "My cousin? Of what family? Of what millennium! I've never seen that little brat before in my life until today!"

"Yare, yare, _nee-san_, you're getting dumb in your old age!" Shingo snickered. "She was here just last year, for your birthday, remember?"

"My birthday," she responded flatly. "Of course. How could I forget that ridiculous cotton candy head."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Luna in a conveniently shadowed corner, obviously waiting for her to come home. At the questioning tilt of the feline's head, she pointed rather suddenly at the free-floating ball. "Then what's that? No normal toy can do that!"

Ikuko heaved an angry sigh, cuddling the girl as lovingly as she once had Usagi. "Her father is an inventor, Usagi. She has many toys that do unusual things, and he made it after seeing Luna a few weeks ago. That's why it looks so silly and like your bald-spot kitty. Now stop being a pest and a crybaby, and leave your cousin, Chibi-Usa, in peace!"

"Chibi-Usa?"

"_Hai, hai_, her name is Usagi as well! We call her Chibi-Usa, because there is two of you, and she's obviously younger. Have you hit your head in gym class?"

The _odango_-haired blonde had lost the battle, and the entire war along with it. Acknowledging defeat, she backed out of the living room and went back up the stairs, growling beneath her breath with every step. Behind her she could hear Luna padding rapidly to follow, though neither of them dared speak until they were in the safety of the bedroom.

Once there, Usagi gathered her breath, intending to scream. But Luna silenced her with a wave of her paw, demanding she tell her what happened; and so Usagi did, with heavy emphasis on her injury, which even now could cripple her, and including Mamoru's guess as to the child's knowledge. "But to take it to this level, Luna! Only Chouko-kun knew who I am as Tsukino Usagi, and only because we go to school together. How can she find me like this?"

"The pertinent question is how does she know of the _Ginzuishou_, period!" Luna snapped, staring at the closed door. "Mamoru-san had a very educated guess for an answer, but I sense that isn't it. And for her hair to be so similar to yours, Usagi-chan…! No one in the Silver Millennium but you and your mother wore such ponytails."

Usagi began to pick up her destroyed room in a sort of controlled frenzy, silently outraged at the up-until-now unnoticed sight of her jewelry box opened, the contents spread across the table and onto the floor. "She was looking for the holy stone, Luna, in my room. But how did she get in! And why is mama and papa acting like this is normal for her to be here?"

She dropped everything to pick up her jewelry, untangling a knot in one of her necklace chains, as Luna said, "I don't know. When I came back from the Crown, she was here, and your mother was showing her photo albums. Her strange magic has infiltrated even personal mementos, because she was in several of those pictures with you, Usagi-chan!"

"_Masaka_!" The _odango_-haired blonde shut the jewelry box with a click, glaring at the fingerprint smudges on her mirror. "I've never seen her before today, but to do this so thoroughly…Luna, was anything saved from the control center?"

The conversational switch was sudden, but of importance.

In movies and TV, such clandestine places were always destroyed and rebuilt quickly. Not so in the case of their control center, which had been utterly exposed by the last fight against Beryl. With their entire mission laid bare to the world, and with workers coming within the week to begin repairs, Luna and Artemis had no choice but to destroy everything. They could never possibly move it all in time, and they had no suitable place; and to have such technology fall into the wrong hands would be disaster.

With Minako's help, they had slagged everything once the necessary files had been saved onto common disks. Fire had been simple enough to melt everything down into that slag, leaving the impression of old consoles stored in a basement, forgotten and destroyed during the storm.

Luna knew why she asked. "_Iie_, Usagi-chan, merely the stored data itself. A wealth of planetary maps, password-protected files, languages from the other kingdoms long fallen into disuse, stories and fables. Most of it is useless to us, information we didn't even know existed in the memory. And I couldn't search for the girl's identity now, not without a connection to a phone line."

"Of course," Usagi mumbled sullenly, plumping her pillow. "And how can we find out who she is, Luna? All she does is attack me and ask again and again for the _Ginzuishou_!"

"Which is safe in your new brooch, ne?"

"_Mochiron_! I don't need to take it out." With a light touch she opened the brooch right there on her bow, revealing the shining crystal snug in the center.

Seeing it forced the cat to relax several notches, and she settled back onto her haunches. Through half-lidded eyes she watched Usagi bustle through the room, more animated in her clean up than she usually was; normally, it took a promise of food or a threat of none to get her to even vacuum the rug. But with her personal space violated, she had to put it all back in its place again, never mind that she would destroy it herself later.

Moriya's personal possessions, so obvious on the floor, were lovingly scooped up and set back in the boxes. But one CD was set aside, and as Luna watched curiously, it was put into her small player and turned on. Whoever the singer was, he had a nice voice; Usagi hummed to the unfamiliar language as she cleaned. "Who is this, Usagi-chan?"

"I'm not sure, but Moriya played them a lot. She always liked listening to them when she was having a bad day. I think she said it was a bunch of different people. But it's always pretty, isn't it?"

Holding the box, Usagi could remember watching her friend one day as she played the CD. So lively, she had mimed the guitar in the air, singing along in a lusty yet softer version of the man's voice: "In this silent garden, shadows fall like rain, draws me even closer, caresses me with pain….the bitter angel's kisses, cold upon your heart…Christabel is falling, she always….she always…."

Dancing like children in the empty bedroom, and Usagi had never understood the words, though she recalled them perfectly. It was such a sad song, that much was obvious, but so pretty. And how it always managed to make her happy eluded her.

She managed to maintain her peace of mind until dinnertime, when she was forced to confront the physical truth at the table. But at least she abstained from throwing anything at the girl. It was a small victory.

  
It was a cloudy day, a colour-dampening, overcast gray that sapped Ami's casual mood as she walked to school. Her stomach just this side of full from her breakfast of two meat sandwiches, she was forced to run with a cramp as she was caught in the downpour, soaked within seconds. Along with many other students, one of whom she recognized as Makoto, she nearly skidded into the front foyer of the building, wet shoes sending several onto the floor. Mud was everywhere.

"_Ohayo_, Ami-chan," Makoto burbled cheerfully from beneath a soaked mop of auburn, hopping on one foot as she switched shoes. Many were cursing as they lost their balance and stomped socked feet into the growing lake of water, but she managed to keep herself upright for both.

Ami had to lean against the lockers to switch her own shoes, a practical solution many completely ignored. "_Ohayo_, Mako-chan. I don't recall the weather forecasting rain."

"No one knows what to forecast, supposedly."

That was definitely true; though Metallia was destroyed and gone, her influence had yet to completely die. Most likely the weather would be normal in a week or so, but for now, it was doing an undecided dance. Even that morning before work, her mother had complained that the weatherman had been predicting completely wrong weather for the past several days which was, on reflection, true.

So today it was rain, when sunny, clear skies had been forecasted.

At least there was no freezing hail yet.

Walking together, the tall brunette and the blue-haired genius made an unlikely pair, made even more unusual as Iretsu fell into place beside them. It had become a customary, if uncomfortable – for them – daily routine of respect. "Lady Jupiter, Lady Mercury," he said quietly, as was his way. "_Ohayo gozaimasu_."

"Chouko-kun, we're your classmates now, not soldiers," Makoto would always, invariably, respond.

"But you are the lady soldiers who saved us from death, and for that, you deserve respect," he would calmly say back.

Even his usual cheer and complete innocence of authority was gone, replaced by a sort of determined nature along with his sight. Usagi was far too kind to tell him to bug off, but even she usually tried to avoid him now; he was an uncomfortable reminder. She could deal with being a reincarnated princess in the abstract sort, but having it constantly shoved in her face was just this side of painful.

But Makoto and Ami ended up running into him, no matter what they did. And people were noticing how he deferred to them so suddenly, and were most likely spreading vicious rumours in their small groups. It hurt, and it worried them, and as always, they returned the greetings quickly, wanting to put as much space between them as possible.

At the door of Usagi's room, they could see the _odango_-haired blonde talking animatedly to Naru, gesturing wildly. When she saw them she waved, smiling widely. Naru repeated the careless motion, though whatever she said was obviously meant for Usagi only, because she began to laugh. "It's amazing to see Usagi-chan so happy after her ordeal," Ami murmured.

"_Hai_, but she deserves it, most definitely. And it's cruel to think that she can still transform, but we, as guardian soldiers, gave up our pens." Makoto sounded wistful, surprisingly; but in her newfound identity, she had found a sort of peace. It gave her meaning, even in the cruelest sort of irony due to her powers.

And with the city still in the process of rebuilding, reminders of their fight lingered at nearly every turn. Many buildings had been damaged, ranging from a loss of a few roof tiles to broken and shattered windows and missing sections or rooms. The junior high school itself was relatively unharmed, though a few windows were boarded over, and the large clock in the courtyard was silent, its face shattered. Shibakouen had been all but obliterated, a cheery Minako had reported, leaving the entire faculty and student body frantic to find temporary schools.

Every day, the news kept making up stories.

The entire world was experiencing a major case of denial.

Having school continue the very day after the world had gone mad was a good example of that very denial, with cream on top. Several businesses had opened as well, trying to lure customers, and many people had indeed gone out and binge-shopped. The Americans had apparently decided to blame it all on a major weather system over on their side of the world, and Japan had basically done the same.

Ami wanted to scream every time she heard of a "worldwide El Niño" that had so destroyed the world's weather. Didn't anyone wonder why riots had started so suddenly, or why people had been so spontaneously violent? Errant weather didn't inspire such massive emotional shifts as Metallia had done on a global scale. And it certainly didn't produce such obvious vandalism or accidental deaths.

It had also inspired a massive surge of church and temple visits, as Makoto had dryly noted. People who were not taking the weather excuse at face value were convinced the world had survived the Apocalypse, or Gehenna, or whatever their particular religion called the end of the world; flocks were becoming devoutly religious. Several Christians had been standing on the street corner as the tall brunette had walked by, handing out tracts – written in English, no less!

Bells began to ring for first hour, and the two parted ways to run hastily for their classes. With the end of the school year looming, they had to work extra hard. One more year in junior high, and they had to face exams for high school, or, if they decided to not go, the entrance into the work force and adult society.

And they were indeed worked hard up until lunchtime, with Makoto stuck in a windowless classroom and unable to daydream, and Usagi far more scatterbrained than usual, and Ami digesting the normal amount of information and then some with ease. Despite death and rebirth, it was a normal school day, and all three were happy to be released into the courtyard to put some food into their stomachs.

Though the first thing Usagi greeted her friends with was, "I've been invaded!"

Not thinking before she spoke, she didn't realize just how silly that sounded until the silence continued for several minutes. Then, as Ami reached to touch her forehead, testing for fever – because invasion apparently meant sickness to the blue-haired genius – she amended, "My house, I mean. Not me me, but my home's been invaded by some crazy kid!"

"That makes infinitely more sense," Ami said mildly.

Sitting down in their normal spot beneath one of the larger trees, Usagi opened her lunch and speared a slice of cucumber before she shrugged sheepishly. "_Gomen, gomen_. But it's true! This weird little girl with pink hair and my odango invaded my house and ransacked my room! She pointed a gun at me in the park and threatened me for the _Ginzuishou_!"

Pausing with a bit of octopus halfway to her mouth, Makoto lifted both eyebrows in a most comical pose. "The _Ginzuishou_? How could she know about it?"

  
"I don't know! Mamo-chan thinks she's some reborn Silver Millennium citizen with her memories slowly coming out, but I think she's an enemy or at least insane." Nodding her head firmly she began a serious of rapid strikes at her rice, shoveling it into her mouth.

"That's always possible. After all, Chouko-kun is aware of it, and who we are," Ami noted, watching her princess eat with a strange fascination, completely ignoring her own lunch of two carefully wrapped sandwiches.

Makoto ate with gusto as well, though she was nowhere near as piggish. Popping a piece of tuna into her mouth and chewing, she clicked her chopsticks in the air. "I'll bet she's your child from the future, Usagi-chan, and she came back in time because everything's been destroyed, and she needs our help, because we're sailor soldiers, and our future selves are unable to continue fighting!"

Both girls just stared at the tall brunette for a long moment.

"….Mako-chan, are you watching those strange American TV shows again?" the blue-haired genius finally muttered.

"_Na-ani_? I thought it was a good idea!"

"Be serious, Mako-chan!"

The _odango_-haired blonde giggled despite herself, before tilting her box back to empty the last few grains of rice and cucumber into her mouth. Swallowing down a wad of food large enough to burst her pipes open, she stole a sip of Makoto's fruit juice. "That's impossible, Mako-chan," she burbled, mouth full of juice. "I would never have a kid like that! Besides, how do you get pink hair out of blonde and black?"

"Good point," Makoto amended.

Ami rolled her eyes skyward in what was fast becoming her trademark gesture, taking a neat bite of her sandwich. Chewing thoughtfully, she sipped at her bottle of water and swallowed it all, properly chewed, before speaking. "But this is still a serious event, Usagi-chan, Mako-chan. For a child to know of the _Ginzuishou_ like this, and to threaten Usagi-chan for it? That is definitely abnormal."

Wrangling her juice back, Makoto took a good stiff swallow of the stuff. "Too bad our peace couldn't last. The kid's an enemy, or running from one, I bet. This calls for a serious strategy meeting with Rei and Minako after school!"

"See, Mako-chan agrees with me! Enemy!"

The blue-haired genius just sighed, finishing her sandwich. "I said ‘abnormal,' not ‘enemy.' Must everyone jump to the worst conclusions?"

Tokyo had seen far more ruin, and it had survived.

Even the day after, the buses continued to ruin; the bullet trains sped along their tracks, amazingly vacant as people hesitated to come out. Stores were open for business promptly at seven in the morning, and those who dared had come out boldly, from young to old, to purchase what they needed.

Half of the city had lost telephone and electricity and water, but had it back almost completely by the next twenty-four hours. Construction crews were everywhere, rebuilding and patching up. There was a sense of good fortune everywhere, as few people had actually died in the chaos, and almost no major building had been damaged beyond repair. Many of the older generation, those that had lived through the Second World War, claimed their Emperor had proved his divinity by sparing their great city. A small group had sprung up, demanding the evacuation of the foreign Americans, the obliteration of the treaty, and a return to imperialism.

The pink-haired child observed all of this as she stood on one of the observation decks of the Tokyo Tower, its lowest open to the public as usual – the higher echelon had lost half of its railing – and swamped with tourists and revelers. Lost in the shuffle of bodies, she stared forlornly out from between the rails, clutching her curiously beeping toy in her hands as a honeymooning couple from Texas, having been stranded once Metallia had spread, frantically took pictures above her.

That was how she felt herself; like a goggle-eyed tourist, unsure of what to look at first.

For her, this was not the Tokyo of her childhood.

In her mind she saw the significantly shrunken borders, skeletal buildings left unused and vacant for centuries. Tokyo proper didn't encompass half of the Tokyo of the 21st century; so many people were still asleep or dead. Adults far outnumbered children, and commerce and trade had only begin a decade ago as people spread out on their own, exploring the wilderness. She had heard fleeting tales of a "primitive" America, cities long since moldered and over grown and toppled into the dirt.

Everything was so much more opaque here, imposing and sterile.

Hugging her toy, she didn't notice the crowd thinning behind her, having taken their fill of the city from above. All she knew was that she was alone, and afraid, and that grown-ups didn't have fear; and that she was not at all like her mother. Adults didn't cry, either, but she began to do so all the same, great gulping sobs as she rocked on the concrete. "Mama…mama…."

"Yare, yare, _imouto-chan_, what's wrong?"

The ball did a frantic sort of maneuver, flying right out of the child's hands to float in front of her, bobbing like a protective balloon. Crawling up, the girl affected what she knew was a petulant, angry look, balling her chubby fists as she stared up at the lady who had spoken. "Leave me alone."

"That's rude of you. A young lady such as yourself should be above that," the woman replied mildly, leaning against the railing.

Her conviction wavering, the child said, "I _am_ a lady."

Shaking her head slightly, the woman smiled. "Then how would a lady properly greet someone who merely inquired after her health?"

"Ano…." At a loss, the pink-haired girl thought for a long moment. Her mother, bowing gracefully to everyone, demanding neither worship nor overt respect, always gracious and thoughtful to the needs of others, came to mind. Using that as her model, she bowed, then, recalling another way of greeting, curtseyed. "_Gomen nasai_, if I have offended. I'm quite well."

"It's a start." Tilting her head, the woman motioned with her hand for her to continue. "And what is your name, _imouto-chan_?"

"Usagi Small-Lady Serenity. But the family I've been…I mean, my family, calls me Chibi-Usa, though I'm not _chibi_ at all." The last was stated with a definite pout, the pink-haired girl folding her arms and slouching into them as if to hide.

As the lady chuckled, the girl who had essentially named herself effectively as Chibi-Usa stared blatantly. Clad in black from head to toe, including the round-lensed sunglasses over her eyes, and the leather fedora on her head, she stood out; but it was her height that made her especially unusual. She had to be at least six feet tall, if an inch, quite obviously a foreigner.

She crouched down to Chibi-Usa's level then smoothly, bowing effortlessly despite her halved position. "Well, Chibi-Usa, my name is Alex. Is there any reason a young lady like yourself is all alone up here, or will you let me walk you home to this family of yours?"

"A-a-le-ku-su," Chibi-Usa said slowly, puzzling out the sharp contours of the woman's foreign name. "Are you an…American?"

"I was, yes."

Her toy had stopped beeping and had, in fact, resumed a neutral floating position. Obviously, the lady was not a threat. Seeing this, Chibi-Usa took the toy back into her arms, hugging it close. "I guess so. I wanted to see the city from up high again."

Standing straight, Alex motioned for the pink-haired girl to walk first. "It's a sad sight, isn't it? But the city will rebuild. It always does, ne?"

Chibi-Usa smiled exuberantly as she walked ahead of the tall American, aware that she was being treated as an intelligent adult, not as a child. It was an exhilarating feeling, as always, and she responded, "_Mochiron_! Tokyo is an eternal city. Mama says it was born through dreams and love, and it will continue on through those dreams."

"Your mother sounds like a good woman," Alex said idly.

The child fell into silence, disturbed just as quickly as she had been exalted. Noticing this, the tall American said nothing else, except to prompt her for directions. As a hand rested on her pink-haired head, Chibi-Usa felt the urge to cry again, biting it back – literally, as she bit her lip – as the bus rumbled up in front of them. Ushered up into the bus, she realized she should have been more wary of a stranger, but it was so easy to forget where she was.

So very easy.

No buses such as this existed in her city, and its strange rumble began to lull her to sleep. With her toy in her arms she slumped against Alex's arm, closing her eyes; as she drooled on the leather of the woman's coat, she dropped it. Rolling and beeping, it was stopped by Alex's booted foot as she wormed her arm free, cuddling Chibi-Usa's head in her lap. "Sleep well, _imouto-chan_," she murmured.

Easier still to cuddle into this lap, warm and safe. Beneath her chubby hands, tough denim turned into silk; the hand that cupped her head was untouched by blister or callus, being unused to strong labor. Her mother, so beautiful and strong, was holding her now, and telling her how much she loved her, how like a young lady she was becoming. "Mama, will I become such a great and gentle lady when I grow up? Like you?"

"And why would you not?" Teasing, her mother lightly tugged at the thick curl hanging at her ear, letting it bounce and spring into place again.

Snuggling deeper into the hollow of her mother's legs, she felt a sense of peace returning. Her rational, conscious mind, unattached to the dream, reminded her that she had not touched her mother in weeks; and her peace began to falter. "I…I can't be as ladylike as you, mama, no one can! To be named ‘Small Lady' and to be so childish…."

Now there was intense heat creeping up her legs, and she realized that the window had been broken, blown inwards. The hand on her head tightened, forcing her to look up at the specter that her mother, laughing, had become. "Of course you can't, you foolish child! Where were you when I needed you? Surely a lady would not have run away!"

"_Iie_.…I wanted to help!"

"A mere child like you? Baka. No daughter of mine is so cowardly!" Leering lips melted off her mother's face as the pink-haired child screamed bloody murder, watching her beautiful body putrefy atop the bed. Trapped beneath her hand, she could smell the stench, so thick it was cloying and choking, and she recalled a similar scent that had so disgusted her….

Screaming in her destroyed dream world, her physical body was almost eerily calm.

And oddly enough, though Chibi-Usa had no recollection of telling her where the Tsukino house was, she found herself waking up as the woman walked through the front gate, carrying the sleeping child in her arms. The toy dutifully floated behind her, and she seemed to expect it to keep pace with her.

Noticing her awake, Alex set the pink-haired girl onto her feet, holding her steady as she wobbled in the aftermath of sleep. Holding onto her jeaned leg for a strange sense of comfort, the memory of the nightmare fading fast, Chibi-Usa ignored the opening of the door, and Ikuko's cry of "Chibi-Usa-chan! Where have you been, I've been so worried!"

"She was watching the city, Tsukino-san, nothing to worry about," Alex replied casually. Ikuko stared at her strangely, blinking her eyes rapidly as if confused.

Chibi-Usa, still clutching at the woman's leg, yawned widely. "Ne, Ikuko-mama, did I miss supper?"

Ikuko shook her head, waving her hand to brush away the fog that seemed to have taken hold of her mind. "You came home just in time! Just like Usagi, you seem to have an inner sense as to when food is being served, and I had to cook extra for all of her friends…oh!" she exclaimed then, staring up at the woman. "Would you eat with us? As gratitude for bringing Chibi-Usa-chan home safely, of course!"

"I ate a full meal before leaving my home, Tsukino-san, but thank you for offering. If so many of your other daughter's friends are at the table—"

"_Iyaa no_, it's no trouble, I know what you'll say!" Ikuko took Alex's hand, pulling her over the doorframe by coercion rather than force. "You must accept something for such a good deed!"

"Please, Tsukino-san, accept my apology, but I really must be going." There was a noise like thunder upstairs as Usagi, presumably, was doing some mad hopping dance in her room. Either that, or bull elephants had taken up residency.

Ikuko frowned as a bit of dust fell between the two of them, and she rolled her eyes momentarily upward. Chibi-Usa stared up as well, though she had long ago abandoned Alex's leg to honor the ritual of taking off her outdoor shoes, exchanging them for newly purchased white bunny slippers. "Usagi can be such a child," Ikuko finally sighed.

The tall American laughed quietly. "Is she the older sister? She sounds quite spirited." Fingers lifted to tuck up a thick strand of hair that had escaped her hat as she added, "And I have a feeling she'll be displeased to find another mouth eating her food, ne?"

"Please stay." Chibi-Usa spoke it so softly that both women barely heard the words; merely sound.

"_Gomen nasai, imouto-chan_, but I really have to be going," Alex repeated in a gentler tone, and, bending down, ruffled Chibi-Usa's bangs.

Behind the pink-haired child beeped her toy, rolling in the air. Though she looked hurt at the refusal, she put on a bright smile as she snatched the toy up. Beginning to dribble it rapidly, she said, "Ne, ne, I know a magic trick! I want to show it to you, for being an adult to me."

As both women watched, she let go of the ball, letting it fly up one last time. It turned into a plain white umbrella, which she caught and held, preparing to open it. Once she caught it, she began to sing in an uncertain child's voice, a trembling brook that would one day, no doubt, be a beautiful soprano. "Abracadabra, abracadabra…

"Abracadabra! Pon!" She snapped it open to release flower petals into the air, live doves that beat their wings uncertainly in the enclosed space. Ikuko gasped, clapping her hands at the spectacle, while the tall American merely nodded.

"Ne, do you want to see some of my magic?" Alex said, crouching in front of the pink-haired child. When she nodded, a hand lifted to wave in the air, empty. For such a normal trick, it didn't take much more than slight of hand to produce the white card she then held out, caught between fore and middle fingers. "Simple card tricks, imouto-chan, but it's always the simple magic that wins out."

She gave the card to Chibi-Usa, who stared intently at the strand of hair that had again fallen from beneath her hat. "You have red hair," she stated rather rudely.

"Doesn't everyone?" So saying, Alex straightened up, accepting the open door from Ikuko. "If you ever want someone to talk to, Small Lady, my door is open; your dreams sound interesting." Smiling, she closed the door behind her on the way out, as the sound of stampeding feet thundered down the steps from the second floor.

  
Two hours before that, they had all met at Usagi's house, after a flash session of phone calls, bus rides, and communicator mishaps. With the Crown game center no longer an optional meeting place, they had chosen the coziness of Usagi's bedroom, which was large enough to accommodate them all in comfort.

Plus, Ikuko liked to bring snacks up for them periodically.

Double bonus.

Chibi-Usa had managed to escape the crowd, which had pissed Usagi off to no end; she had wanted to parade her around to prove she hadn't lost her mind. Even she was having trouble believing herself now as she described the pink-haired child for Minako and Rei, including her sudden entrance and the floating head that followed her around.

Rei had rather flatly stated, "Are you sure you didn't get brain damage in the last battle?"

"Of course not! She really did fall from the sky!"

Minako, lounging across the _odango_-haired blonde's messy bed, laughed. "Maybe she's your evil twin clone, out for world domination!"

"With PINK HAIR?"

"So they mixed the colour wrong, it can happen!"

Scattered around the room, the girls had taken pillows from the bed to sit or lie on as they took positions on the floor, with Usagi curled up in her desk chair, flanked by Artemis and Luna on the desk itself. The low table was piled high with dishes from her mother's snack assortment. And in front of the two felines, lined up neatly on the desk, was an assortment of four wrist communicators and new transformation pens.

Luna had neglected to mention their existence when telling Usagi of their salvation efforts from the Crown, obviously, a thing Usagi had sourly noted.

The feline had blithely replied it had been classified, and besides, she had wanted it to be a surprise. Telling Usagi secrets was like entrusting her with a literal, full, cookie jar.

For an hour they had argued, finally accepting Usagi's description simply from Luna's assertion that yes, the child existed. Floating head that looked suspiciously like her and all. "Ikuko-san has a convincing explanation for even the contraption following her around. Whatever she did to Usagi-chan's family, it's a strong magic."

"Why would she had a floating toy that resembles you, though, Luna?" Ami had queried, holding the pillow in her lap. "To have such an object must be a strong clue, and with her unusual hairstyle you described…maybe Mako-chan's right, and she is Usagi-chan's child from the future."

"Usagi-chan, you haven't had any kids before you met us, have you?" Minako added.

Fuming, the odango-haired blonde finally just flung a pillow at the other blonde, folding her arms in a pout. "No! I still say she's an evil enemy out to get the _Ginzuishou_ for some sinister purpose!"

Makoto, lying on her back with legs folded and stretched out, sighed. "Which is a great idea, Usagi-chan, but who would she be working for in the first place? Metallia was destroyed, the Dark Kingdom died with her. Is it an entirely new threat?"

"And how do we handle it, that's the question," the dark-haired shrine girl announced solemnly, sitting straight with her back against the wall. "With Luna and Artemis guiding us, we knew who the enemy was when we awoke, because they were our enemies a millennium ago. They were familiar to us. Now, we're working blind, facing something entirely new. How can we fight this time, stronger transformations or no?"

"We watch her." Minako was unexpectedly blunt in saying this, to which both felines nodded in approval. "We find out what she wants our holy stone for, and then, we can plan strategy. It all rests on this kid."

"That's easy for you to say, Minako-chan!" The _odango_-haired blonde slumped back in her chair with a sigh, her stomach rumbling. Snacking did not alleviate her hunger, it just calmed it down for a few minutes, and she began to eye the door. "That brat keeps running off before we know she's even gone. Mama is frantic trying to keep watch on her, and the kid sticks close to her when she isn't running away."

And then, she added dramatically, "I'm starving."

"Of course," Luna blandly drawled. "The _kami_ would be killed in surprise if you passed the hour without a rumble of hunger or a whine for food."

Usagi calmly stuck out her tongue, checking the clock next to her bed. "It's almost dinnertime, and all of you are staying, right?"

"Would your mother let us escape without eating?" Ami said, sounding quite serious.

"Her mother wouldn't let the Emperor himself leave without sitting down to supper first!" Makoto laughed, sitting up. "And it's a wonderful thing. All of us should have mothers so caring, ne?"

Had Makoto her mother still, her friends might have taken offense; but they knew what she meant, and nodded in unison. "My mother would cook like that, for anyone who was in the house," Rei said softly. "Until she was too weak to cook…."

"My mother is too busy at the hospital, but my father liked to cook simple meals for all three of us, when we were together." Ami stared off at the wallpaper pattern as she spoke, hugging her pillow tighter.

"Maa, my mama says papa and I are lucky most nights that she cooks at all," Minako snorted. "Papa amounted to nothing, as far as she's concerned, and though she's a housewife she isn't pleased with it. But she cooks for us, and makes good food."

Usagi, staring between her friends, suddenly frowned. How was it that she seemed to have such good fortune and family, and that her friends were lacking? "Papa works for the newspaper as a photographer, and they own the house we live in, so we could be comfortable," she said slowly. "Mama was an office lady for the paper, which is why they were given the house, and she became a house wife when she was pregnant with me. But she said she was always happiest making life easier for others, and being good and kind."

"In any lifetime you have it easy," Rei commented a bit stiffly. "First as a princess, and now, in a house practically free…."

"But if I could, I would ask you all to live with me, _minna_!" Usagi interrupted. "All of you are my allies and my friends, and deserve this fortune as well! That's why mama is so happy to cook for all of us, because it brings joy."

Hm, food. They could see the gleam in her eyes even as she made her heartfelt speech. The call of the dinner table. Now amused, they watched as she gave up all pretense of patience and bolted from her chair, apparently having said her piece. They followed her at a much slower pace, laughing amongst themselves as they heard her yell down at her mother. "Food first, everything else second," Ami noted.

"_Mochiron_! You can't be a strong soldier without solid meals!" Minako agreed, ignoring the look her feline companion gave her.

Usagi stopped so suddenly on the stair that all four nearly walked right into her, and they stared at the pink-haired girl in shock. She stood there so casually with her back to them in front of the closing door, as if she had lived in the house her entirely life, that it dumbfounded the girls into silence. It didn't help that Ikuko was saying something to the girl, acting as if she had indeed always existed in the Tsukino family, and was not, in fact, some crash-landed adolescent.

"_Masaka_, she really does exist!" Makoto squeaked softly.

"Of course she does!" Usagi grumbled, stomping down the rest of the way to stare down at the pink-haired girl. In her hand she held a white card with neat black script, and she crushed it to her chest as the odango-haired blonde tried to blatantly read it. "You have everyone convinced, don't you…."

"Tsukino Usagi, leave your cousin alone and clean up for dinner! Stop being rude to your guests in such a manner!"

The _odango_-haired blonde grimaced, staring through slitted eyes as Chibi-Usa walked off proudly, having won the battle.

Of course, a pink-haired, precocious pain in the ass didn't stop the Earth from revolving.

It was a fact Rei lamented as she stood in front of the Diet building holding her school case, a plastic ID card clipped prominently to the handle to show that she did indeed have a reason for being there. Today was the day she, and her chosen partner, were to interview some candidates attempting election to the position of Prime Minister, for a project on Japanese politics. She had been an obvious choice, but the other girl….

In the course of a week she had died, been reborn, and had been humiliated in front of her schoolmates. The dying part she had at least had a choice in, but her humiliation had consisted of being picked at random to help the supernatural occurrences study group booth, and being given the task of fortune telling. Working alongside a group of people she considered to be flat-out nutcases had been bad enough, but being a legitimate phenomenon herself in a school where the unusual was either heretical or a sign from God on top of that had done her in. Had she been the graffiti type, she would have painted "Freak Show" on the booth sign and be done with it, because she had certainly felt that way.

The main source of her humility was now finally running up the sidewalk, the very antithesis of the ladylike T A behavior Rei herself exuded flawlessly. Blonde hair streaming and tangled, one calf sock wrinkled down around her ankle, Sarashina Kotono raced across the last crosswalk to come to a panting stop next to the dark-haired shrine girl, gasping out an apology that was heartfelt, if mangled by heavy breathing. As benefited the chief of that kooky group, she was bubbly, vivacious, and, as far as Rei could see, as much a space case as the UFO phenomenon she studied.

Of course, having to interview serious candidates alongside someone like Kotono was not the real reason for Rei's distress that time had not stopped, and that this day had arrived in due course.

That honour belonged to the man who was being touted as the likely winner.

With that thought, the dark-haired shrine girl lifted her chin as she stared at the doors of the building, sensing rather than seeing as Kotono straightened herself up. "Ne, Hino-san, isn't this exciting? To interview the people who might lead the country soon, it's immensely important that we get the entire story!"

"_Hai_, hai…exciting. Talking to people who honour nothing over the political world…" Rei murmured, purple eyes narrowing in a flare of anger. And she had just brushed off those two associates of her father not too long ago; most likely they would be here, fluttering around him like flies around an elegantly suited pile of shit, to be crude about it. To be on the safe side, she mentally recited a mantra for calm thoughts, strengthening her against the coming assault.

Kotono danced a few steps ahead to open the door, both girls stepping into the air-conditioned comfort of the Diet. Their school shoes clicked deliciously on the clean floor as they walked, only to be joined suddenly by one of the younger politicians. "And are you two the girls from T A Girl's School?" he queried after doing the appropriate bowing and greeting.

"We are, we are! Sarashina Kotono and Hino Rei, prepared for the story of a lifetime!" Kotono chirped, unaware of the frigid stare her partner was giving her. A stare marked by an obvious tic in the left eye as the politician seemed to panic, realizing who stood in front of him.

"Hino…are you Hino's daughter? Of the Democratic Liberal Party?"

Grinding her teeth, she forced a smile that was more feral than polite, but it was all she could muster. "That would be me, yes. Are you aware we're already late for our interviews, and that this useless conversation is making it worse?"

When in doubt, bring out the bitch. Everything in her demeanor conspired to frighten the poor man, and it worked without a hitch, in its usual manner. Faced with possible exclusion by one of his party's top members over insulting his daughter, he began to babble about meaningless, silly things as he ushered them hastily to the correct door. Kotono, apparently not in the circle of gossip at school, looked confused and surprised at the man's reaction. Ignoring her questioning stare, Rei looked stone-faced ahead, chin held high.

Behind the doors was a conference room, one of many, and as they were opened to allow the girls to enter, every politician stood up around the table. After being clipped down to a select few candidates, the girls were left with only six to interview, and at the very head of the table stood an equally stony Hino, in parade rest.

When the two stood in the same room, the resemblance was uncanny. Though the elder Hino had glinting, wily brown eyes instead of his daughter's purple, he had the same sort of facial shape, all high cheekbones and sharp chin. His black hair was beginning to grey only slightly at his temples, and he was almost wrinkle-free. Most people could not peg him as a man in his later years. "Sarashina Kotono, of the T A Girl's School, welcome to our meeting. Hino Rei, daughter mine, welcome."

"_Hajimemashite_!" Kotono bowed flippantly, nearly whacking Rei in the back of her knees as she brought her arms – and her school case – up with an extravagant gesture. "I'm privileged to be here!"

This was already descending into a lower region of hell, and going fast.

Wondering again just what she had done to be so punished, Rei bowed as well in a neat fold at the waist, proper as always. "_Hajimemashite_, father, my father's associates." And as always, she ignored the subtle nod of approval from her father on her etiquette, and flatly ignored the puppy-eyed stares from his group of worshippers, all vying for her attention.

One of them finally took the initiative and slunk forward, pulling out one of two empty leather chairs, obviously for Rei to sit in. But to her sudden amusement – and it made sense, as she was closer – Kotono darted into the space, taking the seat with a sigh of pleasure. "_Arigatou_! A gentleman who holds out chairs for a lady!"

Embarrassed, he pushed it in for her. The dark-haired shrine girl pulled out the other chair on her own as he was occupied, and settled into it. This time, however, as her father showed his disapproval, she regarded him with a haughty lift of her chin and a cool, appraising stare, holding it as the rest of the room sat. Then she said, "Kotono-san, perhaps you should explain exactly what we've come to do, so there's no confusion."

"Ne? Oh, me?" Kotono burbled, looking confused herself. But she recovered, bringing her case up onto the table to click its latches open smartly. Inside was the usual lump of schoolbooks, a notebook, a ballpoint pen, and, of all things, a large blown-up picture of Morning Musume. Removing the notebook and pen, the blonde smiled widely for the assembled politicians who were regarding her as some sort of interesting bug. "Well, for our school project, we've come to interview all of you. The questions will vary on what your plans are for the government once you win, how you think the government is being run now, why the treaty we honour with the United States is still noteworthy, and what you think of UFOs."

"Kotono-san!" Rei hissed from between clenched teeth.

"It's research," she said in a mild conversational tone in reply.

  
Now the group was staring at the blonde as if she had just mutated into sort of interesting, ten-foot-tall bug with neon landing lights. One, obviously more liberal than his fellow politicians, chuckled somewhere near the back of the room. Someone else sneezed.

And it was of no surprise that the elder Hino was the one who stood first for questioning. If there was a current leader in the Japanese political world, it was her father. "Sarashina-san, you may ask me your questions. But go easy on me, I am only a politician."

Canned laughter from the colleagues. Kotono was the only one who had a truthful spout of mirth at the dry joke, though she did seem to note his humour. Pen held at the ready, she then asked, "Hino-san, what are your plans to effectively halt the economic downfall Japan is in? Only ten years ago we were a powerful force in the world economy!"

"And how do you expect to save it, when the United States seems to be unwilling to truly help?" Rei added, neatly folding her legs beneath the table.

She didn't notice the young secretary until she was right up next to her, setting a mug down full of strong tea. But as her father began to answer the question with a subtle evasion of the United States comment, she looked up to ask the woman to take the mug away and stopped. Smiling coldly, the secretary moved down the table, pouring coffee and tea, ignoring the way Rei was staring at her.

After all, it wasn't every day that Rei saw someone sculpt their flamboyantly purple hair into a pair of cat's ears.

Finally looking away, she realized Kotono was nudging her lightly with the tip of her pen. Half of the page in front of her was covered in hasty scrawl, obviously shorthand of Hino's first answer. Now, it was Rei's turn to ask a question, though she was temporarily unnerved by the calculating look her father was giving her. Angrily she met his stare. "And what do you think of families? How should they deal with this economic spiral?"

Her father coughed delicately into his hand, ostensibly to clear his throat. "They should be thrifty as always, as is the Japanese way. Husbands should work as hard as they ever did, saving their earnings for a good life in old age. Spending should not be advised against, however, as women should do their part to urge the economy on."

"So you think women are nothing but housewives and shopping addicts," Rei said sharply, though softly; Kotono wrote half of her statement before she realized what had been said, and paused. "Useful only to keep a house clean and their husband well-fed. All else is secondary."

"Wives should indeed keep their husbands happy," her father replied calmly; it was an old argument, and in the current crowd, he was loathe to verbally expose his anger. "A husband has a duty to work for his house and his family, and he keeps them alive. A wife should be thankfully for this, and do what she can to make him comfortable—"

"At the expense of happiness!"

The outrage on Rei's face was clear as her father turned his gaze away, effectively dismissing her from the discussion. His look rested on Kotono, obviously waiting for her to take up the questioning, though she was staring between father and daughter in utter confusion. And she wasn't alone; half of the table seemed completely shocked at the argument.

Behind the elder Hino stood the secretary, holding her two pots of tea and coffee. Her smile was that of a viper's, bemused at the strong emotions he was radiating at his daughter's breach of etiquette. In a crooning voice, she said, "Hino-san, do you think you are a good man?"

"_Nani_?"

"What did she just ask Hino?"

"How dare she!"

The entire table erupted at the blasphemous question, a swell of noise filling the void left after the argument. Rei began to stand up as the woman turned her smile on her, and she felt the power that the woman held, malicious and evil, and instinctively she thrust back with her own. A power not unlike hers, it nonetheless repelled her.

As she felt her aura shoved back into her, her father's answer came clear as if he had shouted it into her ear: "I am a good man as respect demands."

The secretary said: "And I can see the moment of your death, Hino-san. I can tell it to you."

"No!" Rei forwent all pretense of etiquette and lunged past Kotono, arms outstretched. But even as her classmate screamed, startled at the maneuver, a whole new brand of chaos erupted as several people began to inexplicably burn where they stood.

"You know me for what I am, my sister spirit of flame!" the secretary laughed, darting out of the way. His associates immediately flanked the elder Hino as the charred corpses began to smolder on the floor and against the table, igniting the wood. "If you join me in my subterfuge, a great reward will be yours!"

  
The doors had been thrown wide open. In the mass of bodies, Rei was lost, pushed by frantic hands into the hallway as the fire alarm sounded. Sensitive to the flames, she could feel each new person explode, and she fought her way outwards to grab onto a bolted-down bench. When she stood on the seat, she could see over the crowd to where flames had begun to curl out of the meeting room, highlighting a woman with a familiar pointed head. Flanked by humanoid, blank-faced creatures, she pointed towards Rei and released a funnel of white-hot fire.

Without thinking the dark-haired shrine girl dropped, feeling the intense heat as it slammed instead into a brass plant holding suspended from the ceiling behind her. She couldn't call for help in such a dense crowd; instead, she hit the small emergency button on her wrist communicator, and leapt off the bench and into the nearby bathroom, nearly missing another attack. The door, however, was not so lucky, and as she slid on her ass across the tiling, she watched as the metal fixtures effectively welded it shut.

Time for that later. As the bathroom had only a few stalls for more serious evacuations of personal solids, she did a quick peek under each door, making sure no one was standing on the bowl in hopes of hiding. One hadn't been flushed, much to her chagrin and olfactory health, but they were empty.

Summoning her transformation pen, still so brand new it sparkled, she held its unfamiliar weight in her hand. It was of a different design, though still simple and red; a sort of crown design at the top braced the large yellow star that topped it all of, bearing four red stones and her planetary sigil. But she could feel the power locked inside, trembling for freedom. Holding it up, she chanted, "Mars Star Power, Make Up!" and let the transformation take over, momentarily orgasmic in the thrall of such a boost of energy.

Finally released, she teetered for an emotional minute on her heels.

And she was then very aware of the eerie silence that had taken over outside of the door.

  
"No, I will not buy you that! Stop touching that! And that!"

Usagi was ready to tear her hair out at the roots. Chibi-Usa stared at her balefully, the source of her continuing problems, as she removed her hand from a doll she had been admiring. Neither girl had asked to be sent out on a shopping errand for Ikuko, yet here they were, forced into close proximity inside a small toy store.

The errand was a relatively simple one; one of Ikuko's nieces had a birthday coming up. Said niece wanted a doll, a particular doll, sold at a particular store on the other ass-end of Tokyo, two hours bus trip from the Tsukino household. Since the two ‘cousins' had been sniping and generally making each other miserable all day, they had been kicked out together in what Ikuko had regarded as a good way to enforce goodwill between them.

It obviously was not one of her better ideas.

So far Usagi had been lectured by a policeman to take better care of her ‘sister' (he had come up on her calling Chibi-Usa a dangerous threat to society), nearly hit by an old woman for telling Chibi-Usa to get lost, and accused of stealing when the pink-haired child put a manga prominently in Usagi's shopping bag at a store she had purchased nothing in.

If both made it home alive, it would be a miracle.  
v  
Chibi-Usa was also amazingly adept at totally ignoring the odango-haired blonde's continuous questioning, ranging from "Why are you here?" and "How did you know about the _Ginzuishou_?" to "What are you hiding!" With each stop, Usagi grew more raucous about it, her mood not helped in the least by the five large bags she was now carrying.

So intent was she on balancing, yelling, and generally carrying on like a pissy raccoon with its tail caught under a tire, that she didn't realize Minako stood next to her until the blonde took two of her bags away. "_Konnichi wa_, Usagi-chan!"

"Minako-chan!" Startled, Usagi was not at all prepared for the sudden loss of weight, and she nearly toppled over as she lost about five pounds. "What are you doing here?"

"I was following a cute American, but he was meeting his girlfriend here, apparently," Minako sighed dramatically, looking forlornly towards a short, blond-haired male who stood, irrationally enough, next to a abnormally tall Japanese woman. "And then I saw you and the pink love child—"

"Stop calling her that!"

Shrugging in her normal careless fashion, Minako set the bags on the floor. "Have you found anything else out from her?"

Following the pink head as it wandered down aisle seven, Usagi frowned. "_Iie_. She still refuses to tell me why she's even here, and what she's hiding. And that day she vanished, mama still keeps talking about it, and the strange American who brought her home. An ally?"

"That could be possibly," Minako said slowly, watching Chibi-Usa emerge from aisle five far more covertly than her associate. "A child like her couldn't be working alone. But still, we have no reason why…"

Standing alone in the fashionable toy store, several stuffed animals began to beep variously mangled versions of a popular J-pop song around them. Shrieking at the sudden noise, Usagi dropped her bags and slapped her hands over her ears, though Minako eased into a protective stance immediately. It took them a minute to realize their communicators had gone off, and another two to realize the damned things had set off the toys as well.

The abysmal noise stopped once they checked their communicators. Though it was just a signal for help, it also began mechanically reciting coordinates that kept changing every other second, sometimes so fast that the numbers began to blur together. "The red light is flashing…does that mean Rei is in trouble?" Usagi asked.

"We don't have time to figure it out!" Minako said assertively, running down the aisle, leaving Usagi and her bags behind. For once, however, realizing the importance of speed, Usagi didn't bother trying to gather them up with her, and instead followed Minako empty-handed. Even when she remembered that she had left Chibi-Usa alone, she assumed the child would find the bags and stay with them.

She never expected the pink-haired girl to follow them out of the store.

The Diet building was luckily not very far, maybe fifteen minute's run for a strong runner. For the two blondes, for whom running was not a very natural method of travel, it took about twenty five. And for Chibi-Usa, with her short legs and definite lack of running experience, it took far longer. The only way she knew where they disappeared to was the sight of Ami running from the opposite direction as the building came into view. Ducking behind the far wall of the building, Chibi-Usa watched as the blue-haired genius went inside.

She immediately followed, a sense of mounting excitement spurring her on.

What she saw was a scorched series of hallways, carpets and benches destroyed, and shapes that were recognizable as bodies only in the vaguest sense still smoking on the floor. She began to tremble violently, feeling the scream building in her throat as the smell hit her nostrils. It grew into a faint keening as a few began to move, moaning in extreme pain.

In the shelter of an outcropping wall, Minako had already transformed into Sailor Venus, Ami into Sailor Mercury. Makoto had not made it yet, or was already in the battle that was loudly, if muted, waging within a far off conference room. Usagi was even now touching her brooch, its gleam catching Chibi-Usa's eye as she fought hard not to be sick.

The power that it released soothed her stomach and soul, and she was left stunned in its wake as the three soldiers ran down the hall. "_Masaka_…!"

Of course, she followed them, even more determined than before, her path zigzagging through the literal maze of bodies. Stumbling over several of them was a given, and even though silent tears were coursing down her cheeks, she made it without sobbing even once, and was rewarded by a burst of flame through the swinging doors that nearly took her head off.

That was a good enough reason to scream in her opinion.

Inside, the soldiers heard the noise as merely that – noise. The entire room had been slagged, and melted seats conspired to make each soldier slip every other step. Mars was staying upright by sheer force of will, screaming her attack with a hoarse voice as the secretary merely returned each one with her own flame.

Leaning against the wall next to the two doors and the emergency exit were dozens of bodies, many still breathing. Obviously seeking shelter from the chaos, half of them had been wounded or killed when the room had been slagged. The elder Hino, dazed, bleeding from several wounds, and missing half of his upper suit, was still crouched next to the emergency exit along with many of his collegues, watching the fight in pained silence. One or two feebly cried out support to the frantic soldiers.

"Who is this lady, anyway!" Jupiter yelled over the noise. Gathering the lightning to her hand, she flung it around softball style with a sharp snap of her wrist. It had barely left her fingers when it was blocked by one of the purple-haired woman's blank faced creatures. Taking the blow, it shuddered violently from the electricity, exploding into shreds.

All of them were then rocked off their feet as several hanging light fixtures finally let go above their heads and slammed into the floor with a collective hundred pounds of force. Only the secretary remained standing – or hovering, depending on your position, as she was literally an inch off of the ground. And laughing at them.

"Is this the power of my sister spirit? So weak, like a match's flame?" As they watched, her suit skirt changed into a frilly tutu and pink and purple striped bodysuit, her high heels elongating only slightly. The hair unfortunately remained the same, if slightly frizzed from the electricity and heat in the air. From casual clothes to antisocial ballerina, it was a slightly disorienting switch, if not downright rude on the eyes.

It was Venus who said, flatly, "Did you even bother to look in the mirror this morning?"

Obviously, making fun of the woman's fashion was a no-no. The sudden rage on her pretty face was frightening, disfiguring. She screeched incoherently, though her volley of fireballs were fizzled by Mercury's sudden call of "Shine Aqua Illusion!" and the sweeping funnel of water that followed.

"How dare you mock me! I am Koan, the most powerful of the four sisters of the Black Moon! My flame burns hotter than anything my kindred spirit, Sailor Mars, can handle!"

The spiral of flame that followed was indeed hot, and powerful. The red-clad soldier screamed in agony as she was thrown back against a wall, encased in the raging inferno. Her fellow soldiers could do nothing but stare in horror; even Mercury's water did nothing but steam once it got close. Venus' chain melted to golden liquid within feet.

"Sailor Mars!" A cane extended from above, where Tuxedo Kamen balanced on what metal beams had been untouched. But even that failed, as half of it simply melted away as Mars screamed even louder. Then, the beams he stood on gave way from the stress and additional weight, and he dropped.

Landing next to his princess, he grabbed her hand before she could protest and pulled her out of the way of another gout of flame. Mercury unleashed her water, Jupiter her lightning, hoping to electrocute the crazed woman, but she simply leapt away. "Mere children's tricks! Is this how the sailor soldiers of the 21st century fight?" Koan crowed. At her gesture, several of her remaining allies rushed the sailor soldiers, fingers curled into claws. "Droids, make yourselves useful!"

"How can we stop Mars from burning?!" Sailor Moon cried, holding onto Tuxedo Kamen's hand in a death grip. "Rei-chan….oh, Rei-chan…!"

"Taking Koan out might do the trick!" Venus yelled into the princess's ear, letting loose with a Crescent Beam. It burned a hole through Koan's tutu, and that had been the closest shot so far. Venus cursed rather intricately, aiming again.

The dark-haired prince held Sailor Moon close, clutching her hand as he said, "And how can you stop her? None of your attacks even phase her!"

"But Mars is burning!" the _odango_-haired blonde screamed, feeling her helplessness acutely. Her hand was hot in his, despite their gloves separating their skin; and as she looked around, she saw the glow.

"Concentrate, Sailor Moon!" someone cried, most likely Venus, though she couldn't tell. "Your power is stronger than this!"

Tuxedo Kamen's eyes were wide behind his mask as the light grew intense between them. It hurt the eyes, but it was such a spectacular sight that even Koan halted her attack to stare. Thickening and becoming solid, the light formed itself into a rather decorative rod between their hands, bejeweled and rather regal, and looking like no useless sort of weapon.

Nevertheless, it had power; Sailor Moon could feel it. Everyone could.

"I know this too!" she whispered, taking it from her prince's hand. "The moon rod…my mother's royal scepter at court!"

"A useless toy!" Koan raged.

"A stronger power than you!" Sailor Moon retorted, swinging it around. "And now you have no choice to release Mars! Moon Princess Halation!"

Again, she knew what to do instinctively. Even as she spoke, the light blasted from the orb at the end of the weapon, hitting Koan dead-on. The purple-haired woman had time enough to scream before she was obliterated, protecting her face uselessly. Her droids shuddered and stopped, like wind-up toys losing their steam. A direct hit from Jupiter and Venus destroyed them all to the last one.

But Mars was not released of her torment.

And beside her now was a red-haired man, smirking arrogantly at the astounded soldiers, "And you defeated Koan? Amazing that the sailor soldiers are so powerful even in this time! But as you can see," he said, motioning to the screaming dark-haired shrine girl, "You've still lost the fight."

"Crescent Beam!" Venus released the attack before he had even finished talking. He repelled it with a wave of his hand, sending the blonde diving to the floor beneath the impact of her own energy with a short scream.

Jupiter took an aggressive step forward, charging her own attack. "Release Mars, or you won't be leaving under your own power!"

A light punched down through the roof, surrounding Mars in a brilliant glow. Above they could see a perfectly round hole in the ceiling that spanned several floors, and it was up through this light that the dark-haired shrine girl was taken. "Mars! Sailor Mars!" Mercury cried, echoed by her companions.

"My name is Rubeus, sailor soldiers. Assuredly, I'll be seeing you again." Laughing, Rubeus floated up through the hole with ease, deftly avoiding the lighting and water that smashed into the wall just below his feet.

Screaming, Sailor Moon was held tight by her prince, fighting against him as the roof was ripped away by the force of the ship flying away. Chunks of the floors below rained down onto them as they saw what looked to be a perfect example of a flying silver saucer zoom up into the clouds. The few conscious survivors were clutching their ears as the blonde's voice reached a fever pitch. "Sailor Mars, Sailor Mars! _Iie_, Sailor Mars!

"SAILOR MARS!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go with the start of the Black Moon arc, and the real re-writing. After I got into the swing of things, I left almost no act unchanged.
> 
> I had the Crown command center destroyed, because it was a silly idea to begin with. Plus, it was almost never trotted out again after the first arc anyway.
> 
> The festival at Rei's school happened before this story, obviously, so I could instead write about her father, which is far more interesting.


	15. Act 15 : black•moon•berthier - Sailormercury

##### 

A UFO had taken the soldier of fire away.

That was the only thing swirling around in Sailor Moon's mind as she sagged in her prince's arms, staring up into the sky as dust fell into her tearing eyes. Around them was chaos and death, emergency sirens screaming closer, and all she could think of was the utter surreality of what had just happened.

Demons, she could handle.

Evil cloud entities, no problem.

But aliens? That was a bit beyond her grasp of the rational.

Maybe even _irrational_, considering the past few months had revealed her own past in being an alien of the un-Earthly type, but fourteen years of scoffing at the existence of flying saucers and little green men was hard to ignore.

"Usako, we have to get out of here."

And here was her prince, always thinking ahead. He led her towards the door, gallantly shielding her from the sight of the rapidly decomposing corpses, though the smell was growing harder and harder to ignore. Coupled with the smell of ozone and damp, it was almost unbreathable in the confined room.

Outside of the doors was an even stranger sight; a huddled, shivering Chibi-Usa, cowering on the hot floor in a ball as her toy rolled back and forth beside her. The scorch mark at the opposite end of the hall had nearly been her instead, and she still didn't feel safe to come out yet. Above her stood Venus, having evacuated the conference room before her princess, Jupiter and Mercury checking the bodies in the hallway. "Chibi-Usa? You were watching us!"

"She's been here since we started fighting, for certain," Venus said grimly as she shut the doors behind them. "And she won't move…"

The pink-haired child was muttering something over and over again; as Sailor Moon came closer, Tuxedo Kamen kneeling beside her, they could hear it as "Mama, papa…Puu, I want to go home, I want to go home…"

Everyone in the hallway had either died or lost consciousness a while ago. Venus vacated the pink-haired child's space to aid Jupiter in moving the charred bodies aside, clearing a path for the emergency crews, as Tuxedo Kamen lightly touched Chibi-Usa's head. "Chibi-Usa, are you all right? Don't be afraid…"

"But why would she be here? She has to know who we are, or she knows what's going on!" the _odango_-haired blonde argued, huddling on her knees. So close, it was the only reason she spotted the jewelry, partially hidden by a hank of pink hair.

Beside the child's head was a set of charms strung on a delicate neck chain, having fallen from her blouse. One was a purple skeleton key in the shape of a heart that looked more decorative than useful. And the other, mostly obscured by the collar of her shirt, looked like a large crystal bauble that had Sailor Moon reaching for it in curiousity.

Suddenly the child screamed, flailing beneath their hands. Before any of them could react, she catapulted onto her feet, gathering her toy into her arms. "I can't stop it! It's all my fault, and I can't stop it!"

"Chibi-Usa!" Tuxedo Kamen reached out to hug her close, but she turned violently away. With Jupiter and Venus still occupied in moving bodies, both arms full despite their attention on the ruckus, and Mercury still checking each body personally just in case, it left the exit wide open. She took it and sprinted for the door, clutching at the two charms that had, for a split second, been revealed to Sailor Moon's astonished eyes.

There was a moment of clumsy ballet as the three soldiers tried to stop the child, two of them still holding the weight of a good hundred pounds each. Venus succeeded in flinging the corpse she held away, knowing the person wouldn't care how they landed – being dead and all – and dove for the doorway. With the sort of good luck only a blonde could have, her heel hit a pool of congealing fat and did a dynamic, inspired bid for the exit.

Unfortunately, the rest of her body couldn't keep up, and she went airborne in the opposite direction to slam into her green-clad comrade, both soldiers landing in an undignified heap in front of the slower and now halted Mercury, both swearing harsh enough to peel paint.

"Mamo-chan, the _Ginzuishou_….!" Grabbing at his sleeve, she scrabbled maniacally at her own brooch, releasing her transformation in the process. Clicking it open she saw her crystal still nestled inside, glittering merrily from the magic. "Mamo-chan, she had it, she had the holy stone around her neck!"

"I saw it, Usako," he said slowly, watching the doors slam shut. "But how could she have such a thing?"

"And us unable to stop her," Jupiter remarked sourly from the floor, eyeing what looked to be a charred eyeball next to her head. "Such a little kid, but she runs fast!"

Mercury frowned down at her feet as she came up beside Usagi and Tuxedo Kamen, leaving the two soldiers to untangle themselves. Kneeling down, she picked up a crumpled piece of white paper from the floor, unrolling it and smoothing it out onto her palm as Venus said bitterly, "Mars was taken so suddenly from us…does the enemy know so much about us that they can attack so quickly?"

They could hear the sirens almost outside of the doors now, which left very few options for escape. In unison the remaining three soldiers and their tuxedo-clad ally released their transformations, ducking into a nearby janitor's closet to find shelter. Cramming into the small space was a momentary problem, as it was stuffed full of mops, brooms, buckets, and other cleaning supplies, and relatively undamaged by the fighting. Usagi ended up on Mamoru's back, Ami on Makoto's, and Minako kneeling between them as the front doors were kicked open.

"Does this mean we'll be coming out of the closet?" Makoto whispered quietly.

"_Ecchi_, Mako-chan," Minako muttered.

Reading by the single dim lightbulb above her head, Ami leaned apparently sharp elbows into the tall brunette's back, frowning as she deciphered the half-worn script. Then she held it out towards Usagi. "Usagi-chan, I found this where Chibi-Usa had been. Someone's address and a phone number…"

The exchange nearly toppled Makoto and Mamoru, but once Usagi held the card in her hand, a triumphant light sparkled in her eye. "It must be! Her ally in this entire mess; we can confront her, and find out the truth!"

"And what if Chibi-Usa's just an innocent in everything?" Mamoru asked dryly, wincing as the _odango_-haired blonde dug a sharp elbow of her own into his neck.

Pocketing the card, she merely smiled serenely as the door slammed open.

It was nearly midnight before they were released, given multiple shots and checked over nearly a dozen times beforehand. Tired, pupils dilated from the constant pop of flashbulbs, heads dizzy from a million questions, the group stumbled out of the hospital.

Fewer had survived the ordeal than they had estimated; only they and about ten others, mostly office workers, had been left alive at the end of the night out of the hundred or so on the first floor during the fighting. The elder Hino had been one of them, his burns treated under sedation as he had demanded violently to know if his daughter was all right, and had nearly started a fight with the nurses. Kotono had been relatively untouched, though she too had been sedated out of mere kindness; she had been utterly frantic and out of her mind.

So soon after the devastation wrought by the Dark Kingdom, it had been turned into a media frenzy. Usagi's father had been there to take pictures, and he had nearly cried in relief once he saw her, though she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation as to why she'd been there in the first place. Ami's mother, having been put on duty at this newer hospital, had followed them around almost everywhere, demanding constant temperature readings and blood pressure checks. It was disorienting, having doctors speak to them in English – for it was a hospital that aided Americans almost exclusively, being so close to the tourists and military base – and then Dr. Mizuno repeating the same scenario in Japanese.

And all of them had been dragged back and forth between news crews and paper reporters, asked the same questions over and over again. Minako had begun to make up fantastic tales of miniature purple men with five arms attacking them in starfish-shaped hot-air balloons before being finally reprieved.

Usagi had begun to cry from the sheer enormity of it all, unable to tell even her father what was really bothering her.

Now finally free, they huddled together in front of the hospital as reporters began to leave, taking a few more quick photos and live video feeds of their shell shocked expressions. Once the last one had walked off, Ami said faintly, "I feel sick."

"_Hai, hai_," Minako groaned, holding her stomach. "I think it was that thermometer…it still tasted of antiseptic and something worse. How can Americans stand it?"

"What do we do now?" Makoto asked, watching her friends blur as her eyes began to cross from sheer tiredness. "Mars was stolen, a new enemy just beat us silly, and we still have the mystery of Chibi-Usa to deal with…"

A faint meow had her pausing. Looking around, they spotted Luna and Artemis at the end of the block atop a parked car, obviously waiting for them. And it was plain they had been waiting a long time, as both felines were quite damp from bathing themselves obsessively, having nothing else to do during their long vigil.

Once within hearing range, Luna sprang to her paws. "Usagi-chan, what happened, and where is Chibi-Usa?"

"A new enemy took Rei-chan, and what do you mean ‘Where is Chibi-Usa?'?" the _odango_-haired blonde answered back quickly, reaching out to pick the black cat up.

"She never came home, apparently," Artemis replied.

The car was silent as Minako sat on the hood, ignoring the shocked and disapproving stares of her companions. "So now the kid's missing too…it makes her situation even worse, disappearing after the first attack of these new enemies. Maybe Usagi-chan is right."

"Or maybe, she's running from these people. Perhaps that's why she was so frightened," Ami interjected.

Usagi stroked her fingers through Luna's fur, shaking her head. "But how can she have that pendant? Luna, I saw the _Ginzuishou_ on her necklace, and a key—"

Mamoru cut in with a sharp, "It might just be a replica, however."

"—but it looked exactly like it!" Usagi finished. "And why would she have it, if she threatened me for it? Only my family can use it safely, right, Luna?"

"_Hai_…"

"So what could would it do for her? And it still doesn't answer how she knows who I am, and why she followed us!"

Makoto decided to ignore courtesy and sat on the trunk of the car, looking slightly woozy as Artemis began to tap his claw on the roof. "What does the enemy look like? Do they employ servants, like the Dark Kingdom did?"

"Weird doll-like things," Minako said, gesturing at her face in a mimic of wiping it off. "No faces, just black marks on their foreheads. They never spoke a word. And their first leader, the one who took Mars, had a hideous sense of fashion."

"You would notice that, Mina," Artemis huffed.

Snorting, the tall brunette kicked her heel into the sidewalk. "It's true. Koan is what she called herself, of the Black Moon, and she looked like a purple ballerina. And she used fire, like Mars does; she called her a ‘sister spirit.'"

Ami nodded, lightly tracing a shape against her forehead. "Sou yo, it did look like an upside down black crescent on their heads. Even that man, Rubeus, had it."

"A black moon?" Luna said in interest, her ears perking forward. "An unusual mark. Usagi-chan and all of you bear the sigils of your planets on your forehead in times of stress, but I've never heard of any ‘Black Moon' in this galaxy."

Mamoru reached down to stroke his hand down Luna's back, shaking his head. "Maybe they aren't from this galaxy, Luna. They did fly off in what looked to be a very high-quality silver UFO. The Dark Kingdom moved by teleportation, not machinery."

"It limits our ability to follow them, then." Artemis frowned, glancing up at the sky. "Space travel is not the problem, but tracing mechanical objects instead of magical residue is not in a soldier's given abilities. But why would aliens want to take Sailor Mars?"

Lying back on the hood, Minako folded her hands behind her head. "Maybe because they realize how important she is to us."

"Or," Luna said, "they know who you are. How exactly did they attack?"

Ami, being the clearest thinker and obvious choice for remembering events in detail, began describing the hellish scene down to the charred bodies and rancid stench in a monotone voice. The violent deaths had Luna's ears folding back in disgust; even Beryl's forces at their worst had not produced such personal carnage. Usagi's arms tightened at Ami's dead-on descriptions, her body quaking in her prince's arms; Minako, Makoto, and Artemis looked starkly ill.

"…and then the man, Rubeus, told us he would see us again, and flew up into the ship. He didn't even seem to care that we had defeated Koan at all, like someone else would just take her place. And taking Mars was a calculated move, not at all spontaneous."

"Why do you say that, Ami-chan?" Minako asked.

Hugging her slight body, the blue-haired genius stared out past Artemis's left ear. "Because, though Rei-chan was in pain, the fire contained her; there was no reason she shouldn't have been killed from the heat and intensity almost immediately. There was a reason Koan had attacked to contain her, not kill her."

  
Obviously, this had not occurred to any of them, and they looked uncertainly at one another. "Maybe they were from the Silver Millennium as well?" Makoto finally ventured to say, toying with a loose strand of her hair.

Artemis shook his head, beginning to pace in a circle atop the car. "Even so, how could they possess such powers? A pact with another demon?"

"As if there's a shortage of demons to make deals with," Minako noted flatly.

Mamoru rubbed his hands along Usagi's arms, making her skin tingle with the sensation. As his mind wandered, he recalled the strange apparition of a crystal city, though now the scene changed to one of broken, jagged spires and black scorch marks; another image that his mind had obviously picked up from the scared child, but had forgotten.

His hands slid down below the level of his princess's sleeve, touching her bare skin. At the connection flared a sudden heat, much like they had experienced inside of the ruined conference room; Usagi opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Between them passed a flood of images, all from Chibi-Usa's mind, all disorienting and dreamlike, of crystal and bare fields and clean concrete.

Everything happened so fast that it took the span of seconds. It left Usagi feeling dizzy, though her sudden sag against Mamoru was noticed by no one but the black feline in her arms, the hair on her back standing straight at attention. "Usagi-chan, what's wrong? Is something happening to you?"

The others, having fallen into a conversation about the likelihood of Dark Kingdom denizens still straggling around, stopped talking immediately to stare at the _odango_-haired blonde. Minako and Makoto visibly tensed, the blonde looking around for signs of attack; the normal buzz of traffic passed them by, completely ignoring their unusual behavior.

"I…I saw a city of crystal, like something you dream…." Looking up at her prince for assurance, she saw his slow nod in agreement. "But it was destroyed…"

"A submerged memory from our past?" Ami frowned, touching the tip of her fingernail to her lower lip.

Minako coughed softly, to call attention. "There were no crystals of city in the Silver Millennium. The Kingdom on the moon was made partially of it, along with other materials, and a colony of Jupiter was carved entirely of wood and adorned with gemstones, but no entirely crystal cities were ever constructed. It took so much magic and crystals to relay it all to create our kingdoms that to waste so much of that precious resource would have been useless."

"_Hai_, I remember…the crystals were used to focus magic. An entire city would have been one massive antennae," Makoto recalled slowly.

"Then what did I see?" Usagi whispered.

The dark-haired prince stared at the passing headlights of a motorcycle. Driving it was that same sandy-blonde from a few weeks ago, who caught his eye and indeed nearly caused a wreck as he twisted his head around. Frowning, Mamoru said, "It wasn't your memory, Usako. It was hers. Chibi-Usa's."

"If it was hers…" Artemis began to say, though he paused as Usagi held the scrap of white card out towards the gathered group.

"If it was hers," she said slowly and deliberately, crystal blue eyes narrowed in a display of leadership and ‘Don't fuck with me' attitude that had them all backing up, "then we'll find out her secrets. Ne?"

  
The Delta recovered from Tokyo Bay was a mass of lights during the night. A section that had been reclaimed first, before the major project of the Delta itself, was a residential district crammed full of insanely expensive condominium complexes. Many lights were turned off, their rich residents off to sample the Tokyo nightlife, but a doorman was present at every single building to let them in.

Inside the Shugoshin building, the shortest tower in the entire section, was an amazing lack of wealth. Though it cost a small fortune to buy one of the condos, the foyer itself was understated and simple, all shiny tile floors and plain wood walls. Nothing that spoke of the elegance and wealth of its tenants, save for some ornate scrollwork on the various doors, and the list of condos for sale near the mailboxes. Makoto uttered a strangled sound as she read some of the prices.

The condo was on the eight floor, the very top of the building, so they filed into an elevator that would have comfortably taken a grand piano with room to spare, shocked to find themselves reflected into infinity by mirrored walls. Even the door was paneled with mirrors, and as it closed on them, Usagi gulped. "For the record, I was not in agreement with this," Luna muttered.

"You have no sense of adventure, Luna!" Minako said. "To find out the secret of our enemies, infiltration is a must. Undercover espionage, that's the way to go!"

Ami raised an eyebrow, looking towards the laughing long-haired blonde. "And what will we do, disguise ourselves as fancy potted plants and sneak in the door?"

"Not a bad idea, Ami-chan…"

Thankfully the ride up was fast, if almost completely quiet. And once the doors opened they saw another long hallway of plain wood and brass, with flat nubbly carpet. The condo was the very last door, marked by a pair of large potted trees on both sides and a brass nameplate that had the resident's name written in katakana and English, and the number. "Number 824, this is it." Minako tapped a finger against the brass to emphasis the point.

"It must take a lot of water and care for these plants," Mamoru said as he touched one of the plants gently. "This sort of tree only grows well in swampy land, and takes almost constant water to survive." Looking up he could see the English ivy that also twined around the door, lightly attached to the wall by small green hooks and potted in a small clay jar behind one of the trees.

Makoto gasped in appreciation, tracing her finger along the path of the ivy. "_Sugoi_….just like the entrance to a garden path! Whoever lives here must be very rich to simply allow plants to grow wild like this in the hallway."

Artemis sniffed at the welcome mat as Ami leaned past Minako to read the nameplate. "'Lee-baa-ou, Aa-le-ku-su.' It sounds French."

"I recognize it; I took a French Basics class in junior high," Mamoru said as he straightened up. "LeBeau means ‘The Handsome' in French."

"But mama said it was a woman." Usagi pouted angrily, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "Women aren't handsome."

Luna rolled her eyes as Ami, at the collected nodding, pushed the doorbell. "Usagi-chan, you don't chose what surname you're born with."

Everyone hushed up then as the bell rang dimly throughout the condo; they could hear it as a soft echo of noise, a long set of ringing notes like the bars to a song. When it ended and no one came, Minako reached across to push it again.

Still nothing.

The look they all exchanged was a mix of irritation, exhaustion, and growing stubbornness. Minako jabbed the button yet once more, growling as the third ring came, went, and was followed by still more silence. "How dare this person not be home!"

"Maybe we should try tomorrow, _minna_; we all need sleep and food as it is." Mamoru's suggestion was met with a quartet of stares so violent he backed up a step. "Or not."

"It might be wise to hang around then; I smell Chibi-Usa," Luna murmured softly, nose to the welcome mat. "And she's been here recently, in the last half hour if a minute more."

Usagi did a strange flailing dance then, punctuated with sharp jabs and stomping that only a dervish or a drunken college student would dare attempt. When she finally gathered the air to breathe, she whined, "See, see!? I told you she had an ally!"

"_Hai, hai_."

Minako stared at the door, finger still hovering by the button. Then she rather assertively grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pushing it open as if it were her own home when the lock failed to stop her. "Well then, let's go in and find her!"

Before she could take a step in, however, Mamoru, Makoto, and Artemis nearly tackled her down across the threshold, the sound of impact guaranteed to bring any occupant running. "Have you lost your mind, Mina?!" Artemis screeched, smacking at her with his paws. "You're breaking and entering someone's home! This is not something normal people do out of uniform!"

"So I'll transform into Venus and storm in, what, it's not as if I haven't done it before!" she argued back, pinned down by two strong pairs of hands.

"That isn't the point, Minako-chan!" the tall brunette snapped.

"You can't just waltz into people's homes, you're not the police!" Mamoru added.

Before Minako could formulate another argument, something heavy sprang off the back of her head, smacking her face into the carpet. It hurt a lot, and as she screamed into the weaving, the others stared blankly as Luna landed in the middle of the foyer. Settling onto her haunches, she jerked her head upwards. "Let go of Minako and come inside, minna. This is something that requires rule-breaking."

"How do you figure that?" the white feline snorted.

"Because Chibi-Usa is here, or was. And if she still is, how do we know someone trying to gain her trust hasn't taken her advantage of? Her possible status as our enemy does not overlook the fact that she is a young child, alone in a large city that has a growing crime rate. As soldiers of justice, you can't just leave without making sure she's safe!"

Usagi stepped precariously over Minako's prone form as the tall brunette and dark-haired prince stayed in place, still staring rather dumbfoundedly at Luna. Ami shook her head, taking a step back away from the door. "It's still wrong, Luna. We're not lawbreakers—"

"Yet you've destroyed countless thousands, if not millions, of yen worth of buildings and other real estate in the chase to stop Beryl. If the police ever caught any of you, do you think your arguments of, "Well, we were saving the world" would save you from a jail sentence?"

Tight-lipped, Ami stomped into the doorway with a fierce anger none of them had seen on the blue-haired genius before. Refusing to look at any of them she instead stared into the darkened kitchen just off to the right as Mamoru and Makoto hauled the long-haired blonde to her feet, still whining pitifully at being used as a springboard.

In front of them was a short hallway with three doorways, one being the kitchen Ami stared stoically into, and a very roomy one with a large American stove and dishwasher and fridge, pots and pans and larger utensils hanging on one bare wall. Only the table itself was small, with two barstools and a black tablecloth. Racks were stuffed full of bottles, cupboards took up much of the available wall space, and the cutting board was a large island that separated the kitchen from the living room.

The other door across from it was a walk-in closet with just a leather trenchcoat, leather biker jacket, and a vinyl raincoat, all black. A leather fedora of the same lack of colour hung neatly on the back of the door.

Creeping down the hall they found themselves in a living room large enough to fit the first floor of Usagi's house. They walked down the middle of it, slightly elevated; two steps down on both sides led into the room itself, carpeted in rich wine colour and black walls. A TV screen filled one wall, along with bookcases full of tapes, a circle of couches and armchairs set just right for comfortable viewing in front of it. A coffee table long enough to lie on still had the remnants of a snack attack; a bowl of popcorn kernels, a soda can and a partial glass of milk, and a smaller plate with the crumbs of a biscuit or sweet had not been cleared away.

On the other side was an elaborate and immensely expensive stereo system, with wires running to speakers next to the TV, and wires from the TV itself running into the system. Larger towers were placed throughout the room for complete sound, and CDs filled up a bookcase next to the console itself. And though there were lights on the ceiling and a few lamps here and there, nothing but candles placed on small shelves on the walls lit up these details.

"It's such a…moody place," Makoto whispered.

"Like a horror movie, you know? When the innocent people wander into a gloomy house, and the creatures eat them?" Minako giggled, making an ugly face.

They split up, wandering through the large room to find another door; obviously there had to be a bedroom of some type. Minako and Usagi did their duty and investigated the music racks, pulling out cases at random as Luna, too busy sniffing out Chibi-Usa's scent along with Artemis, was not paying attention and telling them to quit. "Wow, Dir en Gray's ‘Gauze'!" Minako burbled.

"And Penicillin's ‘Vibe'!" Usagi added, holding the double disc set gently.

"And some American band I can't read the name of!"

"And someone else too!"

"And ‘Labyrinth'…hey, Usagi-chan, look at this, can you believe it? Isn't that just weird?" Minako held out the familiar CD as she read a few more off, missing the slowly growing expression on her friend's face. "The Styx, I think this says, and Bryan Adams, I've heard of him, and Big…ii-le-ku-tu-ri-ku…Cat…."

A swap of paw smacked the case out of Minako's hand as Luna gnashed her teeth. "What are you two doing!? We're looking for a door, not party music!"

"Mou, we were just looking, Luna!" the long-haired blonde muttered, rubbing her hand.

"Well stop it! Mamoru-san has found a set of stairs behind the wall over there to a second floor."

"Yare, yare," Minako sighed, pulling a silent Usagi along with her as she tromped dutifully behind the black feline. And indeed if Luna had never pointed it out to her, she never would have seen the stairs; the wall hid them so cleverly it looked to be solid. But there they were behind it, wrought in intricate black iron.

At the top stood the other four, waiting as Luna jogged up, Minako still pulling at an unresponsive Usagi. They came up to find a wall just across from them, a hallway running parallel with the stairwell. Four more doors, and a mirror at the very end, and all of them in acts of opening.

Here the carpet was a darker rust colour, the walls the same wine colour as the carpeting on the first floor. The first door was open enough to show the sparse bedroom inside of it, walls bare and the bed so tightly made and plain it was obviously for guests. Luna crept inside to check it out as the group moved down the hall to peek into the second room.

A den, and it contained a large corner desk that spanned almost two full walls with a sleek black computer. Another TV, considerably smaller than the one downstairs, and a stereo system, also smaller, took up another wall. Two printers sat on the desk, along with a fax machine, a scanner/copier, and a second hard drive. "Whoever it is, they must be doing some serious stuff to need so much hardware," Mamoru commented softly.

The next door was the main bedroom, and it was almost opulent compared to the guestroom. A large four-poster was crammed into a corner, hung with black velvet drapes to close off the sleeper from the world. Bookcases filled another wall, and posters of paintings were neatly pinned to the other bare walls. A glass sliding door led out onto a large porch, and a dresser sat next to the main door full of the clothes that couldn't be hung in the walk-in closet. One more door revealed a full connecting bathroom.

But the last door was locked.

This was unusual, seeing as it had been opened only minutes ago.

Minako, being the only one brave (or depending on the popular view of her allies, stupid) enough to try the knob, frowned. "Well that's just weird."

"This whole place is weird." Makoto rubbed at her arms, pointedly not looking into the hall mirror. "Haven't you noticed? There's no windows at all, except for the porch doors. Everyone's so dark and gloomy and closed in, like a tomb."

"Maybe some people like their privacy," the owner said dryly behind them.

All of them froze.

Minako hastily snatched her hand away from the doorknob.

"We're going to jail," Ami whimpered matter-of-factly.

So there they stood, four girls and two guys (one a cat), staring dumbly at the shadowed woman next to the stairs. Her arm reached out to push something, and lights flooded on above their heads, momentarily blinding them all despite the soft wattage. Luna made a rather ugly noise of pain from the guestroom, half out of the door and caught by the surge of illumination.

Usagi was, in true fashion, the first to respond by fainting to the surprisingly comfortable carpeting.

But Minako's fainting trick was completely unexpected.

"Beautiful."

The image was indeed that.

Suspended in the air, it was the only source of pure light in the entire room. A lovely woman dressed in a flowing white gown, she knelt in strange pose of the kind one painted, her slender hand raised to her chin. Pearls draped down her torso, heavy around her neck, a lone strand curled around her other outstretched arm to dangle against her bare foot. Roses had been tucked into the folds of her dress, between her fingers, and a lovely golden crown shone on her forehead.

A figure of innocence, she was untouchable.

Demand, his eyes feasting on the illusion, was working to overcome that.

The remote in his hand turned the picture off, returning the room to its semi-twilight state. With a thoughtful expression he set the remote atop a nearby pillar, its top flat and wide for use, and left his surroundings with a gentle rush of magic.

Though the teleport could not be called gentle itself, as his power never came with an instruction manual; he worked on blind instinct. Air was ripped apart coming and going, and he found himself seemingly floating in a dark expanse of space. There was floor beneath his feet, hard and reassuring, but the sheer enormity of the lack of light made it hard for his senses to accept that he was indeed standing.

It could not be said for the other person, the sole occupant in the room up until now. Floating on her back, her hair loose and eyes closed, Sailor Mars drifted through the air like mad Ophelia down the stream, heading for her doom. Her eyelids fluttered as her eyeballs twitched, her entire aura trying to fight off the magic that kept her in this state, but it was no use.

Helpless, her face was soft in an expression Demand had never seen on her. Her entire form was that of a teenager, still rounded and gentle from childhood, but sharpening slowly from impending maturity. Already he saw in her the figure she would have in a few years, and he marveled at how little she changed.

The last time he had seen the soldier of fire was during a royal speech. Gathered with his allies in the streets, they had listened with growing hatred at the useless talk and assurances of peace and prosperity, long-life and hope. Mars had been on the balcony along with her fellow soldiers, protecting their queen and princess, and watching the crowd for signs of anger. Already had word leaked out of traitors to the kingdom, but Demand had been too smart to be caught; and not a week later had they gone to Nemesis to plot and scheme.

Mars was indeed a lovely girl, and she would become a beautiful woman, but she was not the focus of his eye. She was not queen material; that honour belonged to the lady who was captured in hologram for him to desire.

Beside him the air was distorted and disturbed as a cloaked figure appeared, completely ignoring the floor and instead hovering next to the prince. "Wiseman."

"Demand, this one has value to us; her body is a perfect vessel for the influence of our _Jakokusuishou_," a raspy voice whispered from the depths of the hood, curiously fluid hands slowly smoothing over the crystal ball between them. "A sailor soldier's powers, used against her allies of light, she could infiltrate and subdue."

The prince gave no more attention to the robed creature than one would a servant, something utterly laughable considering that it had been the Wiseman himself who had come to them, showing them the way to Nemesis and the black crystal. He had given them the means to fight their war, and yet, he showed no ill towards the arrogant man who treated him as an inferior being.

Weak light streamed in suddenly from behind them as a door opened. Saphir, deriding the use of magic for such simple things as moving from room to room, tended to walk everywhere and to use doors for their purpose. It annoyed Demand to no end and it showed as he stared at his younger brother, who walked in purposefully after closing the door behind him. "Saphir, if this is not important in some manner, I will gladly remove your feet."

"All the better to force me to waste magic, I suppose," Saphir replied calmly. He extended what looked to be a small sheet of plastic the size of notebook paper, pressing his thumb into the corner. A small hologram appeared in the air above it, showing an immense monolith of jagged dark crystal, a blinding stream of white light shooting forth from it into the sky. "The reactor is working, niisan, and we've created the perfect soldier droid. Just the smallest bit of energy from the black crystal was enough."

"Excellent." Demand took the plastic sheet without asking, watching as some equations and ratios scrolled up through the air. "They'll be useful on the next mission; the soldiers, even in their younger forms, are powerful."

Saphir held out his hand with a frown, obviously wanting the sheet back; when he didn't receive it, he dropped the hand back at his side. "And what is the purpose of going about this so violently, niisan? Capturing Sailor Mars only heightens their aggression against us, and we lost Koan."

"Her plan of subterfuge didn't work," Demand replied carelessly, flicking the hologram off and tossing it back to his brother, who almost didn't catch it. "Obviously, she was weak and unprepared."

"But was it necessary?"

The sudden motion of Demand's hand was almost too fast to see, but it was felt; Saphir rocked back a few steps, an angry red mark colouring his cheek from the slap. He bit the inside of his cheek and tasted blood, a rather bitter tang. "Stop questioning me, Saphir, even if you are my only brother. I'll still destroy you and get what I want."

Laughter; at the door stood Rubeus, haloed by the faint light. He seemed to take a vicious pleasure in watching his prince's cruelty at work, even more when it was against his own brother. For whatever reason, his dislike of Saphir was obvious. "Yare yare, Saphir, needlessly questioning our prince again? All of us swore loyalty to his grand plan, even you, blood of his blood."

Saphir merely licked at the inside of his cheek and said nothing.

"And now, my prince, we have the first piece," Rubeus added as he gestured grandly towards the floating soldier as she passed him by. "We're well on the way to recovering a second. It's called a ‘gambit' in chess, sacrificing your own pieces for the main prize."

"Indeed, it will be the only piece we will sacrifice!" another voice crooned from behind Rubeus, and he stepped aside to reveal another of the sisters. Braided white blonde hair was pulled back from a pretty face, clear of any adornment save for her black sigil and a similar braid across her forehead. Clothed in an outfit that consisted mainly of an ice-blue swimsuit and solid choker, her forearms wrapped in strips of the same coloured cloth, she didn't look half as ridiculous as her sister. But the ice-blue high heeled boots, flared at the top and over the knee, made her ultimately resemble a sort of colour blind dominatrix without the whip. "My sister's death will be avenged, and another piece captured."

"And you can do this for us, Berthier?" Demand was adept at making his questions more like demands than actual choice.

She laughed prettily, tossing her head. "The soldier of water is clumsy in her era, and untrained. Easy prey for the third of the four sisters, and a simple piece to capture!"

The first thing that came to mind when she awoke was, "Gee, my head hurts."

Then, "Gee, I'm hungry."

After that was a lull in which she finally opened her eyes to find herself staring at a corpse who asked, "Are you alright, _tsukimidango_?"

The resulting scream jolted everyone out of their seat and onto their feet as Usagi flailed madly, tossing herself off of the couch and onto the nice soft carpet. But even fully awake the vision refused to go away, and now, the corpse was leaning towards her with a worried expression on its solid face. "Usagi?"

Someone else grabbed her from beyond and she screamed again, putting all of her vocal weight behind it before she realized it was Mamoru. "Sshh, it's alright, Usako, shhhh…."

"But I see…don't you…Mamo-chan, don't you see her?!"

"Usako, you're not dreaming," he said gently.

"I am," she half-sobbed, "I'm dreaming because Moriya-chan is dead, Mamo-chan, you never knew but she died and it was all my fault…"

Around her on the plush couches sat her fellow soldiers, looking at her in intense worry. None of them seemed the slightest bit concerned at the fact that the walking dead was in the room with them, and apparently, now holding out a cup of water for Mamoru to take. Most likely poisoned, but he tipped it towards Usagi's lips before she could warn him, urging her to take a sip. Obviously, he was out of his mind.

The corpse settled down onto the couch Usagi had vacated, neither melting nor rotting on the soft upholstery, and sighed. "I had a feeling this would happen. Maybe I should make myself scarce for a few minutes while Usagi-chan puts herself together."

"She'll be fine, LeBeau-san," Makoto assured her, though now the _odango_-haired blonde finally noticed the unease with which everyone else viewed the woman. She wasn't the only one seeing the living dead, then, nor was she the only one who looked so sick; Minako was completely white, huddling in an armchair as if she were freezing.

Once she was gone, Usagi exhaled a sharp breath she hadn't realized she had held in, and spat out the water, knocking the cup out of her prince's hand. Getting up with a bounce, she hopped back and forth as she stared at her allies. "Well? Let's get out of here! Something's wrong with this place! Obviously the enemy attacked us…"

"_Iie_, Usagi-chan," Luna finally murmured. "No one attacked us. There's no enemy here. Mamoru-san, will you help her onto the couch?"

"_Na-ani_? Are you all under the enemy's influence?" Usagi jumped back from Mamoru's hands, poised on the step into the hallway. "I see dead people! That's an enemy's plan of attack for sure, making us see hallucinations!"

Ami said, "You mean you saw Moriya-chan."

Usagi nodded her head vigorously, clutching her brooch. "You saw it, Ami-chan! That proves it! We have to transform and destroy the evil here—"

"Usagi-chan, it wasn't a hallucination!" Minako finally said, harshly, despite the sound of phlegm and strain in her voice. "Don't you think we would have attacked by now, if it was? Come back and sit down, please."

They were all mad. Eyeing them all suspiciously, she began to creep backwards into the hallway. She was positive she could cleanse them of the enemy's power, but it would take Sailor Moon to do it; and as she stumbled backwards, she began to whisper the words. "Moon Crystal—"

"Usagi-chan, do you remember the snow globe?"

The words died a painful death on her tongue as she felt the presence of her hallucination right behind her. Turning around slowly, she saw a glint of light out of the corner of her eye, and as she fully faced the woman, she found herself staring at the snow globe she herself had left at Moriya's crypt. Small bits of dirt still coloured the white plastic base, a tiny irrational fact her mind noted because it was indeed rational; if her brain had created it as a figment of her imagination, she never would have added the proof of it being left at a gravesite. It was real.

It just didn't make it any easier to accept.

The hands that held it were slender and womanly, a healthy pink instead of a dead, rotting green as benefited a corpse weeks dead. Through the curve of glass Usagi could see her face and the woman's superimposed, the ghostly specter of a friend who should have lived to become this adult. They were Moriya's intelligent, lapis blue eyes, and her thick copper hair, even the tiny little mole next to her left earlobe.

But was a body Moriya did not have the last time the odango-haired blonde had held her, still short enough to not have to duck beneath doorways and slim-hipped and small-chested. This body was obviously woman, though her face had that shape and contour that suggested near androgyny in her men's white shirt and loose black jeans. "You said you would give this to me someday, as a birthday present. Remember?"

"…..I promised Moriya-chan….on her birthday…."

"Even though you knew I never knew my birthday, and we always picked a new day each year."

Usagi made a strangled, piteous noise. She remembered all too well how Moriya had casually mentioned to her, in their first weeks of friendship, that she didn't recall her birth date, and no records on her existed except for a picture found in her father's wallet that had her name written on the back. In a fit of inspiration, Usagi had chosen that day to celebrate it; and the next year, she chose another day at random. And so on, until it became a ritual that both girls looked forward to, despite the looming reminders of why they chose to do so.

No one except Naru, Sakakku-san, and Usagi's family knew of it, and even if Mamoru had known….

She took the offered globe slowly, staring inside at the castle, then, at the woman. "I left this…"

"…at Chouno Moriyakumi's grave. Yes."

  
"But then how….Moriya-chan is dead…."

Touching Usagi's face, the woman smiled sadly. "Moriya did die, Usagi-chan. But she's inside of me now."

"_Masaka_…" Trembling hands lifted the globe up as if to hurl it to the ground, dash it into hundreds of pieces, but halted in mid-air. She could hear the slosh of the water and it reminded her, strangely, of another secret they had shared, when one of their classmates had died overnight in a car accident.

_"Moriya-chan, do you think dying hurts?"_

_"Of course it hurts! But I'll never find out. Dying just won't be for me! You'll see, Usagi-chan; I'll prove it to you someday."_

_"You can't just decide not to die, Moriya-chan!"_

_"Watch me! I've got too much to do to let a little thing like that slow me down."_

It had been funny then. Now, looking up at someone whom she had held, cold and rigid in the beginning of rigor mortis, she was as empty of humour as she had ever felt in her life. "I guess you did prove it to me; you really didn't die."

Shaking her head, the woman smiled strangely. "_Iie_. Despite the bravado, Chouno Moriyakumi is well and dead. But what made her that person, everything that went into her, was what I once was. What I am now. Before Moriya, there was me."

"I don't understand," Usagi whispered.

"You can't, my princess." Reaching out, the woman touched a fingertip to the rounded curve of the globe. "But I can tell you that Moriya was proud of you, in those last seconds. When she knew you were Sailor Moon. And that should be enough."

"Now, shall we?" the redhead asked, gesturing.

Usagi let her lead them back into the living room, where everyone stared at them expectantly. Clutching the globe, refusing to meet any of their eyes, the odango-haired blonde curled into the corner of the couch, where Mamoru moved to stand next to her. Minako took the spot next to her, giving her a ghostly, reassuring smile.

Now she was noting the move of the coffee table, leaving the center of the room effectively empty, and it was here that the woman finally stood, folding her arms as she sighed. Eyeing the assemblage, she gave the distinct air of one who gave orders and expected them to be carried out; each soldier supressed the urge to squirm. "Well. As I was waiting until our princess over there woke up, none of you – save for Minako and Artemis – remember who I am. What I do. And I can tell already seeing me is a shock."

"But Moriya-chan, how did you—" Ami began to ask, before she was cut off with a swipe of the woman's hand.

"Not Moriya. Alex. You'll have to remember this; Chouno Moriyakumi is dead, ash in her family's crypt, created for the specific purpose of protecting the princess. None of it was real, merely construct.

"I know it sounds harsh," she added as they all began to show signs of shock and disgust, "but it was a necessary deception. The protection of Serenity was essential to stop Metallia in whatever age she awoke; and though there was one false step, we knew the evil was freeing herself in the latter half of the 20th century."

A remote control was picked up and aimed at the TV. Though it was impossible, the picture they saw once she turned it on was of the Moon Kingdom, whole and unbroken and somehow slightly different. "This was the Moon Kingdom as I first saw it, fifty years before the birth of the royal heir, Princess Serenity. I was saved from death, after doing something quite stupid in my twenty-first year, and taken into the past by the decree of her highness, Queen Serenity, to fulfill destiny.

"Not that I had asked, mind you, I didn't have a choice. Something about my family and unavoidable options, and a whole lot of other stupid excuses, but that's not the point right now."

Shrugging, she handed the remote to Minako. "Because of their long life span, the queen has a long pregnancy; when I arrived, she had just become pregnant, and her husband, the king, had been killed. None of you soldiers were alive yet, though you would be alive and already brought to the Moon to witness her birth as children. It was always that way, to impress upon the soldiers their royal highness's face and power early on, to bind them tight by love and affection.

"I was brought into the past to become a guardian, not just of the princess, but of the entire kingdom. Of the crystal tied to it. Though I was officially called the "Crystal Guardian," I also trained the army, the select knights who would become personal troops and bodyguards, and of course, all of you. That was my duty."

"So you were responsible for the defense of the Moon?" Ami queried.

Alex nodded, beginning a tight, circular pace around the middle of the room. "Yes. And as you can all remember, they were still horribly outclassed, though it wasn't for lack of training, but simple drive. No matter how well I trained them all, they simply couldn't match a larger army driven to near-inhuman capacity by a lust for power. And even after all I taught them, and warned them, they were still incredibly loathe to kill anyone; it was up to the four sailor soldiers to land the first mortal blows, once we were forced to send you out as shocktroops. We ordered you from your princess's side, and it was a stupid, stupid error."

"_Hai_," Minako said dully. "You told us to push back the earthen army, while you went to find the queen and the princess, who had vanished; instead of us finding Serenity, and protecting her, she ran into Endymion's arms, and they ran into Beryl."

"Correct. But then, it should have worked, had the earthen army not been so determined and manic. Neither I or Serenity realized until it was too late what controlled them, and then, she had seen her daughter die….and she chose to sacrifice herself for the good of the kingdom."

Makoto jumped to her feet, crying, "How can you say that? She killed our worlds, our people! In being selfish she condemned millions to death by holding our spirits…."

"If your only daughter had just died, and you knew no real suffering, no real pain, how would you react?" Alex shot back, narrowing her eyes. "Serenity was in agony, Jupiter; she did what she felt had been right, and anything she's said to convince herself of her righteousness is out of suffering. She's become a memory in a computer, nothing real, and all she has left is her dreams, and for you to judge her is far more evil than anything Metallia did to her!"

The tall brunette flinched, turning her head away. Considerably cowed, she huddled back into her seat, even as Alex added, "But I know what she did was wrong, immensely wrong. And she knows as well, but admitting it would have been just as horrible for her. She was supposed to be a goddess of peace and goodwill, and she killed thousands without a second thought.

"And that was how she always saw herself; as a goddess presiding over Earth, not a queen. The Earth, once everything began anew, remembered the Silver Millennium through legends, because many of them believed in her as a deity too."

"Is that why we were called Jupiter, and Mercury, and Mars, and Venus, even a millennium ago?" the blue-haired genius asked curiously, hands clasped in her lap.

"Yes; only the Romans were egotistical enough to use the true names in their mythology, though the Greeks, knowing inherently that Serenity was good, called her their moon goddess and intertwined her story with her daughter's. The Romans were into more violent forms of worship, and so they hid her name, though ironically using the name of a court diplomat who happens to be sitting in this very room. They did, however, skew a lot of details, being of a liberal mind.

"Venus, for instance, was a planet of intense heat, surrounded by its floating colonies. The 'love goddess' aspect was actually a very mild version of the kingdom's love for debauchery and violent games. Their princess was quite the flirt and sexual deviant, though she was still tamer than her kingdom's population, and her fighting prowess is what elevated her to the status of leader of the princess's royal guard. The Greeks named her Aphrodite, though they created a whole new god to take over the debauchery and violence in the masculine form of Dionysus."

Minako turned a furious shade of red as every pair of eyes in the room settled on her. "A-ano…I don't…."

"Minako-chan, is there something you're not telling us?" Makoto snickered.

"Some of her conquests were quite amazing, I must say," Alex said blithely. "Though she was quite intent on finding a true love, she still found time to dally in several lesser prince's bedchambers, and even a few servant's quarters."

Now a colour somewhere between tomato and fire, Minako hid her face behind her arms, muttering, as Artemis and Makoto began snickering. Ami, too good natured to laugh, and actually finding it a bit horrid, simple stared; Mamoru, too much the gentleman, continued to gently stroke Usagi's hair, trying to comfort her. She was still somewhat rigid in her seat, though she was slowly relaxing at his touch.

Pointing a finger at the next victim, Alex said, "Mercury was also a hot planet, with one giant floating colony orbiting it. The epicenter of the Silver Millennium's sciences, they also produced magicians and doctors who taught many of Earth's ‘primitive' people how to heal. But they were also cold and almost unpassionate to a fault, caring more for their discoveries than people. The Greeks remembered the gift of medicine, their need for speed, and their inquisitive nature in Hermes. The Romans at first were bold enough to use the true name of ‘Mercury,' but for a god of trade and merchants. After a while they finally owned up and gave their god the same attributes as Hermes. Both cultures ignored, or forgot, the lack of passion that separated the kingdom from everyone else."

Ami's expression altered visibly to one of sudden fear. "I…I remember that way. Nothing mattered except discovery, though I felt more sadness and pity than my kingdom, because I was away for so long."

"Yes…because you soldiers were taken at a young age, the characteristics were there, and in the most part, you followed instinct. But the effect was less, as in Venus's case where she was driven more by a want for love than simple sex, and where you, Mercury, had compassion for people, though you often hid it beneath your cold veneer to not seem weak.

"Jupiter, on the other hand, was a passionate, caring planet, their floating colonies floating paradises of heat and humidity, flora and fauna. Though they were all easily driven to anger, most of the time they were gentle, caring only for their plants. Their princess was an avid gardener on the Moon, though she was also more easily prone to wild, stormy behavior than her kingdom's people. But they also considered themselves peacekeepers, and in both Greek and Roman mythology this was construed as a king complex, though the truth was far less selfish.

"And Mars….well." She cleared her throat and stared neutrally at the carpet, obviously aware of the absence. "They were warlords and furious harpies, and it was a trait the Greeks and Romans both had correct at the end. If there was a galactic battle to be fought, eons ago, it was the Martians who led it, arrogant and prideful. Though they didn't look for fights, they would fight if they had to, and they trained themselves constantly to be superior in skill to the rest of the planetary kingdoms."

"Always standoffish and brutes to a fault, all right," Makoto muttered.

Alex nodded in agreement, gesturing with her hand. "The princess was, unfortunately, an immense disappointment to them when she was not chosen as a leader for Serenity's guard; she was also more interested in her music and singing than practicing her fighting skills. Completely ignored by both cultures, the poor girl. No one cared about some silly chit who sang songs instead of shedding blood."

"Rei-chan," Usagi whispered softly.

Just like that, the floor was given to the odango-haired blonde. Twisting uncomfortably under the sudden weight, crystal blue eyes glimmered in the light as she lifted them to her gathered allies. "Mars was so gentle and kind, and now, Rei-chan is gone, taken by the enemy…."

"By the ‘Black Moon,'" Makoto said flatly. "Mocking our princess, and our past, and we were unable to save our ally."

The redhead nodded, frowning at the now blank TV, as if she could see something within its off black depth. "I sensed something a few days ago. After the horror of the Dark Kingdom, I hoped I could remain hidden, watching you all enjoy your lives, but life isn't fair. If you hadn't come to me, I would have found you all to prepare you."

"What you do best, ne?" Minako murmured, though it was devoid of humour.

"Venus….I'm not going to apologize again. What I did wasn't fun, nor a joy; I did not take pleasure in tricking you all. And it was a fluke that you even recalled my true form before I revealed myself. You were supposed to be the first soldier awake, to trick Metallia into believing you as the princess, but you were supposed to believe yourself to be the princess as well. To remember yourself truly as Venus was an accident."

That had them all pausing, though Minako looked particularly disturbed. "So I was to be ignorant, like my princess?"

"Would you rather she had immediately known who she was, going off gung ho into battle with her crystal – the very object the Dark Kingdom was after! – held high? As Princess Serenity, she was not a soldier, and for her to be awakened simultaneously as both soldier and royalty, she would have been confused and unsure. Giving her time to adjust as Sailor Moon was a safety measure, smoke and mirrors; you simply cannot expect a fish, suddenly dropped into the middle of a desert, to grow proper lungs and walking legs!"

The sharp comment produced a very sudden silence. Only Mamoru looked mildly satisfied at the answer, though disturbing it was; with gentle sureness, he stroked the blonde head of his princess. "And so we all knew, deeply, to protect her, even as the obvious answer stood in front of us. I told you, Usako," he said with a soft chuckle. "To become Tuxedo Kamen was all because of you."

"And now, the secret is out, and we've all been pawns," Ami said sharply. "We know the truth of the princess, and of our past. The problem is now about a new enemy, as Rei-san said. Are you going to finally become involved in our struggle, LeBeau-san, or stand idly by?" The tone of her voice had a shocking core of strength to it, and even the redhead looked mildly surprised by it – though she merely raised an eyebrow.

"You can be as strong in this lifetime as you were once before, Mercury. I can't remake the past; all I can do is apologize for the emotional whims of a once-great queen, distraught over her child's murder." Where Ami's voice had been angry, strengthened by the emotion, Alex's voice had a tinge of sorrow and weariness during the repetition. "All I can do is offer support for this secondary life you've all discovered, which may turn out to be hollow. Already I can see the rebirth was flawed. Capturing the essence of a sailor soldier as Serenity did, suspending it in spirit form; it took pieces of the people you were a millennium ago."

Makoto was, surprisingly, the one to say, "And so we're not truly ourselves, but also who we were. Ne, LeBeau-san?" Laughing without humour, eyes the rich colour of oak leaves moved to catch a glance from each of her allies in turn. "I'm Kino Makoto, but I am also the last soldier of Jupiter, who remembers the electrical storms of her planet and the beautiful gardens suspended in orbit in their greenhouses. But it's not just memory, it's like…it's like two people are inside of me now. They're the same, but not."

"_Hai_." Minako looked almost drained, revelations exhausting her now as they had during that climactic trip to the Moon. "Aino Minako is childish and bubbly, wanting nothing but to eat and play games. But Venus was a soldier made of sterner things, strong and powerful and the ultimate leader."

"And brilliant Ami over there is already experiencing the stern anger of Mercury," Alex finalized, staring down the blue-haired genius. "Irrational bouts of temper that were unknown to her until she became Sailor Mercury, am I right?" When Ami pointedly stayed silent – ironically answering the question without having to say a word – the redhead added slyly, "At least you have only two personalities warring within you. Our little _tsukimidango_ has three to deal with, and Mamoru you could technically argue has four: Endymion, Tuxedo Kamen, Chiba Mamoru, and Chiba Mamoru post amnesia."

Point driven home, the redhead seemed to relinquish the floor, by simply falling silent. Expectant eyes began to roam curiously, not even the felines willing to take charge yet; and it was Ami again who spoke up. "We have no reason to trust you."

"Not particularly."

The long-haired blonde opened her mouth, ready to defend the tall American, but she was muted by a gesturing finger. "But you're our best chance to save Rei-san and defeat these new enemies. And for that, we have to do our best."

Laughing, Alex said, "_Iie_, Mercury. I'm merely the one to help you unlock the potential. You're all going to be doing most of the work; after all, what's the point of being planetary avatars with all power and no aim?"

An hour later, the front door to the Mizuno condo clicked open, and the blue-haired genius all but dragged herself across the threshold, ears attuned to the usual silence of the connected rooms.

Or what should have been silence, as she heard the noise of the fridge door opening. For once, both mother and daughter were home and awake at the same time, though the half-coherent state Ami was in could hardly be classified as the same dimension of conscious. She wanted a shower, then to do something wholly against her nature – crawl into bed and sleep past her alarm, the entire school day, and possibly one more.

Her mother appeared in the foyer, dressed smartly for work despite the fact she had most likely just come home from there mere hours earlier, and would be covering up the nice dress suit with her white coat or operation blues. "Ami! Where have you been, you left the hospital three hours ago! I was so worried you had passed out somewhere along the way…"

Not worried enough, obviously, or she would have been out looking. But, Ami amended silently, her mother did try her best, and did care; she just had unusual ways of showing it sometimes. "_Daijoubu_, mama, I was at a friend's house. We thought it best to rest a few hours before attempting the long rides home."

"Well…yes, that is a smart plan," her mother agreed. "But you could have called…! But I'm relieved to see you're alright!" Smiling that beautiful smile of hers, she kissed her daughter on the forehead even as she gathered up her heels. "Then, if all is well, I'm back to work. There's a letter for you from your father on the table."

"Have a good day."

Completely missing the flatness of her daughter's tone, or ignoring it, Dr. Mizuno exited the condo with her heels still in her hand. Ami sighed. In and out as always, without much else other than a vague statement of worry. Most of the time it seemed as if they were simply roommates sharing an apartment, and not family.

Time for that later. Passing into the kitchen, she fumbled with the handle of the fridge, finally succeeding in pouring a glass of orange juice and gulping it down. It didn't do a damn thing for her weary body, nor the growing headache between her eyes, but she needed the vitamins, and that scientific, medical part of her mentality had not yet shut down. Glass still in hand, her head swiveled limply around towards the table to see the letter her mother had mentioned, not entirely unexpected.

It took her a good minute and a half to realize it wasn't the usual postcard, nor flat transport envelope containing a new sketch. Merely a normal white envelope of the standard size, with a stamp, and her name formally written across the front in concise English script. Her father's handwriting, of course.

She uttered something monosyllabic that, had she been awake, she would have been horrified to have in her vocabulary – if you could identify it as a genuine word. The glass was set in the sink finally, rinsed out, before she lifted the envelope to peer at the swimming, dancing letters. So light, it couldn't be a very meaningful letter at all, and her curiousity overran her poignant need for sleep and she ripped it rather rudely open.

Inside was an invitation to an art gallery.

Apparently, her father was having a show for his recent watercolours in a rare excursion into Tokyo proper, and her presence was formally invited to the expensive event, and would she please come, for him? He had even included a tiny sketch of her profile on the back, despite the elegant gold fleur-de-lis pattern he ruined with the graphite lines.

Her brain couldn't absorb it right now. She managed to put the invite neatly back into the envelope, carrying it with her as she schlepped through the living room, down the hall, and into her bedroom. Almost painfully bright from the rising sun, her first move was to pull the shades, and the drapes, to turn it into a wonderfully dim twilight. It was the first time she had ever pulled them closed at the beginning of a new day, instead of opening them wide.

"_Kami-sama_, please let me sleep for a thousand years," she moaned as she sat on the edge of her bed. Never in her life had she stayed up so often and so late as she had in these recent months fighting their ancient enemy. Always had she at least crawled beneath the covers by two o'clock, early to rise no matter what. Now, with her internal clock violently disrupted, she felt unbelievably horrible, the antithesis of the intelligent, prompt Mizuno Ami who was never tardy nor missed any days.

The removal of her clothes took a considerable amount of effort. By the time she had fully collapsed beneath her covers, ten minutes had been spent merely trying to pull her shirt over her head. Dog-tired and exhausted, she finally allowed her eyelids to drop shut in utter relief.

Her body finally gave up and released her into the unconscious, a jarring shift that wasn't quite sleep. Nothing could have made her happier, and she relaxed into sloth with an ease she hadn't known she possessed.

Just as quickly did she feel the sudden pressure in her head, coinciding with a reverberating cry that shook her skull. In REM, she saw a tunnel with the essential light at the end, a tiny flickering flame; knowing instinctively that she had to merely follow it to find the source of the cry, she ran towards it on empty air. Looking down, she was not surprised to see total darkness beneath her feet, in the spirit of many a dreamer's lonely experience.

Within the light as it grew larger, she could see what looked to be a Rorschach blot, all skinny tendrils and dumpy sections that made no logical sense until one looked just so…and it was only when the unusual figure called, plaintive, "Ami?" that her eyes crossed and the light engulfed her and she replied, hollowly, "Mars?"

The soldier of fire stared back at her, her uniform torn and soiled with soot from battle. Hair tangled and slightly oily from lack of bathing, her legs lightly pebbled by hair stubble, she looked like a homeless vagabond instead of a proud sailor soldier. Ami flinched unconsciously in vague disgust from the rather strong body odor filling the space between them. "Mars…is this dream a result of my guilt?"

"This isn't a dream, Ami," the dark-haired shrine girl responded. "As sailor soldiers, all of us are linked; I can see you! Wherever I am…"

"You mean, like telepathy?" Ami sounded scornful, though she knew the priestess of the Hikawa Jinja was renowned for her psychic abilities. Obviously, this mind-link was just part and parcel of it. "Then, can you tell me where you were taken? To locate the enemy base so soon, we can stop them before it begins—"

"I don't know where I am." Flat. The red-clad soldier turned away, swiveling in the air like a puppet on strings, confused. "The fire…I was engulfed in pain, and there was laughter. I felt a sudden abnormality, nature cruelly damaged, as if we traveled…somewhere else…."

Wherever she was, there was apparently no decent hygiene. "Offworld, Mars? It could be possible that our enemies are alien; we saw the UFO."

The mirrored disgust was plain on Mars' face as she shoved back her hair, grimacing at the film on each strand. "It could be. The pain of the distortion drove me into this world of utter blackness, and I sense something in the physical world keeping me so. I can't force myself to wake; an aura of intense evil power is binding me…." Intense purple eyes focused on Ami again, narrowing. "They know us, Ami. My intuition tells me; my premonition foretold the man."

"The one who called himself Rubeus? Mars, is that all your premonition told you?" the blue-haired genius demanded, pushing herself forward through the air to try and touch her ally. The wall she encountered repelled her back, like a swimmer through water. "_Nani_…!?"

Mars smiled sadly. "Something separates me from the natural world, Ami. Like time, or space….the spiritual cannot overcome it. All we have is this weak link. But it's enough for me to plead with you, Sailor Mercury; protect our princess, in my stead. She'll always be a target, for her love and her power."

"Mars…you managed to contact me, out of all of us, without knowing where you are…isn't there something you can tell me, a clue?"

The dark-haired shrine girl stared at her rather curiously. "Ami…I didn't contact you. Suddenly out of the darkness, I felt your presence awaken me…."

"_N…nani…._?"

There was a thunderous boom across the landscape. The blue-haired genius flung up her arms as the wind came between them, battering them both. The unsteady link broken, concentration shattered, she was flung finally feet over head, awakened by the impact of her shoulders against the floor of her bedroom, her legs tangled as surely as any bondage in her sheets. Gasping, feeling even worse than before, she let herself dangle off the side of her bed. "Mars…."

She drifted off again in this painful position, and she did not dream.

Checking her lipstick in a compact shaped in the form of a chrysanthemum – both lipstick and compact breezily taken from a designer cosmetics rack not ten minutes ago – she had to laugh. The 21st century was so simplistic and stupid! Barely a prize to be won for their goals, and yet, she had chosen this task.

Lipstick correctly applied, Berthier pursed her lips coyly as she snapped the compact shut. Though she was not a vain enough woman to wear makeup almost neurotically, she chose to look her best; and by the leering looks of a passing businessman, she had succeeded. Steely, ice blue gaze sufficient enough to kill his lecherous thoughts, she assumed a hip-swiveling stride across the sidewalk.

Her rather skimpy miniskirt and sleeveless strap top was at complete odds with the interior of the high-class, muted tones of the Myouhou Bijutsu Hakubutsukan, set as it was within the Ginza district. The paintings that hung on the walls were subtle, uninspiring nature pieces, most going for prices that would make a lesser man than a millionaire weep.

Berthier thought they were stupid.

"Trash, trash, trash….all green trees and dull birds…" Quite aware of the perplexed stares she was receiving, she walked briskly past the front displays, heading for the door marked "PRIVATE" in the back. Faint music could be heard the closer you came, though by the look on the usher's face, it was doubtful he appreciated it. He looked even more annoyed as Berthier came up to him, obviously intending to enter the room. "Excuse me, young man, but I would like to join the party," she purred.

He smirked at her, not bothering to touch the door knob. "_Gomen nasai_. You have to have an invitation to the exclusive art show to enter; it begins in a few hours. Mizuno-san is an expensive painter and not seen by just anyone. I can't allow anyone in until then."

"Not even his agent? Maa, but he must not have told you!" she replied, showing her teeth in a brilliant smile.

"I've seen his agent before, a nice young lady—"

"I'm new, of course!" Her laugh was not completely grating, but it was enough to cause several patrons close by to wince. Smoothing down the hips of her skirt, she stepped right up to him to brush her lips against his. "Now, allow me entrance, so I may talk with my associate!"

His arms went slack as he began to form his third denial, his eyes locking with hers. Just for a second did the subtle flash of black appear on his forehead, in what looked to be a crescent reversed; and with a jerky motion of his arm, he opened the door. "Enjoy your experience," he dully intoned.

"_Arigatou gozaimasu_," she purred, drawing her hand across his cheek as she passed him by. Smiling like a viper entering the nest, she savoured the sound of his screams, a noise only she was privy to as he was locked within his mind, unable to command his body. That would teach him to curb his arrogance with someone obviously superior.

The few people in the enclosed gallery stared up at her, surprised, having not heard her enter with the music on. Still in the process of finishing the show, a few paintings were leaned against the wall to be finally hung, and a long table laden with food for snacking still had covers and lids and in some cases plastic still covering the delicacies. "A-ano…? Excuse us, young woman, you're not allowed in here yet!" one of the men said finally, reaching out to turn the music off by the small panel in the wall.

He screamed shrilly as a sudden focused deluge of water hit the wall panel, electrocuting him. Smoke rose from his body as the other men gaped, not a one moving to help him as he fell to the ground.

Berthier laughed, pulling her hand back. "How rude! The 21st century is a backward, pitiful world indeed!" She calmly selected a cracker from one of the opened packages, motioning with her fingers like a magician to reveal the contents of the covered dishes. The men watched her in dumb animal silence as she dipped the cracker into a paste of smoked salmon, nibbling carefully, as she looked each male over in turn. No Mizuno.

Then her eye caught one of the paintings yet to be hung, and she flung the food aside to walk quickly over to it, lifting it from the floor. One of the men uttered a strangled yelp as she strode on his hand, holding the painting gently as she hungrily stared at it. "Such a beautiful expanse of water, lovely and blue…."

"You can't touch that! Put that down, it's worth millions!" the oldest, most likely the director, yelled. Gathering up his courage he dove at the food table, grabbing a carving knife to wield. She watched him with a decided lack of interest as he jabbed it clumsily at her, unsure of how to fend her off; she had, after all, managed to shoot water from her hand. Not a scary power, true, but she looked quite creative.

He released his bladder as he watched the painting rise from her arms to hover carefully above her hand, rotating slowly like a leaf in the wind. It wouldn't do to get blood on such a beautiful work of art; and so putting it out of harm's way, she then casually drew all of the water out of their bodies, watching them explode with a decided lack of interest. The tiniest iota did appear when she lifted a pointed boot toe out of the growing pool of minced viscera and blood, but it quickly abated.

Removing the earring from her left ear, she held it out to allow its slow rotation. The black lightning that began to arc and crackle from it was silent, but potent; and within several were bulges that resembled fat ticks on a blade of grass. Each one began to grow, the droids she had carried with her assuming full form just as the last bit of disgusting offal was cleaned up. "Yare yare, to make such a mess…! It just won't do to leave it." Casually jabbing the jewelry back into her earlobe, she said, "Droids, assume their bodies. Program: Mimic."

The process was frightening as they both shed and gained weight, each one shaping into the form of a murdered man down to birthmarks and pimples. The mimic program was much more complicated, if only because it required the droids – created things – to completely impersonate the person they assumed, down to eating habits and voice inflections. This time it would be easier, having absorbed the fluids and memories of each of the dead.

"Program: Mimic; initiated. Commands to be downloaded; standby mode." They said it in unison in uninspired, perfectly measured voices that, while not quite human, would pass in any country without a second look. It was a voice meant to be ignored and completely forgotten.

"Capture the pawn: Mizuno. Checkmate: Mercury." Computer programmers sometimes used the language of games to control their machines, whether to make it difficult for others to assume command, or out of mere love for the terminology. Their use of chess was born more out of Saphir's surprising dislike for the plodding game than any possible parallels to their war.

She checked the archaic clock on the wall, noting that the painter was due in half an hour. Her smile was triumphant; how she would enjoy seeing the soldier of water's face when they took her out of the game. And it would be so amazingly simple!

The story of the sailor soldiers was legend. How they had been born in the city of Tokyo, inspired to bravery to defeat their oldest nemesis. They had been ordinary citizens, once upon a time, with their ordinary dreams and plans for the future, and their true names were often the cause for a poor baby girl to be named "Makoto."

It was a simple task for them to simply research the ordinary identities of the sailor soldiers in this time; Koan had triumphantly noted to her sister, merely hours before her death, that they even had such places to gather this trivial information! Like a spider weaving its web, all they had to do was wait. And as Berthier disliked hospitals with their astringent scent and needy, grabby people, she had chosen the second name on the list.

Setting her purse on the food table, she clapped her hands. "Droids, you know what to do! This room must be perfect for Mizuno-san when he arrives; those paintings must be hung, the food uncovered! Initiate your program!"

"Initiated," they droned a second time. The sudden human animation to limbs that had been, a second earlier, that of a robot's quirky, jerking motions, was discomforting. They began to chat with one another like old chums, moving to finish the work their base personalities had left undone. One grabbed the painting still hanging in the air and, per her instructions, hung it in the focal point of the room, displacing a panorama of Horyuji in Nara.

Smiling brightly, she was only momentarily startled by the opening of the door. Her droids still working, one of them nonetheless waved a hand and called out, "Mizuno-san!" in a cheery voice, prompting Berthier to execute a quick turn to see the early arrival.

Ami's father was a handsome man in round glasses, still wearing his fisherman's hat. Hair of a silvery sheen was neatly clipped, though still unruly, and it curled at the nape of his neck. He seemed slightly disoriented, as if he was not quite comfortable here; most likely he wasn't, preferring his natural world to the cold walls of the city. Beneath his arm was a large sketchpad, charcoal tucked into the ring. "_Konnichi wa, minna-san_…it's good to see you all again. But you're not familiar, miss….mrs…?"

"Kimorino Suiren," she cooed, holding out her hand in the old method of kissing its back. When he stared uncomprehendingly, she bit back her smile and bowed instead. "A critic for the Japanese-American newspaper in Los Angeles."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I hope you enjoy my artwork; I feel it invigorates and personifies the natural spirit of Japan. In the classical sense, we must all worship the beauty of nature, because it surrounds us with peace." So saying, he put his sketchbook down carefully as possible into a growing puddle of condensation beneath an ice-and-shrimp filled glass bowl. "And this is a very important show for me, as my daughter is coming to this event."

"_Honto_? That's lovely, Mizuno-san; and what is her name, so I may greet her?"

"….Mizuno Ami. Are you related to our painter?"

The blue-haired genius paused in mid-step, causing Usagi to walk right into her. Momentarily off-balance, she ended up tumbling into the private gallery with a quiet shriek, to the shocked and unamused stares of most of the patrons. Satisfied with wine and expensive food tidbits, their haughty demeanor outshone the casual dresses of herself and her friends, and she turned brilliant red with embarrassment. "A-ano…."

"Of course she's the daughter of the painter!" Minako cut in as Makoto and Usagi pulled Ami back to her feet. "The genius of Japan to punch!"

"You mean ‘to boot'," the tall brunette muttered as she steadied Ami.

Mumbling both an apology and gracious thanks, the blue-haired genius led her friends into the gallery itself, all of them in their plain colours and inexpensive fabrics standing out like brilliant birds of paradise amidst the understated, expensive silk trappings of the regular patrons. Ami's father was no different in his suit, though by his stance, he was just as uncomfortable to be in it as they were to be lacking. He shook hands and bowed to his admirers, talking animatedly only when it was about his paintings.

But he looked pleased at the sight of his daughter, and he brushed a couple off with a surety he had not possessed a minute ago, exclaiming, "Ami! _Musume-chan_, you came!"

"_Otou-chan_, of course I did!" she replied, shedding her usual reserve to hug him tightly. Behind her, her friends looked on happily, silent until she released him to introduce them. "Otouchan, these are my friends. Kino Makoto, Tsukino Usagi, Aino Minako…." she recited slowly, gesturing to each one, pleased to see her father's smile and gracious bow.

"I'm so glad you've made friends, Ami. For a long time I despaired of you finding true friendship." He hugged her again, laughing spontaneously. "I did one painting especially for you; of the ocean at Kamakura. Would you like to see it?"

Her friends disappeared into the crowd without needing to be asked, a fact she was grateful for. Nodding her agreement, her father led her towards the painting, which was, to his slight annoyance, not where he had told them to put it. It took a minute of searching for him to locate it, though the irritation was worth the soft gasp of surprise his daughter emitted.

And it was a rather spectacular painting. The sea at dawn, capturing the intense blue of the water and a lone figure on the beach watching the sun rise; corona around the sun, rainbows from the spray. It was in unison a simple yet intricate painting. "_Otou-chan_, it's….beautiful!"

"Isn't it, though? I didn't tell Mizuno-san yet, but I would love to own such a beautiful water scene."

Both looked around to find Berthier standing behind them, having come up so silently. She ignored them both to reach out towards the painting, tracing her fingers on air to highlight certain aspects. "The water is significant to human nature," she said softly, "gentle yet capable of the most intense fury. Ne, Ami-san?"

"_H-hai_," Ami stammered, momentarily startled by the icy nature of Berthier's eyes. She could feel her pulse begin to rise, like the rolling ocean, made even more turbulent by the growing smile of the woman. There was a wrongness that the blue-haired genius became aware of only now, so close to Berthier; she could hear the water rushing along the pipes around them, gathering to their very spot. Drawn to two similar spirits.

Her father jerked, his mouth contorting in a scream as his body was assaulted and taken over. The sudden screams in the room drowned out her allies' cries as droids began to appear, overturning the table to create utter chaos. Ami, rooted to the spot, had her back to the trampling feet of a mass of escaping higher class, many of them not making it before the droids were on their backs, choking and beating them.

All she saw was her father, unable to control himself, grabbing her by the wrists in an iron grip. Berthier laughed behind her, a shrill sound that was eclipsed by the noise of hundreds of water pipes exploding to fill the room with ice-cold liquid. "Yare yare, my soldier of water, are you as weak in this time as in mine?" the woman whispered against her ear, almost lovingly. "Don't worry; your easy capture is only natural for the weakest sailor soldier."

"Ami-chan!" Battered by water, Usagi held tight to the arm of her fellow blonde, all of them soaked to the skin. "Does the enemy know who we are?"

"Impossible! There's no way they could know us!" Makoto said, avoiding the flailing arm of a businessman. "But she has Ami-chan; can we destroy her without hurting Ami-chan?"

Minako, her arm wound around Usagi in turn, held up her transformation pen. "We don't have a choice! We can't allow Ami-chan to be captured as Mars was!"

A pounding deluge silenced all three as it slammed them against the walls, pinning them as surely as any chains. Screaming, they writhed under the icy water, only to be silenced as well by the liquid beating down their throats. Satisfied they were defeated, Berthier lowered her arm, though the water continued to assault them. "Noisy soldiers; their time will come."

"_Minna_!" Ami moaned, twisting her head around to stare at what she could see of them, then back to her father. She had a very big dilemma to solve, and it had to be soon. It was all she could do in the meantime to not wince as he tightened his grip on her wrists. "_Otou-chan_…"

Helpless, she felt a growing undercurrent of anger as Berthier called out, "Droids, Program: Destroy. I want the gallery empty before we capture the last piece!"

People shrieked with growing urgency, unable to escape as the front exit was blocked by the thrown sculpture of an elderly artist from Osaka. The grinning clown was splashed with blood as the droids messily disposed of the unlucky patrons, and each scream was punctuated by the beat of her pulse as she felt the anger intensify, becoming rage unknown to her. Her father was crying silently, despite his lack of bodily control; Berthier, laughing, halted in mid-cackle to stare suddenly at the blue-haired genius.

And there was no longer chaos, but Mercury.

All three girls dropped hard to the ground as the water flowed back, uniting with the flood to gather up Ami in its hold, her father and Berthier thrown away to crash into the walls. Mizuno was thankfully rendered unconscious, but Berthier stared in shock and horror as she realized she had lost control over her element. Like a goddess, Ami had called the water; and as the cocoon peeled back like a flower's petals to reveal not the blue-haired genius but the rigid form of Sailor Mercury.

She didn't even look as she felt the released magic of three simultaneous transformations. All she did was stare down Berthier, who was frantically waving her arms, attempting to call back the water. "Iie."

Moon, Jupiter, and Venus barely had time to duck before Berthier flew over their heads, thrown by a blast of water through the door. "_U-uso_!" Moon squeaked. "Mercury, how did you do that?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, even as she came up behind them. "I think I always had this potential…."

"As the soldier of water!" Jupiter laughed, reaching back to gather lightning into her hand. "_Minna_, out of the water, _hayaku_!"

The three exchanged looks, all but flying onto the nearest dry surface. Moon ended up climbing onto an empty pedestal, Venus crawled up the body of another sculpture, and Mercury flung herself onto a glass case. Jupiter began to run, pounding the remaining water level as she brought her arm around, shouting, "Supreme Thunder!" even as she leapt. She slipped across a glass case, nearly falling back into the water as the lightning connected with two of the droids, shooting down into the water to electrocute the rest of them.

Berthier, draped soaking wet atop the bloodied clown sculpture, was lucky, but pissed off as she watched her droids fall down, smoking and charred, into the water. "_Masaka_…is this the reason my lovely sister was so beaten? By soldiers weak in their time?! I won't have it!"

"You don't have a choice!" Venus yelled, pointing her finger in preparation for her chain.

A piece of what looked to be black glass was thrown at her in response. Or, more specifically, it was thrown at Mercury, who felt the tiny object hit her torso. It paused her; and that was her mistake as the water she had so controlled now attacked solely her, capturing her in a spinning tornado. "Mercury!" the _odango_-haired blonde screamed.

"The same sort of trap…_iie_, not again!" Venus spun around, firing off her Crescent Beam to catch a still-weak Berthier in the chest. "Sailor Moon, your new attack, use it quickly!"

"_Hai_!" The rod appeared in her hand as Mercury screamed, choking on the water that trapped her. "Moon Princess Halation!" she cried, gripping the handle with both hands.

The cold-eyed woman barely had time to throw up her arms and scream before she was ripped asunder, the explosion blinding everyone. But as the last time, Mercury was not released from her agony, which had become even more intense. She had begun to flail like a swimmer within the tornado, twisting helplessly as her allies watched.

"Maybe if I used my chain, I could pull her free…!" Venus offered, calling the very golden links to her hand. But she was stopped by Jupiter's arm.

"If you do that, the tornado might pull you in too, Venus!"

"But what do we do then? Mercury will be captured—"

"And there's nothing you can do about it again, sailor soldiers." The voice coincided with the sudden bright light, familiar now. Boots splashing in the water, Rubeus stood between the three soldiers and their ally, blocking them as Mercury was lifted up into the light. "All is fair, soldiers; for the destruction of Koan and Berthier, Mars and Mercury!"

"Give them back to us!" Sailor Moon screamed, and she would have attacked the red-haired man had her two allies not held her back. "Mars, Mercury….!"

The UFO was silent in its escape across the sky, leaving only a crying princess and her two helpless guardians to stare after it, unable to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go; the introduction of Alex, basically the entire reason I started writing Pretty Soldiers. I had her in my old old old fic, with no explanation. This time around, I wanted to work her in properly, culminating in this act. She's my vehicle for anything that doesn't quite seem 'right' to non-Japanese; outspoken, sarcastic, and quick to point out flaws instead of ignoring them.
> 
> The connection between Mercury and Mars was never fully explained, though I envisioned it as a sort of common soldiers' link. A sort of psychic wireless, I guess, where they're so close to one another they can use their powers to reach out to one another. I guess you can also argue Neptune and Uranus do it all the time.
> 
> Made up Ami's father. I just found the idea of a chess tournament to be utterly dull.


	16. Act 16 : black•moon•petz - Sailorjupiter

##### 

It was an unassuming building, in the Juuban district. Part of a complex that included a Kentucky Fried Chicken, complete with a statue of the Colonel outside the door, and an English novelty store, its front windows painted with a badly traced Union Jack, the third occupant took up the middle space with no adornment. Merely a window stencil marked its trade as a self-defense class.

At the moment, however, a sandwich board sat outside with badly drawn, cheery faces surrounded by swords, offering free lessons for life. The only catch was that the person had to be fresh off the street, untrained, and able to hold their own against the owner - and teacher - for five minutes.

There were a lot of unhappy people inside at the moment.

Nearly twenty had tried their luck so far, none of them lasting longer than a minute. Most of them were high school boys, a few older, fresh out of college. One older man who claimed later to be a black belt was thrown down in fifty seconds. Nursing ego and tailbone alike, they all sulked as the owner dusted off his hands. "Last try. Anyone else want to go for it?"

The owner was not necessarily an imposing looking man. Standing he hit an inch below six feet, an impressive height in that particular country, with neatly trimmed brown hair and stern chocolate eyes. Well-built, he somehow managed to maintain an air of gentleness, though only when he apparently felt it was deserved; many of the female contestants had gained that puppy dog look, melting all of them where they stood.

And of course, it would explain why the one to raise their hand for one last attempt was a girl. "I'll be your opponent, Sommers-san."

There was no show of derision, nor a flex of muscle or ego. The owner simply nodded and motioned for the girl to join him, and she trotted onto the mat with bare feet as she rolled up the sleeves of her school uniform. Untying her hair from its neat ponytail, she twisted it up into a quick bun and tied it again, tight.

Facing one another, it was a beaten opponent who made the quick gesture for them to begin.

The class had built a reputation on its strange brand of non-traditional form, its teacher simply training his class on how to defend themselves. It was not karate. It was not tae kwon do. He didn't even have a name for it, and that was how most of his students preferred it, as they quite often excelled over rigidly trained experts from other schools. They didn't hash the 'correct' way; they simply did it and did it well.

But this time, against this last opponent, it wasn't working as well as it should have. A reasonably tall girl for her gender, she blocked and returned his hits, receiving as few blows as he. She fought on pure instinct, ducking below many of his swings before he had even brought them around, twisting away despite the length of a cumbersome skirt. Minutes passed by, and soon, they were hardly aware of anything in the room but each other.

"_M-m-masaka_," one of the beaten opponents stammered. "A girl! She's beating him!"

"That's impossible, it has to be a trick!"

She landed a blow that snapped his head to the side, staggering him back. But he returned with a fury she couldn't block, driving her to the edge of the ring as she fruitlessly tried to defend herself, her arms risen and crossed over her face. It gave him the opening to take her down, pinning her tightly - though gently - to the mat as a stopwatch was loudly clicked. "Five minutes, fifty seconds….. _shimatta_."

"But it isn't over yet," she muttered beneath the teacher, feeling him tense. Gathering her strength, she heaved herself back against him, cracking her skull against his forehead and shoving him onto his ass. Collectively, the room gasped as he flailed in shock, blinking stupidly at the girl as she stood up. "_Gomen ne_, but I can't be defeated."

"Obviously not," he grunted, rubbing his forehead. "I offered this contest to those without training; you have to tell me what school you come from."

"None." She unrolled her sleeves slowly, smoothing out the wrinkles as she eyed him curiously. "But I want to be taught. I have to be stronger, better. At my current level, I'm unworthy."

The excitement over, most of the small crowd had begun to disperse, ignoring the conversation to grab suitcases and lunchboxes and exit the building. A few glared at the girl who had succeeded where they had failed; many rubbed the lumps they had gained. Nodding to some, as politeness demanded, the teacher said, "That's rather strange to say. What are you unworthy for, a future in American wrestling?"

He turned to look at her, watching as she undid the tight coil of her hair. "But you did defeat me. I'm an honest man; and I'll formally train you, starting tomorrow, if that's really what you want."

The sudden smile she had for him was blinding, and she let her hair fall free to grab his hands, bowing happily. "_Arigatou_! I promise, I'll do my best!"

"You're welcome! Shit, no one's ever been so happy to be my student before." He disengaged his hands, rubbing his forehead again gingerly as he stood up. "And what name should I put in my books?"

Tying up her ponytail, she said, "Kino Makoto." And she smiled.

  
There was never much to eat on Nemesis.

From afar, the plain castle looked like a nasty pimple on an already dead planet, its three buildings pointing up into a dark sky that never saw the sun. Around its edges grew sparse plants, little supplement to the meager meals that the castle's inhabitants could digest; the native population had long since adapted, in typical criminal fashion. The majority of food was grown in controlled rooms on a lower level of one of the smaller buildings, all fruits and tubers, with no meat to their diet. The rumblings of an empty stomach were common music in the hallways.

Petz despised this life.

Even now her stomach was cramping from a 'light' breakfast of roots and an apple, all cultivated from stolen seeds from their former life. If she let her mind drift, she could recall the gluttony of a full belly, the comfortable knowledge of never going hungry. But that had been another lifetime, when she had reveled in the blasphemy of a silver queen.

Now, she carried herself proudly as one of the _ayakashi no yon shimai,_ and when pressed, would declare herself to be first child, the eldest daughter of the four. Despite their flaws, their eventual defeat at the hands of the eternal sailor soldiers, she was strong.

And though Demand didn't know it, pledged to the phantom.

Her loyalty, and that of her sisters', had barely begun to blossom to the cause of the headstrong 'prince' when another opportunity had made itself known. Until now, they had simply playacted, pretending to be the most worthy subjects whilst systematically killing the rest of their group of traitors until only they and the four of the 'court' survived. And though they had chosen to follow the true cause of the phantom, secretly gloating in their future superiority, Koan and Berthier had volunteered for the mission to capture the rabbit and secure the 21st century.

In the air floated the comatose bodies of the captured sailor soldiers, the limp body of Mercury still dripping sporadically onto the floor. Mars was in terrible shape, having not had the luxury of a bath for too long; the odor in the room was not ripe, but it was noticeable. To see two of the legendary soldiers in such a state was almost human.

Fingers curling into a fist, Petz felt the hatred coalesce in the form of thunder, a powerful disruption of sound and air. She screamed once, curtly, as she allowed the power to fly free from her hand, striking the two soldiers violently; even in their unconsciousness, they responded accordingly to flop and twist soundlessly in the air. It made her feel much better, so she did it again. And again.

After the fourth time, both were wind-burnt and bruised, dependent on their positions. Mercury, almost right in front of Petz, was bruised, an arm hanging slightly wrong in obvious dislocation, her uniform ripped and tattered in spots. Mars, her body shielded by that of her fellow soldier, was relatively spared.

It was then that the air was disturbed, and the smell became completely rank. The scent of death followed in the Wiseman's wake, and it was a subtle perfume to those who had pledged alliance to his true master. At the appearance of the robed seer, Petz lowered her head in respect. "Petz," he droned - though titles such as 'he' or 'she' were complete ineffective, and they most often fell back onto using the masculine title - as he wove the air between his hands, centering his powers on the crystal spinning slow. "Petz, tell me: do you desire revenge for your pretty sisters, _yonjo _Koan and _sanjo_ Berthier?"

"_Hai_, Wiseman-sama. The destruction of the eternal sailor soldiers. Demand-sama and his court cannot possibly handle this. As the oldest of the _ayakashi no yon shimai_, this is my duty." Looking up, she sneered with disgust at the floating, helpless forms of Mercury and Mars. "Though they defeated my lovely sisters, they are weak in the 21st century. Information is abundant in that soft era, and I will use it to infiltrate, subdue, and destroy. The rabbit will be the prize in the center of the maze," she said triumphantly, standing tall.

Wiseman seemed to stare at her critically, though it was merely the tip of his hood that gave it away. Elegant in green, Petz had a subtle fashion in comparison to her youngest sister, at least for garish design. Her green hair was styled up into a timeless bouffant, accented with the same black crystal earrings and black crescent sigil. What looked to be a half-breed of a pair of wings and a boa rose behind her bare shoulders, framing them with dark green; a shade darker than the miniskirt dress, long gloves, stockings and high heels. The only variations of colour were the curls of gold that accented her breasts like two pairs of vague eyes.

Nodding his head in slow agreement, the floating seer lifted an aurora-like hand, lengthening fingers pointing towards the sparkling crystal hanging heavy off her ear. "Remember, Petz; you carry the power of death, a piece of the _Jakokusuishou_. Do not act hastily, as your sisters had done. Use the power of death on the eternal soldiers. Grant them eternity in the darkness, and gain the impure _Ginzuishou_ for destruction at my hand."

Her bow was this time graced with a bitter smile, soft pink lips, utterly kissable, twisted into shape. "_Hai_, Wiseman-sama."

Their conversation obviously at an end, the robed sage floated away on his own current of air, ignoring the two limp bodies in his path as one would the seaweed. "I will notify Prince Demand of your plans, Petz. For the phantom."

"For the phantom." Touching the crystal that hung from her ear, she summoned the connection to the main crystal. For such a powerful device, ripping open holes in time and space was easy, and it gave them the ability to ignore the true time door - though at a rather terrible cost. Blundering through time and space as they did, they were wreaking havoc on those particular planes, a fact Wiseman had pointedly 'forgot' to mention.

But Petz knew, and she reveled in the knowledge of such wanton destruction. All of it had purpose. She took exquisite pleasure in ripping open that hole, feeling the very molecules of her body withdraw back through time. "Wiseman, tell my sister I will see her soon; I will be victorious!" she crowed, though it was possible he couldn't hear. Ah, the joy of knowing you had the power to change history was heady indeed.

Demand would never know that feeling. Petz had nothing but true disgust for the silver prince, so ignorant of his true cause. None of his fellow traitors had known the truth of the phantom, and the Wiseman merely laughed the first and only time she had asked why. Did one tell the cow that it was only to be slaughtered for food? The prince and his followers believed what they were told, and they would die with perhaps the smallest glimpse of the phantom if they were truly lucky. Petz and her sisters would ascend; they would have been the phantom's loyal subjects.

The crystal drew her back to a similar power, depositing her on a gentle sloping hill of green, healthy grass. So beautiful and thick, she was momentarily stunned when her heels sunk into the dirt, the tall plants brushing her thighs. And the sun, so brilliantly bright; it hurt her eyes, making her flinch.

"Petz! Have you come to continue the mission your sisters failed?" The shush and hiss of grass against fabric was all she heard of Rubeus' approach behind her, up the side of the hill. His body pressed so closely she had no choice but to open her eyes to the painful sunlight to turn away, shoving him far from her. Infuriating as always, all he did was laugh as she noticed the silver, sleek ship in the small valley he had climbed out of. "Ara ara, not happy to see me?"

"You surprised me." It was a truthful statement, though the acid behind it spoke of a larger hatred. And she, unlike her sisters, especially did not like the red-haired man. "The Wiseman is telling Prince Demand now of my intention; you can ask him." She shook off the hand that touched her, sneering. "Do you need more?"

Easy to anger, the red-haired man sneered back. "An operation I can report to our prince. You know he wishes to plot every step of our victory."

"Code : 003. Operation : Renew. I will secure the city for our plans, capture the rabbit and another soldier if necessary. Is that sufficient?"

He seemed to take pleasure in her lack of coping with the sunlight, finally forced again to shield her eyes. His head tilted back to stare into the clear sky as he said, "Yare yare, Petz; such bright light is unknown on Nemesis. It must be terrible for you, unable to handle it so suddenly."

The slap of gloved fingers across his cheek rang in the valley. Furious, Petz once more ripped open a portal, directing herself without thinking into Tokyo proper. Trembling with anger, she didn't realize where she had put herself until she smelled something exquisite.

As the eldest sister, Petz had known the concrete jungle of the 21st century, if only as a mere baby. Not quite old enough to walk, she had been spared the ravages of time alongside of her family, awakened by the silver queen as one of the first families for the sole purpose of attempting to grow food. Her sisters had known only the glittering crystal expanse of their solitary city, and then, the dark, sunless world of Nemesis. But she remembered.

The smell was oily, a yakitori stand behind her. It stood in the district where fresh seafood was brought each morning, and at this time, it was doing a moderately brisk business, hiding her sudden entrance. But the man at the food stand noticed her now, her green clothing inappropriate for such a market. "_Moshi moshi_?"

In here, blocked by buildings and clouds, the sun was dim. Gratefully she opened her eyes wide to see the smelly man, clothed in his stained apron and standing over his portable grill. Skewers of just-grilled vegetables and chicken rested on a small cardboard container, ready to buy and eat. Though the smell was normal for any citizen of Tokyo to smell, and possibly a bit thick thanks to his obvious heavy-handed technique - the chicken and veggies had more black scores on them than was usually acceptable - it was heaven to her senses. "That's....that's..." She groped for the words, despite the inelegant lettering on the side of the cart. "Yakitori! I remember it."

Without asking, she took two of the skewers, her stomach roiling at the oily scent and flavour as she tore and chew the food off the wood. The man gaped at her as she devoured the snack, a blissful look on her face, lips smeared with glistening oil. She took two more again, gulping and chomping them down in much the same manner. "It's been so long..."

Her gut didn't much appreciate the sudden introduction of meat and oil, something it had been without for a long time. Without warning she felt ill, though she barely reacted; it was hardly an alien sensation anymore. But it was eclipsed by the man's growing anger, his harsh words of, "Are you going to pay for that!? I am not charity!"

Pay. The archaic concept of money was just that to her; archaic, decrepit, useless. The silver queen had not yet needed such a thing as monetary compensation, as there were still people to be awoken, even after the centuries had passed. Concepts of paying for food or clothing were useless when an entire civilization was still pulling itself out of cataclysm and adjusting to long life.

And he was still shouting, creating a scene. With casual gestures she stabbed two of the skewers into his eyes, disregarding his change from screams to whimpering keening. She bent over him as he fell, touching her earring to summon a lackluster droid - the one wholly useful contribution to the cause Demand's loyalists had created. "Program: Mimic. Assume his body, subjugate the market." It was always useful to capture even the smallest group of complete incompetents.

Like a vacuum, the droid swallowed the poor man's body into itself, eliminating the need for burning the corpse. Features began to appear, the droid's figure becoming rotund and squat, clothes bleeding out of its limbs. As she stood up straight, the droid full took on the man's identity, brandishing a set of skewers.

It continued to amaze her, the speed with which humans forgot, ignored, or deliberately put it from their minds these trauma. The market around them continued to buzz, many of the witnesses turning away from the scene of the murder, holding up their fish or lobster even higher to capture attention. And as the droid began to cook up some more skewers of chicken and vegetables, though with slightly slower, lethargic movements, a few customers showed up.

Leaving the droid behind, Petz began to walk.

Walking was not as useless to her as to Demand and his aloof loyalists. She had rather enjoyed it during the years beneath the silver queen, and though Nemesis didn't allow for any real nature walks, she had long ago mapped out the entirety of the castle's interior. So she did it now, taking the opportunity a block away to finally clothe herself in what she observed to be 'normal' 21st century clothes; a light green jacket, black top and jeans, and her boots. A vendor 'graciously' added some sunglasses to the ensemble.

And though the memories of the time were minimal, it was the flower shop that finally had her stopping to gaze in wonder.

Roses crowded the windows, of different shades of red. The scents that filtered through the opening door was amazing, and she took the opportunity to slip inside to stare in awe at the fat, velvety petals. Of course there were other types of flowers and scents, but it was the rose that had Petz reaching out to stroke their buds. "Lovely....but they're all red, passionate colours. Living..."

"Would you like to purchase some flowers?" A lady stood next to Petz, leaning in to show her interest in making a sale. "If you like, we have several different colours of roses. White, yellow, blue; black, perhaps, if it is for mourning."

"Black roses....the colour of death," Petz murmured.

"_Hai_, but also of rejuvenation. Many do not understand it as a gift, for it can signify change, or a promise of new information," the woman chirped.

Fingers stroked the petals, and Petz smiled as they turned black beneath her hand. "Perfect."

  
It was raining, as it always nearly was these days on patrol, and the soaked soldier was sick to death of it. The inconsistent splatters were what annoyed her the most, though, if prodded, she would have added some passionately stumbled statement about the sheer nastiness of needling, sharp rain and its close cousin sleet.

Needless to say, she shouldn't have been out at all.

But here she was, good ol' Sailor V, huddled beneath a brilliant rainbow umbrella that bore several dancing hamsters, all of them a damn sight happier than she was presently. It did nothing to keep the rain away, but she doggedly held on to it out of sheer stubbornness as she peered out over the slicked, shiny city. From her spot high up on one of the taller condominium buildings, she could almost see her house but no suspicious activity.

In the preceding hours she had already bagged and tagged three crooks, ranging from an American serviceman who had apparently decided that having a gun and a pair of fatigues allowed him to attack any young girl he met, to a weasel of a Chinese opium dealer trying to carve out his own little niche in the Ginza. All of them had met similar fates; bound up, gagged tight, and dumped unceremoniously on the steps of the police station, each one stabbed through the shirt with a pin of her likeness. (Who knew merchandise bearing her face without her consent would actually be useful?) Despite the mild thrill it gave her - and that never changed - she felt just as listless as she had upon leaving the house.

For a year roundabout, she had known her purpose and function: fight the Dark Kingdom. Payback for her untimely death, for her queen's sacrifice, for her planet's genocide. She had known the faces of her enemies, and she had known their ambition.

But they defeated them, and still they hadn't been given peace.

The Black Moon was an enemy she didn't know, couldn't understand, and had no clue how to fight. She had been awakened with the motive of revenge, and with that taken care of, she was without direction; and it showed. Three nights now she had escaped her erstwhile feline companion and the guise of Venus. Even without her original pen she knew how to bring on the persona of V, and she used it as her own personal shield to continue fighting. To do something worthwhile again, that she knew how to do.

Artemis was furious with her. "Mina, you don't need to become Sailor V anymore! Going out alone when the others could need you at a moment's notice, do you want to be caught off-guard by yourself by the enemy?"

"It doesn't matter, Artemis! There's nothing we can do, and why shouldn't I try and draw them out!" Lies, lies. Oh, she didn't like to lie to him, really.

Nothing seemed right anymore. For the soldier of Venus who recalled a lifetime of service in the royal guard, always protecting her princess or fighting an insignificant war, this middling about was complete hell. But for Aino Minako, who was at heart the dreamer, bubbly and carefree, this need to do something so dangerously useful was also hell. She wasn't a cold-blooded fighter; but Venus was. And lately, the rift seemed to keep widening.

So she kept it at bay by plunging headlong into the safe zone of Sailor V, who was expected to be ditzy yet strong, silly but mindful; a blend of both of her, specifically for her. And it kept her from thinking, which she was doing far too much of lately.

The rain was letting up finally, leaving a cold chill in its wake. She shivered; through her uniform and transformation gave her a lot more protection that normal clothes would, the cold still sliced to her bone cleanly, if without its vehemence. Dropping the umbrella she briskly rubbed her bare arms, watching the buildings below her to see a light turn on in a window. The glass had been replaced recently, and she knew because she recognized the chunky master thief who stood silhouetted behind the desk.

And as thoughts would go, she remembered saving Moriya that night; and, trailing further, she realized, dully, and for the fifth time that month, that she was Alex. Not that she had been very kind to her either, which was shameful. The _kami_ knew she had dealt with the same coldness and mistrust when she had revealed herself to the soldiers, feeling disbelief and pain as four girls whom she recalled so fondly from another lifetime turned away from her. Alex had been their mentor and closest friend, guiding them through their short lives with ease. How much could it hurt for her to be so violently closed off from them, and from Usagi especially, whom she had been friends with for over a decade as Chouno Moriyakumi?

Just another mark on Minako's embittered soul.

With a flick of her wrist she released her golden chain, trusting it as always to find its way to a point of support. When it tugged tight, she stepped off the edge and dropped, dizzyingly, towards the street below, feeling her stomach crawl its way up her throat and hide cowering behind her teeth. But it was an ecstatic feeling and she grinned as the wind howled past and the chain went slack then taunt again, whipping her across empty air and past buildings. Without missing a beat, she let go with one hand to repeat the magic, watching as the gold links formed seemingly out of thin air just above her palm and sped off into the night.

She continued in this fashion for several miles, seeing as always the human element in the city she really shouldn't have (her nation's sexual appetites were certainly voracious if a bit depraved and unusual), before she dropped, spinning, to land on the roof of a particular complex.

"Yare yare, it isn't often that pretty girls drop in on the roof of my home. Especially on a shitty night like this."

"_Nani_?!" The long-haired blonde spun around in shock, nearly slipping in one of the multitudes of puddles. She regained her balance after a minute of twisting around on her ankles, then, with a shriek of pure indignity, said, "Don't do that to me!"

The tall red-head was almost lost in the shadow of the alcove that held the door to the roof itself, sitting as she was on the very edge across from Minako. Dressed in what seemed to be her habitual black, only her bright hair and pale skin was truly visible, if dully; but her chuckling was obvious enough. "It's a bit cold to be prancing around as Sailor V, isn't it?"

"Yes, well, there was still crime to be stopped!" V replied a bit grumpily, skipping around the puddles to traverse the rooftop. "Sailor V waits for no weather."

"And why doesn't Sailor Venus take on the job?" Alex asked quietly as V came close. The long-haired blonde frowned at the question, opting for silence until she made it all the way to sit, balancing on the edge with an ease Minako couldn't accomplish.

"Because Sailor Venus doesn't have purpose in fighting crooks." She refused to look at her associate, instead staring out again - as she had been for several hours - out at the city. Even from so high up she could see and smile as a young man ran by, carrying an arm full of flowers. Black flowers....?

She turned away to catch sight of movement out of the corner of her eye; over her shoulder hovered Alex's hand, obviously unsure of her right to touch the long-haired blonde. "And why don't you have purpose? Sailor Venus is a leader, and a guardian of the princess, both of which are very relevant issues at the moment."

"And what good is that if our enemy can snatch us away so easily?" An easy twist brought V to her feet atop the edge, her eyes fierce through her mask. "The 'Black Moon'.....an enemy we don't know, who continues to taunt us! Now we're merely guessing as to their motives and their ways, when our sole purpose in awakening was to stop Metallia and that's been done!"

She held up a hand to silence Alex as she opened her mouth to speak, adding, "And what good is an avenged ghost without her reason to be?"

Eyes narrowed, the tall red-head quite visibly scoffed.

She reached out to snatch away the blue domino mask that hid Minako from the world, so quickly the long-haired blonde had no time to react, and flung it into space. "Your problem, Minako, is that you're too damn easily scared. And this is supposed to be the strong soldier? A child who retreats back behind a mask meant to have been training wheels in the first place?"

"And what can I do!" Minako cried back. "Ami-chan, Rei-chan, gone and captured, and I couldn't stop it-"

"You stupid, stupid girl, you can't save everyone!" Alex snapped.

The rain was falling again, and so it made it easier for Minako to pretend it was only the dirty water running down her cheeks instead of salty tears; but she turned away nonetheless, her breath hitching in her lungs. "I have to be strong; a good leader could do everything."

"Have all of you been reborn daft?" She heard the rustle of paper, and then, the strike of a match. "There's always tragedy in a war; you knew that once before. Only Serenity, in her exalted state of mind, thought she could save every single life and yet spare the world. Naïve is an easy way to explain her attitude towards the fight, but it doesn't work for you, Sailor Venus. I taught you better than that.

"Yes, there's a good chance that Mars and Mercury could be dead now, but life is not fair. And it's given you the chance to engage the enemy in battle, to slowly realize their weaknesses, and if that wins the war, that's what it takes. You realize you could possibly never see them again, and you accept it, but -" and here, she finally touched Minako on the arm, "you also never give up until you find them with your own eyes."

Minako wiped uselessly at her wet face, staring with blurry vision at Alex, who looked quite earnest at the moment. She could recall that same look ages ago, when she had been a younger soldier in the gardens of the Moon Kingdom, wielding a heavy sword far too big for her child's body to block the lighter swings of her teacher. In time, she would be able to use it properly, guarding herself against the harshest of blows; but not then.

And it had been like this as well, with the older woman always there when they needed advice. Her crushes, her failures, her secret longing to be this way or that, she had told all of it at some time or another to the tall red-head. She had been everything for the four soldiers, from teacher to mother to counselor, and they had done nothing but treat her terribly in this time.

Yet here she was, giving more advice again. Minako smiled weakly. "That's a bad habit, you know."

"I know, but I only do it every now and again." So saying, Alex flicked the cigarette off somewhere onto the next roof. "Giving advice, that is. Smoking too, but it's not nearly as dangerous as trying to tell a young teenager what she should be doing. Can get a person killed."

And just to be rude, the rain began to pour even harder on them both.

Yes, the city had indeed rebuilt even its most traumatized, inanimate victims.

A case in point was the Crown Game Center. Remodeled and built from the basement up, it stood gleaming but empty. But connected to the same building, a floor up and next door, saw the Crown Fruit Parlor, barely scathed by the tornado that had been born within the guts of the game center. Its mild damage patched over, it opened back up to the public with a new menu and a gusto for youth that bordered on the obscene.

Glitzy, airy, and bordered by dozens of windows to allow in the bright sunlight, the corner booth was perfect to watch the people passing on the street below. And it was here that the moon princess sat, comfortable in the crook of her prince's arm, her own hands pressed childishly against the glass as she did indeed watch the passing pedestrians. Across from her, Minako did the same, though her excitement was noticeably duller. She'd had her first day of school after its final bricks were back in place, and it had just gone downhill from there.

Makoto was buzzing with joy herself. "And so I won the competition! I had to do this, to better myself as a sailor soldier."

"So where is this school, Mako-chan?" Alex had chosen a single chair to sit in at the head of the table, straddling the heart-shaped backrest. Though she wore a white button-down for variation, the rest of her was in her usual black, gaining her a lot of stares from the uniformed school crowd.

"In Juuban, of course. After school, it's right between home and there, and I can train to perfect myself without losing time." Sullenly, then, she added, "I can't allow any more of us to be taken. Mars, Mercury…this is what they would do."

Hidden between the potted plants that lined the tops of the booths, Luna and Artemis draped their front paws comfortable off the sides above Minako's head. "You can't blame yourself, Mako-chan," Luna said. "The Black Moon are  
powerful; in the newspaper they've been appearing rapidly, their UFO creating those 'crop circles.'"

"And they're chasing Chibi-Usa," Alex interjected, slowly stirring her coffee. "I'm sure of it. They appear so suddenly as she did from the sky; from everything you've told me, there's no doubt that she's involved, but not for them. She's like a lost child."

"Did she tell you anything, LeBeau-san?" Artemis queried, licking at his paw. Though they had all accepted her with a bit of hesitant grace finally, all of them but Minako still insisted on using formality with her. It annoyed it, though all she did was twitch an eyebrow most times, opting to leave it be.

The sound of metal against ceramic was tinny but annoying; tapping the spoon against her cup is what slowly rounded each head around to stare at her, though Usagi wore a dull, muted expression. "No," Alex said at last, once she knew she had everyone's attention. "When she arrived at my apartment, she was crying, saying that she had to save her mommy; and that she could still smell them dying."

A disturbing thought indeed. Even the two felines seemed to turn mildly green beneath their fur, matching the plants.

"Poor kid," Makoto mumbled finally. "Even if she is an enemy, no one should have to see such a thing."

"Age makes no difference, Mako-chan," Minako said firmly. "Remember, even our queen was willing to have us die instead of our princess. A young innocent is even easier to fool people into trust."

The dark-haired prince frowned almost angrily, sitting up in his seat, nearly snapping as he replied back, "And is that your mature opinion, Venus? That everyone is evil before innocent? I saw the crystal palace in her memory, and it was a happy place."

Twilight blue eyes turned violently navy as the long-haired blonde stared in silence at Mamoru, a subtle change in posture and bearing coming over her. In another time, he would have been of such status as to make her kneel and beg forgiveness, but here, he was merely a man, and she was a soldier - not only a sacred guardian, but she who leads. And now was the time to truly accept her position. "Mamoru-san, don't forget who was a sacrifice, and who was merely a lovesick boy.

"You were a prince, and you looked down from your towers at the common people, but I walked amongst them, and I saw what could lurk in their eyes! It's a leader's duty to be suspicious, to think ahead of the enemy." A bitter smile lifted her lips as she added, "I'm sorry if doing my job offends you."

Only Minako saw the approving nod the tall red-head gave her. The rest of the group instead stared at her in disbelief, as if they couldn't absorb what she had just dared to say. Usagi in particular had a wide-eyed, shell shocked expression; even though Chibi-Usa was barely above green mold in her opinion, the actual though of her doing something so suddenly violent to them was horrifying. "Minako-chan," she whispered.

Closing her gaping mouth, Makoto shook her head sharply. "_Iie_, Minako-chan, she couldn't be so evil. How can you think so terribly!"

"Because she's a leader, and that's what a leader does." Clinking her spoon again against the sides of her mug, Alex adeptly ignored the stare she received from the disbelieving brunette and drank the last big of her coffee.

The doors of the parlor opened with a pleasant chiming of bells when each person arrived and forced it to slide open. They made sure to be heard across the entire room, though this time, the bells were coupled with a male cry of "Suzuran-chan!" which had every head turning to see a young blond boy, carrying a few roses.

Though they were, unusually, completely black.

Happy with his burden, he seemed to dance over to a wan girl in the corner with short brown hair, her uniform from a school across the ward. He presented the flowers to her, which she took after kissing him on the cheek. "Young love," Makoto sighed, forgetting the argument for the moment. "If only...."

"That's the second time I've seen someone carrying black roses." Minako recalled the night before, seeing the man down on the street carrying a large bouquet, though she had thought her eyes had been playing tricks with her then. Now, she was positive. "Isn't that a sign of death?"

"Not always, though it's normal for them to be associated with dying," Mamoru answered thoughtfully. "Sometimes they're used as a sign of change, rebirth."

Usagi, as always a voyeur of people's happiness, clambered up onto her knees to watch the couple laughing at their table. Folding her arms atop the booth's wall, she sighed as well. "Isn't it wonderful to see, minna? They're so happy together."

"They might not be happy much longer if the Black Moon wins," Luna commented dryly, rasping her tongue across the pad of her paw when Usagi gave her a petulant look. As she sighed and slid back into her seat and against her prince, the black feline added, "and what could they want? Striking at random as they are-"

"_Iie_, Luna, don't you see? They've been striking at us, there's no other possibility!" Minako whispered.

The dark-haired prince nodded to her words as her two fellow soldiers blinked, looking confused. Above her head she could hear Luna utter a quiet curse, smacking her head with her paw. "Of course," Mamoru finally said. "Why else would they have been at those places, at times when their fathers would be present? It's a logical impossibility that twice it could happen."

"And hell, who even knows that Ami's father is the famous painter? Rei doesn't even speak of her father. How could an enemy unknown to us have information so private?" Alex mused. "Somehow, they knew that Sailor Mercury is Mizuno Ami, that Sailor Mars is Hino Rei. And if that's the case…"

"Then they would know who we are as well," Makoto murmured.

The tall brunette and long-haired blonde stared across the table at one another. Slowly they then looked at their huddled princess, who had taken up a death grip on Mamoru's left arm and didn't look ready to let go anytime soon. Minako groaned. "Ne, then one of us would be next."

"Well, I'll be ready!" Makoto pounded her fist onto the table so hard the silverware struck up a rousing dissonance, casting more than a few annoyed looks in their direction. "Sailor Jupiter won't be caught unaware anymore. For Rei-chan and Ami-chan, I have to succeed!"

She grabbed up her attaché case, her own words rousing her to dance out of the booth. Obviously, the meeting was at an end. But though Makoto was ready to run off, she was stopped by a fist clutching the long pleats of her skirt, a motion sudden enough that she pitched backward onto the dark-haired prince's lap. Usagi, whose fist had pulled her, launched herself as well into his lap to hug her friend tight, squealing, "Mako-chan, don't be captured! I don't want any of you to disappear on me again, never, never!"

It was quite the heartwarming, if humorous, scene, as Mamoru began to turn red with lack of air and about around 200 pounds of pressure on his legs. Finally, however, the _odango_-haired blonde released Makoto, and she slid away with a stammered apology to the wheezing prince, making good on her escape from the parlor with an embarrassed laugh and a wave.

Though she wanted to begin her lessons at the dojo (which had much to do with the fact that her new teacher was incomparably handsome), she knew her homework wouldn't wait, hence her quick exit from her friends who, she knew, would have homework as well. She stared mournfully up at the glass, catching the motion of Minako's arm as she waved again; she returned it before losing herself in the throng of pedestrians.

That, and she wanted to forget what the long-haired blonde had said.

Sighing, she swung her case limply at her side as she walked, barely watching the crowd as she usually did, hoping for a glimpse of a single, cute boy her age. But she still noticed the flashes of black that passed her by; people holding single roses, arms full of them, and all of them the same pitch black the boy at the parlor had. "Is everyone in the midst of some major change?" she murmured.

After a while, her curiousity got the better of her, and she finally dared to stop one of the people to ask them where they had bought the rose. The name of the store was unknown to her, which was strange; she had, by sheer tenacity, sought out every single shop in the city that sold plants and flowers. But the Ayakashi Flower Garden was either newly-opened, or recently changed over.

It took a mere bus ride to get there from her apartment, though she caught it several streets away. (And stopped several times at the various knickknack and grocery stores they passed by, but who counted that?) And when she did get there, it was a strange experience; almost every single person in front of the store had a rose. Not red, not yellow, not even pink, but black.

Arms laden with bags, the tall brunette stepped off the bus to find herself within a cloud of near-dizzy fragrance. She gasped in appreciation, breathing in deeply of the rich scent, her eyelids fluttering. This was a scent she had never smelled before, and it smelled heavenly, like a memory of her mother's perfume that was never exactly the same as the reality. And it looked as if the store carried nothing but the roses, and why not, if they smelled so good?

She managed to maneuver her way inside, moaning as the scent closed in on her like a wonderful blanket. The vases on the wall, in the window, the wreathes and arrangements, were all black and perfectly in bloom or in tight, elegant buds. Touching one felt like living velvet beneath her fingers; it even seemed to move. She plucked one bloom and one bud, and took them to the front counter - or at least, where the counter seemed to be, hidden by the immense crowd. There was no real line, so she simply waited.

The woman at the counter gave her a smile that seemed to say, "I want to eat you."

But she said, "And are you ready to purchase?"

"Ah....._hai_," Makoto said at length finally, holding out her two roses. "Everything is so beautiful, I decided to be simple and buy one of each."

That same smile on her face, the woman wrapped the flowers in tissue paper the colour of emeralds, selecting it at seemingly random from an array of different shades, and tied it with a pink ribbon. Tapping at her register, she held out a manicured hand for Makoto's wrinkled yen notes, saying, "You look like a strong-willed girl. I hope your boyfriend enjoys your gift."

The tall brunette's face twisted as she took her change and her flowers. "I.....I don't have a boyfriend. I was buying them for myself....as a celebration of change. That's what black can mean, ne? Rebirth."

"Of course," the lady purred, watching as she backed away. She smoothed a hand over her hair, green as the paper in Makoto's arms, tucking back an errant strand as she called, "Next!"

Makoto exited the store as Petz let her fingers touch the crystal of her earring, heavy and smooth, and smiled with knowing anticipation. "And death always comes before rebirth, pretty little sailor soldier."

In the night, they grew.

Twisting, tangled vines, like a maze against the victorious prince, crept and twined around their victims. People awoke screaming, only to be cut suddenly short as the thick greenery encased their bodies in a cocoon, feeding on their energy to release a noxious cloud of their own; anger, treachery, jealousy. Phantom-like it slowly spread.

Many of these unfortunates were sleeping, but many more still had been conscious when the first tendril wrapped around their ankles. They heard the crack of clay as vases broke from their burden, and then, silence; rooms were filling rapidly with the growth of new blooms, their scent now like rotten fruit and flesh.

Alone in her apartment, Makoto straddled the line between both worlds of consciousness and sleep, sitting at her small kitchen table with a book of English proverbs and a half-written report next to it. Several times she had nodded off, only to catch herself suddenly just above the pages of her book; her neck was killing her, and the tea she kept chugging down wasn't helping. Tapping her pen, chewing it, and even turning on the radio did nothing. Drool had already darkened a spot in the middle of the page.

"Why does English have to be so hard!" she cried finally, smacking her pen down in aggravation. "Nothing makes sense!"

She picked up her mug, slouching to the kettle to refill it and slug half of it down. The heat gave her a little perk, but that was about it. Muttering about the hopeful downfall of Western civilization and all of its linguistic oddities, she trudged around the kitchen listlessly, trying to inspire her brain to wake back up. It wasn't much exercise, however, seeing as the room was barely two and a half mat size, and she could have lain down and touched it with head and feet with ease. Hell, her shoulders even. But she kept doggedly circling, slurping down another mouthful of tea.

Halfway through her tenth turn, she paused as a thought finally evolved from the muck in her brain; Alex was foreign. Alex was American. All Americans knew English. Therefore, Alex knew English, and she could help her with her assignment!

Terribly quick thinker she was, all right.

The fridge, spotted with bits of paper and the cute cartoon magnets she used to hold them up, was ravaged violently as she ripped each piece off in search of the notebook scrap she had written Alex's number on hastily during their first meeting. She went through each piece twice before realizing she had put it next to the phone itself, thinking it was an obvious place where she could find it easier, which, in retrospect, had been a smart idea. Unfortunately, it didn't work in practice, never did, and she should've known that by now.

"....if this isn't Antonio Banderas, I don't care," Alex said by way of answering.

"Eheh, _konban wa-a_, Alex-san!"

"Makoto?" The tall red-head stared at her phone as if it were an alien being. "You're calling me at far too late in the evening for safety."

Makoto rubbed the back of her abused neck as she paced in a circle, laughing nervously. "_Hai hai_, but I was....wondering....."

"Ye-es?"

".....if you could, ahh.....help me with something?"

"My heart is elated with the prospect," came the dry response.

Seeing as Makoto had realized early on that Alex had something of a strange sense of humour (she was, after all, American, and they couldn't be very sane if their famous actors were representative of their behavior as a whole), she blithely went past it and said, "I have to write an English paper."

On the other end of the line was a moment of silence. Then, "And here I thought you were going to ask me to help you with a German treatise on Fascism."

"Ne, ne, can you help me?" Makoto cooed as she reached down to scratch her ankle, which had begun to itch suddenly.

Alex heard her scream and then, a sudden screech of feedback as the mouthpiece of the phone hit the wall. "Makoto? MAKOTO! Shit!" The tall brunette was yelling, but the phone had apparently fallen down onto the carpet; the sound was muffled and faint. Hanging her own phone up, she began dialing Usagi's number quickly.

In Makoto's apartment, she was rapidly running out of room. The roses, which she put in water in her living room atop her tiny television, had burst free of the vase finally, several tendrils wrapped around her ankle. She smashed her mug against the wall violently, screaming angrily as she used the handle - now bearing sharp edges where it had been part of the rest of the cup - to slash away the vines, ignoring the cuts she inadvertently gave herself in the process. The plant seemed to howl in pain as she cut the last one, and she somersaulted backwards into her kitchen.

Her pen was saved from the table just as the poor piece of furniture was smashed to bits by an irate vine, her textbook as well. "_Shimatta_, how am I going to explain that!?" she lamented, ducking the same vine as it swung at her. "Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"

Through the magic, she could see the entire plant seem to quiver, cringing from the energy she released. When it was over she wasted no time as she swung her arm around and back, screaming, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

Half of the city must have seen the explosion.

In the living room, the windows blew outwards, sending glass and electricity out of the broken frames. Through the tiny kitchen window flew Jupiter, caught around the waist by a thick, thorned vine, which shook her madly as she hung several floors above the street. Obviously she had pissed it off.

She screamed as it flung her up, and she tumbled through the air to thankfully land on the roof, though hard enough that she felt something snap in her side. Along with the cuts from the window, which had been a tight fit, she was feeling lightheaded and sick. Her preparations had not in least given her fair compensation for a killer plant, though she instinctively lashed, out with her power again as the plant reared up.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted, and Jupiter watched as a hole burned neatly through a vine that had been ready to impale her. The long-haired blonde landed on the roof several feet away, followed by their princess and, surprisingly....

"Get up, Jupiter!" their guardian yelled, making a leap that would have made any Olympian sick with envy. As she came down, a broadsword appeared between her hands, and she sliced through five of the vines.

Venus ran to help, only to be smacked away; even the Crystal Guardian, despite her constant motion of hacking and cutting, was eventually thrown halfway across the roof. Sailor Moon's tiara spun through empty air, missing every target, too slow to not be anticipated ahead of time. As she reached out to catch it, a vine wrapped around her wrist, yanking her off her feet and into the air as she screamed, "_Itaaaai_!"

The tall brunette reared up, smashing through the vine with a snarl of "Supreme Thunder!" As her princess fell, caught by their erstwhile guardian, she saw them staring past and behind her; and so she turned to catch the pointy toe of a boot in her chin.

"Weak little soldiers!" Petz sneered, kicking Jupiter again in the shoulder. "And you managed to kill my sisters, my companions against your unholy alliances! I'll destroy all of you slowly, starting with the one who resonates with my spirit so weakly!"

"You talk too much," Jupiter whispered, grabbing Petz's ankle. She yanked hard, managing to throw the woman to the roof, through it left her back open for a painful slash from one of the more powerful vines.

She knew this was her fight.

Even now she could see the roses flailing at her allies, keeping them away; Petz sitting up, and blasting her backwards with a rush of wind. She landed on her ass but got up, rushing the green-haired woman to tackle her, fighting a woman who was not used to physical contact. They both went down, though Petz retaliated quickly to use her wind to again send Jupiter airborne.

"Jupiter, be careful! You promised me!" Sailor Moon cried.

"I did....I promised, Usagi-chan....I can't fail, I can't fail!" Jupiter whispered.

Petz touched her ear.

All the tall brunette saw was a sparkle of crystal in the air before there was a rush of wind like none before, capturing her in a sickening spin. Flung around so violently, she felt her shoulder wrench out of her socket, though the wind was thankfully loud enough to drown it out. Venus screamed her name and moved towards her, only to be nearly gutted by a thorn the size of her hand.

"Let Mako-chan go!" the _odango_-haired blonde screamed.

Calling her weapon to her hand, she ran towards Petz, ignoring the vines, their thorns, everything, intent on her enemy. In close quarters she whipped around to bring her scepter to aim, only to stop as a tendril grabbed hold. It nearly yanked it out of her hands, and succeeded in pulling her back as Petz laughed. "Yare yare....is the battle too difficult for your weak power? Truthfully, I didn't expect much-"

She was silenced by the touch of steel across her neck. "Your mistake. You should have expected even more," the Crystal Guardian whispered in her ear.

Petz made the mistake of trying to look back at her captor; but then, her eyes caught the light, beautiful as it was. She stared at the dazzling glow as she heard, "....Halation."

In the tall red-head's arms she was dust, motes of debris in the growing light above their heads. Even as the plant withered and died, and obviously along with the rest in the city, the light grew immense, blinding them all; Jupiter, so sick now she couldn't breathe, was enveloped in it before she blessedly slipped into darkness.

Rubeus never appeared; he had no need to. He was courier, no longer messenger, and as the UFO sped away to a silver sliver in the sky, he left behind a screaming princess and what remained of her once-proud court on the rooftop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character introduced in this chapter, Conrad Sommers, is someone an old friend of mine created. When I first got into Sailormoon, I met him on AOL and he introduced me to FFRP (yes, I'm showing my age), and he also showed me his own Sailormoon fic. The fact he wrote it inspired me to try, and even though I was absolutely shitty at it, I worked on getting better.
> 
> Have I done so? Well, at least now I know what a paragraph is.
> 
> At any rate, he's long given up on fanfiction (I believe he's a cop in Vegas now), so I'm using Con. Little things are not exactly the same, but no one knows but me.
> 
> Alex's speech patterns change on purpose.


	17. Act 17 : black•moon•calaveras - Sailorvenus

##### 

They stood in knee-deep muck, surrounded by what was left of the violent rosebush. Still momentarily blinded by the bright light that had only just abated, they rubbed their eyes fiercely to not only regain vision, but to try and clean away the dust that was creeping beneath their lids. "Whatever this thing was, it seemed very keen on eating us," the blonde remarked sourly as she shuffled a toe in a particularly deep pile of dust.

A few rose petals, dried and crispy and the colour of aged blood, still lay scattered at random around them. Picking a few up, the other soldier sifted them through her hands, crumbling them between her gloved palms as she frowned. "Unusual…and not the work we've come to expect. Perhaps the enemy has taken a new approach?"

"We waited too long." The blonde retrieved one of her gloves from where it had fallen, ripped off in the battle and lying forlorn on the ground. "The enemy has established itself too tightly in Tokyo….if only we could realize their true plan, we could prevent the final tragedy." She pulled the glove on as she spoke, only to realize, as she still felt cold air against her fingers, that it had been almost artfully ripped apart to expose each digit and most of her palm. Grunting, she doggedly adjusted it anyway.

Smiling, her ally took the dismembered glove and the hand it encased, kissing the open palm as she said, "Together, it's possible. Remember the mission, and the true happiness we protect, and it will happen." The blonde smiled, almost wickedly.

"You're always the optimistic one, Neptune."

"It gives you something to aspire towards. Ne?"

  
She could remember the storm so clearly.

Always had she loved to watch the lightning flash through the windows of the house as a baby, laughing at the boom and rumble that invariably followed. Her mother, by contrast, had been terrified at the sound, and often sought refuge in bed with a pillow and blankets over her head; her father, who was apathetic about such storms, often propped Makoto up on his knee to better watch the sizzling streaks of white.

The house had been company-owned, her father the head cook for a French restaurant in the Ginza that had survived – outrageous prices and all – for almost half a century. A gift for his excellent skills, the house was tasteful and more than enough room for a dirty-kneed Makoto to run rampant, bouncing on the furniture and the luxury of American feather beds. In a city so cramped, its land clutched greedily by those who could afford it, such housing was also a necessity for many families, but they had been particularly blessed with such a near-palatial three story, counting the roomy attic, and its neat front and back lawn.

But too often she found herself alone in its emptiness, cared for by one of her father's coworkers as he and her mother gallivanted off with the local church group to preach the wonders of Christianity. Weekends were often echoing the silence off her eardrums; by Sunday night they would be back, fierce in their convictions and ready to dress her for a midnight mass. She often lived in a mild state of terror for such a night, with its constant boredom and garbled sermons, preached in English for the mostly-American congregation; in deliberate defiance had she ignored any and all attempts to absorb the harsh language.

Sometimes they flew to other cities, even countries, to protest the treatment of their beliefs, or to lay eyes on a holy relic that further strengthened their righteousness. They once took her with them to watch the Pope baptize selected children during a particular holy mass – had it been Christmas? Maybe Easter; the smattering of holidays often ran into a blur in her memory – and her mother had begun crying. When her father told her she could have had a brother to play with had they not miscarried before her, that she was named for the boy they never had, it made a strange, bitter sense.

And it was this loss that allowed their separate families, neither stranger to the lax acceptance of the three main religions of the islands, to tolerate their children's strange insistence that a straggly-bearded white man's brutal death was in some way superior. After all, what was the crucifixion but another bloody ritual sacrifice to a god for salvation? Makoto's aunt, something of a liberal herself, would laugh whenever her sister brought the topic up. They were all the same, any religion, she would retort; bloody superstitions, violent and cruel.

But the catalyst had been at the funeral of an uncle, when her mother had denounced the tiny shrine holding his picture as a pagan's altar, her uncle a false idol of worship. The table itself she had pronounced fit for mere eating, nothing more, and she swept the framed photo away as if to cleanse the entire thing, to smash on the floor.

That had been when Makoto was five. And though her mother's family had witnessed the event and so turned them away, her father's family – of whom only a sister, two brothers, his mother, and an aunt remained – continued to receive them. But when they were all killed in a fire that started in the _minshuku_ they ran near Fuji, Makoto found herself very alone.

And so it would be a new cook from the restaurant who would keep her company, send her to school on Saturday morning. Waiters would have her dancing in the living room, trying to walk with correct posture as they did, carrying books in lieu of a tray. Setting the table properly with silverware and napkin and tablecloth; greeting guests with the precise amount of respect they required. She dreamed of being a woman of gentle presence, of following in the footsteps of a particular waitress who watched her quite often, with her pretty smiles and demure attitude and constant whiff of soft rose perfume. Often she tried on her mother's lovely clip-on rose earrings in imitation of her idol, flouncing about her bedroom.

It had been that woman who had watched the storm with her, a black, violent affair of the likes Makoto had never seen before; it rent open the sky with fury, shutting off the lights as it hit several towers. Rain fell in solid sheets, drowning several caught on the open bay in their small fishing boots, and even some hail dented cars before it was finished. Primal and vicious, Makoto had pressed her nose to the glass, breathing in as the electricity seared her soul, the light her eyes, feeling the very element itself as it was born in the clouds and spat from the sky. It spoke to her, as it always had something important to tell her, just like the wind through the trees, but that particular time had been unusual; as if the sky itself were in mourning.

The next day she had woken up thinking about how beautiful the day was, the ugliness of the storm having been wiped away. Knowing her parents would be home in a few hours she had dressed in her favourite rose pink jumper with its leafy embroidery and bounced down the stairs to find two policemen standing in her doorway. Crying as if the world had ended on the couch was her babysitter, who clung to her like a monkey as the youngest officer told her.

Her parents had gone to China to protest the Communist regime, a very dangerous and stupid thing for any Japanese citizen to do, something her father's employer had pleaded with them not to do. But they had gone, and, having to flee the police for causing a disturbance, had been too late to catch their early flight back to Tokyo. Instead, they had taken a later flight, flying directly into the storm that had grown around them; and the lightning took its full fury out on the commercial steel, slamming them into Asama Mountain.

How rarely lightning brought down such planes.

Against the wishes of their church, Makoto saw them again in a simple ceramic urn, almost unbelievably light to contain two bodies. Painted merely with the stylistic kanji for heaven, she had to hide when those same members came to the door, wanting if not demanding to at least bury them in the communal cemetery, one of a handful in the entire city.

She refused.

Even as the social worker took her away, a silent child of seven years, she had clutched the urn in her arms as tightly as she dared. The entire contents of the house had been liquidated, put into a fund for her to receive on her sixteenth birthday. Unused to the constant lack of distinction in the orphanage, the complete loss of love, she began to fight against her attackers when they came to torment her. Never one to truly raise her fists in anger, she found herself adept at wielding them, backed into the corners.

The lightning stopped talking to her for many years, though it was from her ignoring it more than anything, like an unused arm withering away from lack of use. She would touch the urn, remember the power that had taken them from her, and she refused to acknowledge it, feeling a masochistic pleasure in her hollow emptiness. Her life was now dedicated to surviving the indifferent world of the orphan, though she found herself almost totally unfit for social life when the last of her foster families thrust her into it.

But when she heard the lightning whisper to her, that lonely day in the cold, miserable rain, _kami-sama_…she had been whole again.

At the moment, though, she felt dead, buried, and rotted. Her lungs hurt when she took a deep breath; no, scratch that; it was more her ribs. Blood was crusted on her lip, and she felt its crumbly weight in several places, her skirt and bodice shredded from the window. Uncanny how she had such a knack for managing to lose even the meager uniform she was saddled with.

Yet she was awake after the darkness that had swallowed her up so surely on the roof, taking away the pain and nausea from her enforced spin and tussle. On her back, she opened her eyes to see what looked to be a neon rainbow above her head, though as insubstantial as a soap bubble; the slight sensation of pressure, like hundreds of crawling ants, was growing insistent on her skin. She lifted her hand slowly to see the arc and crackle of static electricity, each small spark coinciding with a tremble in the rainbow. An electric, imperfect, imposed stasis shield. It had to be; with its weakening, she felt the fog clearing in her mind, the enforced sleep wafting away.

She concentrated and smiled as the rainbow completely disappeared, allowing her to painfully sit up. The smile wavered at the sight of the room she was trapped in; an egg-shaped, smooth-walled room barely bigger than her living room, it was silvery and almost featureless except for what looked to be an opaque viewing window and possibly a control panel straight out of an American sci-fi movie. In front of it stood the arrogant, red-haired bastard she had seen twice before, his back thankfully turned towards her in a posture of obvious impatience. "I despise this mode of travel. Lugging this heap of wreck through time so slowly, I have to be the delivery man!"

Time? She shook her head; obviously, her hearing had been damaged as well. She slid from the raised platform, stumbling slightly down the single step to angrily stare at his head. Disoriented slightly still from pain, using her powers in an unknown environment was a risk she wouldn't take; her boot squeaked on the smooth floor as she threw herself forward, giving Rubeus barely the time to turn and gape in surprise before her fist was coming at his head.

"How…"

The connection of fist and jaw was satisfying, but weak in her estimation. He snapped back into the console, several flashes going off behind his hip. Without warning she was thrown forward as well, screaming, as the window went translucent, the ship stopped, and she felt herself ripped apart.

Travelling through time as a person by Wiseman's method was nearly spontaneous. They didn't feel the jarring shock of experiencing their past, present, and future in one instantaneous second, because they were in that void for barely enough time to register the pain and dislocation. But the ship Rubeus used required more protection, because the hole ripped open was a wide tunnel and travel with such a large object was slow. To keep from being torn apart in time, Rubeus had to basically float down the eddies of the time stream; and to avoid constantly experiencing his entire lifetime, the possibilities, and past, lost opportunities, the ship had to maintain a shield to contain one present only inside.

Obviously, she had just inadvertently turned it off.

Both of them screamed as they experienced every single second of every single life they ever had, would have, and could have had. Rubeus, who had gone through this once before after testing the ship, was a little more prepared for the assault, but Jupiter, already in shock from her injuries, screamed and screamed at the pain.

Her parents hugged her; it was her third birthday. She had received a doll from America, but could have gotten a bike, and had almost gotten a stuffed parrot.

She cried over the death of Rei, beaten and raped by an American GI who thought he could get away with it because of his status; she was eighteen.

The world was ice, and Metallia laughed at the corpse of the fallen princess.

Walking in the winter, she looked around Tokyo one last time, because she was leaving to move to Osaka, to try her life on her own, to leave behind the memories of her parents. She wondered what her fourteenth birthday would be like, an orphan alone in an empty apartment.

She was

…dead…

coldsnowicefreezing

"You can't go out, Serenity-sama, what if…"

Falling, not able to run fast enough

Loving her husband so much, and he was perfect for her

"They wouldn't dare attack us, they have no power!" "They already have, my queen."

"And could I ever love someone else? We understand each other!"

whatifwhatifwhatcouldwhatwouldwhatmightCOLDdarknesslovelovelovelove

absolutedevotionhatredloss

joy

sorrow

  
Everything.

At.

Once.

Pain blossomed behind her eyes, and she was thrown onto the floor as everything stabilized violently.

Rubeus loomed over her, furious, shrieking at her with words she couldn't understand, but she could interpret the kick he gave her well enough. It sent stabbing pains through her side as it further cracked her ribs, and she rolled over weakly to avoid his second punt. Reaching out to snag his boot, she yanked hard; but though he stumbled, he recovered sufficiently to hoist her up by her biceps. "You stupid, insolent soldier! Not only do you disobey the natural order of all things, you've got no brains!" he snarled, backhanding her.

Her jaw made a popping noise, but thankfully remained properly in socket. She sagged in his grip, blinking as the starbursts she usually saw during a fresh surge of pain became flowers, delicate with petals and leaves; that was most likely a bad sign. It also didn't matter as the next slap was the blow that sent her hurtling back into oblivion, just as she heard him say, "…sleep forever, soldier."

  
From the second story of the Tsukino house, Chibi-Usa watched out of the window as the beam of light disappeared. The rumbling of the ground had minor in comparison, an earthquake comparable to all of the others she had ever felt during the early years of thawing. But it was the light, and the energy she recognized, that had her attention.

She should have been in bed, because she had school – a strange, archaic concept to her that Ikuko-mama insisted she had to attend – and she had to wake up at an insane hour of the morning. But she remained in the window, holding Luna-P to her chest to feel its gentle rumble of what passed for its gears as she waited.

Beneath her shirt she felt the familiar lumps hanging there, warmed by her body heat; a lavender skeleton key of a decidedly female design, heart-shaped at its hook, and a crystal that was dull and lacking in sheen. Lifeless. It gave her a strange feeling of anxiety to remember that they hung around her neck, to recall the mission she had sent herself on.

"Mama…"

"But, Mamo-chan, I could have—"

"Usako, don't say it! You did the best you could, you're not a god!"

She sobbed, spinning away from him with this new onslaught of tears. Unused to such displays of emotion, still fresh at their relationship, Mamoru hesitated before finally rushing to hold her tightly, hugging her to his chest to hear his rapidly-beating heart.

Hours had passed since the traumatic events on Makoto's rooftop, after which the _odango_-haired blonde had tried using the power of her crystal to knock the UFO out of the sky. Not only had it exhausted her to the point of debilitation, it had been a display of nearly cosmic power that had knocked her allies onto their ass and out of their minds. The entire island had been shaken, a point-four earthquake bouncing Tokyo violently awake. No doubt the newspapers would be again running articles about the mysterious white light in the sky, this time coinciding with a shaking of the very earth.

Usagi had allowed her transformation to rescind and had rocked back and forth on her knees, holding the crystal in her hands. Obviously too traumatized to go home, the dark-haired prince took her home with him, taking the Crystal Guardian's word that she would deal with Usagi's parents. This would be the second time he would be taking her, in bad shape, to his apartment without her agreement; in the back of his head his gentleman's ideal was getting its ass kicked.

Seeing as he had, for once, put some thought into his arrival and taken his car to the building itself, he had been able to take her back with some amount of safety. But she had huddled into a tight ball in the passenger's seat all the same, shivering with an internal cold he knew had nothing to do with temperature, still holding the crystal naked between her palms. Her brooch had hung open on her bow until he finally, unable to stand it any longer, had reached over to gently click it shut.

Her blonde hair had a dusty coating, her skin smudged with dirt, so he had directed her to his bathroom to wash up, giving her a robe he had left over from Moriya's visits; wisely, he hadn't mentioned it, and she had not commented on it. After that he had just collapsed on the couch for a half-hour sloth session, not sure what to do when she came out. The logical part of his mind was trying to convince him that comforting her was the way to go, the broken gentleman's ideal was cautioning him on such possibly confusing advances, and that tiny midget that controlled his sex drive was all for a more physical handling of the situation.

"I hate it when I argue with myself," he finally grunted, forcing himself to get his lazy ass up and make some coffee.

Not that it mattered, as the first thing his princess had said, fresh out of the shower like a ripe peach and just modestly covered in the robe and her dripping hair, was, "I could have saved her. If I was stronger, I could have saved her!"

It just went down from there.

Hugging her now, he was soaking the front of his shirt beyond salvation. But he held on tight anyway, finger combing some of the tangles in her wet hair. She was finally calming down, he sensed it; she breathed a little easier, though she still looked up at him with blue doe eyes, like a lost little child just told that the world isn't entirely fair. "Mamo-chan, do you think Chibi-Usa is evil?"

"Maybe a little bit unforgiving, and possibly lost…." He frowned, remembering the palace he had seen; undoubtedly, she was doing the same. "But a child? I can't imagine it."

She pulled away from him to wander for the couch, leaving him behind to stare a bit guiltily. Had her legs ever been so long before? He blinked a few times, shaking his head; even if they had been lovers in a past life, even if they were dating now, age and experience were a rather big part of the picture. No doubt his scant flirtations and even more scant experimentation was a lifetime of experience over her.

Now anyone who knew him, even if not personally, would swear up and down that Chiba Mamoru was no lecherous pig. Sure, most of them would not have known of his nervous sessions in the massage parlors, or a clumsy attempt at seduction in the private room of a love hotel; but he was male, and he was weak. The few girls he had attempted to woo had been simultaneously attracted to him by his gentleman's manners and chivalrous attitude – a trait long endangered on the isle, where men still, by tradition and commercialization alone, dominated – and turned off by his distant nature.

Almost all of his flirtations had been with Americans, blonde and blue-eyed. The other had been half-German and half-Japanese, a blue-eyed, black-haired, willowy girl who slapped him for asking casually if she ever considered dyeing her hair. She'd taken it wrong; he had meant it as an aesthetic question, not racial. But he couldn't have explained to her the reason, when he himself did not know until almost a year later when his princess whispered plaintively in his dreams: "_Onega_i…._Ginzuishou_ desu…."

Now that same princess was sitting forlornly on his couch, legs folded naturally to her side. With one sleeve sliding slowly down her arm, exposing a perfectly smooth shoulder, he may as well have gone mad. And she was gazing at him strangely, crystal blue eyes deepening to a shade of indigo he had never seen before. "Usako, I don't care what Minako thinks she knows. For a child Chibi-Usa's age to be vicious towards us….other than her clumsy attempt at holding us up, she's done nothing."

"_Hai_, but why is she here, Mamo-chan? She fell on top of us, just before the Black Moon appeared in Tokyo. Everyone thinks I'm stupid, but I'm not; even I can add things up to see the obvious conclusion."

She was leaning forward with each sentence, her words dropping in tone and growing serious, if not angry. The dark-haired prince was tempted to flinch, glad he wasn't in the path of her obvious wrath towards her allies, and yet knowing he was slightly guilty of it as well. With her exalted position of the past, and her clumsy, crybaby demeanor of the present, it was easy to dismiss her as a figurehead, leaving the serious discussion to themselves. "I think you like her too much, Mamo-chan; you trust her because she's little and cute and lost."

Up went the shields; defensive mode, cap'n, who knows how long they'd hold up under the pressure. "And is that a crime? Of course I feel bad for her, she's a child from nowhere and obviously scared of something or someone! No one that young should deal with such an immense burden!"

"Even if she's the enemy?" The gleam in her eyes was crafty, though her expression was stony and nearly vacant. "And what if she turned against us, Mamo-chan, a powerful little witch with the mark of the Black Moon – could you stop her?" He did flinch now, grimacing from her harsh words, confused.

Slowly, however, he ventured, "Usako, you know my life is dedicated to you. If someone tried to harm you, I would be the first to raise my weapon in defense. Why are you accusing me of something I have yet to do?"

She slowly lowered her eyes, suddenly demure as she gathered a handful of her wet hair, twisting it in an unconscious gesture of nervousness. "I….I'm afraid, Mamo-chan. Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan…the Black Moon took them all, and now you're feeling sorry for a little girl we don't even know, and I just….I just…."

"Usako…" he murmured as she continued to babble, her hair bearing the brunt of it. He realized quite poignantly how thoughtless he had been; now, so soon after losing her friends to death, she was having them taken away from her again with no explanation, and he, her champion and prince, was in a subtle fashion, now including another female in his protective circle. She was jealous and scared.

Reaching out again, he tried to hug her, comfort her, but she surprised him by leaning up to kiss him instead. Not anticipating it, it landed somewhere on his chin, but she pulled his face down for a second attempt. Holding him in place, the second kiss lasted for a good minute, though he could feel her still trembling with another surge of tears; sure enough, she began crying again once they separated. "Mamo-chan, I don't want this anymore! Why can't we be left in peace finally? Who can these new enemies be that they arrived so suddenly and so soon and why did they come at all?"

Hiccuping, she wiped at her cheeks with the sleeve of her robe. "I don't want to be Sailor Moon; I thought it would be over once we had avenged Serenity-mama and all of us, but it's not happening!"

"Apparently no one anticipated a new enemy," Mamoru said, somewhat dryly. "Alex-san said she had planned to live her own life as well, her own person again. She assumed that because the Silver Millennium no longer existed to attract outside invaders, we would have no problems."

"She knows everything, doesn't she," Usagi whispered angrily, looking away.

The dark-haired prince stared at her for a long moment, frowning. Settling onto the couch next to her, he set his chin on his fist, elbow most ungentlemanly on the arm of the furniture. So slouched, he said, "I'm sure she doesn't. And you can't hold a grudge forever, Usako. She never did it to hurt you, or any of us; all she wanted was to keep you alive."

When she didn't respond, he added, "and don't forget that I was Moriya's friend longer than she was yours. But I understand. I accept it. And there's more of Moriya in Alex-san than you'll admit, Usako; all she was, was a younger version of Alex-san. You're mourning someone who lives and breathes still."

"_Iie_…I can't accept that," she murmured finally.

"You have to." He nudged her closer, closer, inclining her head to lean it against his shoulder. "Or the despair will swallow you; I speak from personal experience."

She made a small sound that he took to be agreement, snuggling into his side. "Mamo-chan…."

"_Hai_?"

"Tell me again."

"Again?"

"Mmmhmm."

Again, wisely, he decided not to comment, this time on her change in mood. Most likely, it was a blessing, and so he said, "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived on the moon, who loved her handsome prince….."

Bells.

Resonant and chiming, they mocked the _odango_-haired blonde as she tripped over the threshold, flinging herself through the school doors just in the nick of time. More than a few students stared at her, but most, recognizing her as one of the chronically late, continued on their way. One came forward with a hand to help her up; Iretsu, unfailingly polite as always. "_Hime-sama_," he said by way of greeting.

"_Oha-yo_, Chouko-kun," she half-groaned, half-warbled, in an attempt to be polite back. It still disturbed her to have him treat her like she should have been carried on a litter to her classes, clad in silks and satins. Her old jovial attitude towards him had been strangled to death; but he accepted her partial politeness all the same.

Pulling her up despite his short stature, he held her dropped book bag as she struggled out of her Mary Janes and slipped on school shoes, hopping on one leg and then the other. He had his perpetual half-smile the entire time; patient and accepting, he held the bag out to her once she was finished. "May I escort you to class?"

"Chouko-kun, I can manage to walk to class without a problem!" she said, exasperated.

"But it's not proper."

"Cho-u-ko-kuuun!"

Still that smile remained, and so she just heaved a sigh. "I wish I had never become a princess," she grumbled as she began the walk towards her classroom.

"One cannot ‘become' anything, Tsukino-san," he said calmly behind her. "You were always a princess to me when I was blind and feeble; now, I simply have proof that you are indeed destined to be a queen. And so I treat you with the respect you deserve, and that you showed me, once upon a time."

She took a moment to absorb that, stopping to look back at him with an ashamed expression. "And I've been terrible to you now, haven't I?"

He took her hand kindly, patting it. "I always thought it was because it disturbs you; that you don't want to be reminded of the past. But I won't change in my ways, because you will always be the most beautiful star in my eyes."

_Kami-sama_, she really had been selfish lately. Sheepish, she bowed her head, then kissed him on the forehead. "_Arigatou gozaimasu_, Chouko-kun. I don't deserve it."

"Of course you do." He released her hand, cocking his head as his expression became more serious. "But as a princess, you cannot hesitate against those who would hurt your subjects. Though your gentle ways make us all love you, your strength to fight is what will protect us ultimately."

"Chouko-kun….what are you saying?"

"Jupiter-sama, Mercury-sama. They're missing, are they not?" At her gasp, he nodded slowly. "Remember, my princess, I see much now. Your lady soldiers would not be missing so many days of school unless they had been captured in battle."

The final bell rang, and she stared at his back as he disappeared into a different classroom. Slowly she turned away to slide open the door of her own room, barely listening as Haruda-_sensei_ berated her on her tardiness. She just slid into her seat, frowning at her desk and its tiny carving in the corner as her teacher began to write on the chalkboard.

"…and as you see, I've brought a few English newspapers with me today, for your writing assignment." The rustle of paper; a rolled-up newspaper landed in front of her eyes, covered in the strange, left-to-right block letters that Americans used. She could pick out a few words here and there, nothing that made sense when put together, and so she lifted her eyes to stare at her teacher. "I want an essay on the article of your choice, which means you will have to be proficient in reading the English to choose and write a clear, concise paper. It is a test of not only your writing skills, but your English."

English skills that were crude at best for the _odango_-haired blonde. She sighed, fingering the rolled-up newspaper and debating on what to do for the assignment; she could ask Mamoru for help, but his attempt at tutoring her usually led to snuggling on the couch and watching romantic movies. Ami was gone; Rei was gone; Minako knew about as much English as she did, which left….

…no one.

Not willing to acknowledge the one person she could ask, she simply anticipated her failing grade and put the newspaper in her bag.

It remained there throughout the day, undisturbed by the _odango_-haired blonde's occasional digging and rifling. And by lunchtime she had forgotten it completely, even if her hand brushed it accidentally in pulling out her somewhat-crushed lunch. She contemplated the squished box and its plain contents – rice, pickles, cucumbers, and other various edible roots – and then stared out through the window at the clear blue sky.

Normally she would have run joyfully out the door, chopsticks racing to eat as she pranced down the hall, knowing Makoto and Ami would be waiting beneath one of the thick trees in the cool shade. But now she found herself alone. Of course, she always had Naru, but there had been a rift growing between them as of late; an amicable rift, but it was there. One of her oldest friends, Naru had watched, puzzled, as she had suddenly gained so many new companions, and had been almost cloying in the absence of Moriya, trying to show her support.

But the truth behind Usagi's shift in companionship, the loss of her oldest friend, her absences – she couldn't tell Naru. And now, the _odango_-haired blonde watched as she chattered gaily with a few girls from the next classroom, unaware of being watched and of being needed; indeed, as Usagi watched, she left the doorway to go outside with her new friends.

Staring down at her desk, she felt, quite poignantly, her loss.

And then, a shadow fell across her field of sight as someone whispered sharply, "Usagi-chan!"

"…..Minako-cha-a-an?" Gaping, the _odango_-haired blonde looked up.

Striking a pose, the long-haired blonde showed off her Juuban uniform, though it was the long braid that snaked down her back that really threw Usagi for a loop. "Ne, I look so cute, don't I?" Minako cooed, smoothing a hand over her hip.

"Minako-chan, what are you doing here!?" Rising half out of her seat, Usagi looked around quickly to see if anyone had spotted Minako for an imposter; when no one said a word, she hissed, "who did you take that uniform from?"

"Usagi-chan, you wound me." Touching a hand to her heart, Minako pouted, though she was quick to smile again. "One has to be a camel to blend in with the garden!"

Usagi made a face. "You mean a chameleon?"

"Whatever."

Thoughtfully, Minako added, "and why do you think I'm here, Usagi-chan?"

The _odango_-haired blonde didn't answer, frowned. She opened her lunch slowly to reveal its contents, lifting up her plain wooden chopsticks to spear a cucumber. "You're protecting me, of course. Minako-chan. Because Mako-chan and Ami-chan and Rei-chan were taken away, and so I could be in danger as always."

"Is it such a burden, Usagi-chan? To be protected?" Taking the empty seat in front of her princess, Minako plunked a rather-beaten obento onto the desk as well, though she stared rather solemnly. "We couldn't bear to lose you, not again—"

"But how do you think it makes me feel—" Stabbing again at her cucumber slices, Usagi interjected angrily to cut Minako off, "—knowing you've died to protect me? Minako-chan, even if I _am_ Princess Serenity, heir to—"

"Already monarch of," Minako flatly noted.

"—_heir to_," Usagi doggedly stressed, "a beautiful kingdom, I was also reborn as a sailor soldier, with just as great, if not greater, power as all of you." She exhaled sharply, contemplated the lone sausage adrift in her dwindling sea of rice. "I have a duty to protect my fellow soldiers as well," she whispered.

Slowly, the long-haired blonde nodded her head in approval. "You're becoming an adult, Usagi-chan; Serenity-sama would be proud of your strength." Mischievously then, she snatched the sausage out of Usagi's box, popping it into her mouth despite the cry. Clicking her chopsticks, she said, "Then think of it as fellow soldiers banding together, making one last stand in front of the enemy. Protect me as I protect you, ne?"

Usagi smiled, tilting her head in a childish, exuberant manner. "_Mochiron_!"

They continued to eat for the next few minutes, both of them silent as they devoured what precious little lunch they each had left.

In the act of burping, a noise that made almost everyone's heard turn, Minako caught sight of the newspaper tucked into Usagi's open bag, propped up against a leg of her chair as she had left it. Squinting, the long-haired blonde mouthed a few recognizable words; so she plucked it out to unroll it and get a better look. "'Japan besieged by UFO!'" she parroted aloud, sitting up straight to affect the manner of an intellectual; pushing up a pair of invisible spectacles, she pretended to contemplate the article, until she caught Usagi's vapid stare. "Ne?"

"…how…you….Minako-chan!" she squeaked. "I thought you couldn't read English!"

"I can't!" Minako giggled in return. "I had to read this paper for an English assignment. It's from a week ago."

Usagi's head hitting the desk made everyone turn around again.

Scanning the article, Minako frowned. "I remember _sensei_ telling us that UFO are commonly spotted in America, and that crop circles are also happening a lot. The Black Moon slipped in so easily because of these events…"

"Can you read the entire article?" Usagi mumbled, peeking up. "I have to write a paper on one of them."

"Ano….." Blushing, Minako rolled the paper back up. "I asked an American soldier on the street. All I remember is the title."

The _odango_-haired blonde's left eye began twitching. "Minako-chan…."

"Well, you can always ask Alex,_ baka_. She's American, she knows English," Minako asserted, making the usual leap of logic all Japanese did in reference to white foreigners, "she can translate it all for you."

Not surprisingly, Usagi turned away, shaking her head. "I guess I'll fail the assignment, because I can't understand English."

"What do you mean….Usagi-chan, don't be so cow-headed."

"Bull."

"Whatever! Usagi-chan, you can't ignore her. And have you ever considered her pain as well, that she sacrificed herself to protect you, in two lifetimes, as we have?"

Usagi opened her mouth to respond, to deny, but she stopped. Her expression began to subtle alter as Minako watched, quivering into an attitude of longing. She was replaying the conversation with Mamoru the night before, on this very topic; and it was very much as if a door suddenly clicked wide open for her to see. Crystal blues shifting to capture twilight, and she smiled, almost shy. "_Hai_. I suppose so, ne?"

  
"I curse them all into oblivion!" Rubeus swore, kicked open the hatch of the ship, not bothering to wait. Over his shoulder hung the limp body of Jupiter, a heavy burden to carry; once on stable ground he let her crumple onto the floor in a bloodied heap. "Blasted soldiers, eternal and ungodly and stupid to all the hells!"

"Ru-be-us, if you can't handle the simplest of missions, perhaps I should try my hand?" From behind a coy hand, Esmeraud laughed at his fuming. Though she considered gloating too debase an emotion to indulge in, nothing stopped her from inflating her ego. In her mind they were two entirely different reactions, and never the twain would meet. "Capturing sailor soldiers, so weak in that quaint century of theirs, should be simple!"

Rubeus gestured dismissively at the green-haired woman, turning away to stalk back into the silver UFO. "It's not difficult, merely a waste of precious resource. Now Petz is gone as well, destroyed by that blonde little doll." Disappearing into the ship, Esmeraud heard his boots ring on the metal floor, and boxes being shoved across the same. He appeared again holding a crate filled with what looked to be bread and crackers, some fruits and vegetables – all perishable, all lusted after by them all. "I remembered this time," he explained blandly.

Indeed, Esmeraud's eyes gained a newfound sparkle, a luster that, had she been anyone else, Rubeus may have found lovely. Maybe even sexy. But he knew she regarded him as merely an associate, a fellow fighter in their harsh war, and that all of her attraction and girlish flirtations were forever directed at the white prince who led them. Demand ignored it, as he did everything else, but she persisted in her subtle ways, a glint to her eye that she had now as she snaked seductively up to him – and accepted with grace the crisp red apple he held. "_Domo_," she purred into his ear.

He waved it off in a manner she found irritating and dismissive, though she realized quickly that he had intended it to silence her as their prince and his somber sibling appeared in the doorway of the cavernous side foyer they used to park the ship. Though it would have been easier to simply land it outside the castle entirely instead of cramming it into the abandoned hallway, none of them wanted to set foot outside. The air was thick and noxious, stifling, clogging their lungs the minute they walked outside of the containment field that made the castle livable. Once a week did Demand force one of them to pick the edible plants that grew naturally, usually a dangerous task when one of the natives tried to attack them. Becoming atavistic and feral, Esmeraud still had a long jagged scar down her forearm from the curving, sharp fingernails of such an attacker. Her gloves covered it nicely.

And it was such a haunting sight, that of their white prince with his swirling cape, brother trailing him like a loyal puppy or perhaps servant, standing beneath a curving and elegant doorway that, when peered at closely, became a tale in pictures of their exile to Nemesis and their future conquest of the Earth. Demand had directed two of his followers to carve it, being mad artists of the sort who thought him a visionary; they had finished it just before dying of malnutrition. "Rubeus," Demand finally said, giving Esmeraud a pleasant rush to hear it echo off the walls, "you bring us good tidings."

"Not so good, Demand-sama." Still carrying the food in his arms, he nudged roughly at Jupiter's prone form with the toe of his boot. "Another captured piece, another swept from the board. Petz died truly in battle, as did her sisters."

Demand nodded thoughtfully, Saphir impassive as ever behind him. "And so she will not find blasphemous immortality in the queen's grip. Petz is remembered, as is Berthier, as is Koan."

To die; it was a natural process they all wished for, one day, instead of the unnatural life span Earth's monarch would have given them. For a moment, they all remained in silence, respectful towards the loss of life in a way they had never been taught, only known instinctively; then Demand continued to walk, and it was broken. He held out a hand as he reached Rubeus, not needing to speak as the red-haired man placed a bunch of green grapes in his palm, still slightly wet and beaded with moisture, plump and absolutely ripe. The one fruit their prince had so faintly recalled from childhood, before the cold had claimed the planet.

Saphir accepted an orange – the sign had named them as ‘navel' oranges, a concept Rubeus found absolutely disturbing – and without preamble began to peel away the rind. "This soldier seems to have been fought hard," he remarked after half of the thick skin was removed. Watching him at work was fascinating, but all of them simultaneously looked down at Jupiter at his observation to see the small drips of blood from an open wound on her forehead hit the floor.

"The soldier of Jupiter. To have fought so hard is a testament to her strength, and perhaps her ignorant stubbornness," Demand replied neutrally, plucking a grape slowly and gently from its stem. Rolling it between his fingers, Rubeus and Saphir both watched as Esmeraud watched him place it on his tongue, eyes closing for a second as he savoured the sour tang of its juice. Coolly she ignored both men, choosing to look away as Demand ate another, and instead carefully took a bite out of her apple.

And so it went, as they each devoured, slowly, their fruit. Saphir drifted off to perform another of his mad scientist experiments, none of which interested nor concerned Rubeus in the least, and Demand left to pretend he wasn't simply going to stroke his ego over his precious hologram. Esmeraud, as always, left to pretend she wasn't simply going to follow Demand to his very door, preening and fawning and wishing he'd stroke his ego over her. It all smacked of pettiness, and again, Rubeus wondered at his position in it all.

He had been, like his allies, born from parents who had known hatred, revenge, personal betrayal in life. Before the cold, in time of war, his mother's family had been a plague upon the Chinese, loyal to their country as it swarmed Manchuria. Grandmother had been a spy, so sure of herself as she lured the strong men and whimpering women to opium addiction; grandfather a soldier who thought nothing of frightening the populace by random shootings.

His mother, born during that time of rampant immorality, had been a black widow, marrying for money and casually arranging ‘accidents' to befall her loving husbands. The last one had been his father, though she never bothered to tell him the name; dead five years before everything had turned white and freezing cold. His sister, two years older, refused as well to reveal the truth, though he had seen the naked fear in her eyes when he had asked.

In a loving society his mother had been an outcast, deriding their monarch's loving nature as stupid and childish. Dying from complications from the thaw, she had cursed their queen to her last breath, ignoring her son and daughter entirely – out of spite or unconcern, he still couldn't figure out. Left alone, his sister too involved with her work aiding those newly awoken, he had wandered their roughshod city, nurturing the anger in his heart, latching onto Demand and his father's concepts of blasphemy towards God out of desperation for something to have meaning in his life. Soon he really did think it made sense, and he had no shame in escaping the planet with them.

But he wondered what his sister thought of him on Earth; did she wonder where he had gone? Only by their newfound power had they resisted the society of Earth and its promises, leaving in secret and stealth, and he had never found her to bid farewell.

Ah, well.

He reached down, grabbing Jupiter by her knobby wrist, and proceeded to drag her with him like a sack of flour as he carried the box with his other arm. Behind him the ship closed on its own, and he never bothered to look back to make sure. He simply braced for the teleport, still walking as he forced the hole open to swallow him and his cargo whole, flinching as the darkness made his eyes utterly useless. "_Kuso_…I hate that," he swore quietly.

In the fathomless expanse, illumination came only as one brought it, though as the red-haired man watched, he could see the aura of each floating soldier like tiny flames in the dark. Mars, in a terrible state of uncleanliness, shifted clothing like an amoeba, her spirit weakening against the power of the _Jakokusuishou_ and trying to revert her back to a Tokyo schoolgirl. Mercury floated past in a slightly better suit of clothes, though she too was flickering, her lips twitching unconsciously as she fought to keep her power.

He had to admit that they were lovely even as pubescent girls, hips and breasts losing their flat, sharp angles to become the round curves of woman. As Mars passed he let his fingers trail through her hair which, though oily and in serious need of cleaning, was still amazingly beautiful in its colour and texture. "You would think that Saphir, so constantly acting the little scientist, could create a light source for this damn room so I could further appreciate this. Ara, but I'm allied with an idiot," he snorted, hoisting the tall brunette up.

She lifted out of his arms by magic unique to the room, knowing that she was captured prey. It held her in the air as it did her two fellow soldiers, another opened wound dripping blood sideways past his face. A wound Petz no doubt inflicted, and it made him smile; though he had always been certain she hated him, he could appreciate her skills. (He never did know that Petz had hated him, but not completely because of his loyalty to Demand; it had been Koan's infatuation with him, almost childish and completely unnoticed. Had he known he would have realized that she had sculpted her hair into those ridiculous cat ears solely on the basis of hearing him remark once, years ago, that he had once owned a pet cat.)

On the subject of Petz, he realized they still had one more sister to use up and throw away; no doubt Calaveras was even now meditating in the chamber she had shared with her siblings, trying to commune with their spirits. She fancied herself a seer and had supposedly seen the vision of them retaking Earth that graced the doorway. (Tongue in cheek, so to say; it had been Wiseman's idea, but she had fleshed it out wonderfully.) Much of the time of their exile she had spent alone, nearly dying from several idiotic, self-induced fasts, as if the fact they barely had anything to eat wasn't a near starvation in itself!

He'd always been a little bit sweet on her, if only because she had, upon first seeing him, said, "And do you plan to be the spider with the poisonous tongue?"

That was him; biting, sarcastic, and pleased with his mother's same passion for reaping and sowing. Why not?

Patting Jupiter's cheek as she floated slowly like seaweed, he again ripped open the portal to step through, feeling the split second of complete displacement like the well-trained traveler he had become. Blinking, he saw the paneled walls of the sisters' chamber, a few charred or long soaked and growing spots of mold. And though the sound of his boots clicked dully, Calaveras, sitting on a piece of furniture meant to be a couch, never twitched. He saw the neat twist bun at the back of her head, tied with a yellow bow, and he saw the illusions she faced of her three sisters; motionless, hollow-eyed. Mere torsos in the air, their faces were blank, their eyes nothing more than almond shaped holes in their heads.

As he came closer he heard her muttering, invoking some god or goddess or whatever it was she did in these trances. He was only glad he didn't see her face – one time he had been unlucky enough to witness her current position, he had seen the solid whites of her eyes, and it had been damn creepy, even with their floating monk always at their heads. But at least he hadn't been cursed with the visions or images of dead people, because Wiseman was actually blameless in that regard. She had been born with the talent.

Touching her, he did it with his tongue along her neck, amused to watch the shiver of her skin and hear her squeal of "Rubeus-sama!"

"Calaveras, you really must eat soon, before we lose our last great ally to starvation instead of glorious battle," he glibly murmured in her ear. Out of his crate he produced a – what the hell was it again? Oh yes, a banana – which he held for her to take. And she gasped as he placed it in her hands, gentle as if it were a sacred relic, and immediately began to chew at the end of it.

He blinked.

Blinked again, still unsure of what he was seeing.

Third time.

Gnawing at the fibrous yellow skin, she grimaced and tried to hide it. "Is this food from the 21st century? Petz never mentioned such an…interesting…plant," she said finally, peering at it. Beside her, he was shaking his head in partial bemusement.

"Yare yare," he sighed. "You peel the skin off, like so…." Thankfully, she had been gnawing at the top, and her teeth marks made it a bit easier to peel the first strip off. "You eat what's inside. It's soft and sweet."

"Ah!" Like a child she ripped the rest down, gleeful as each piece revealed more of the meat itself. She dropped the entire skin on the floor and began chewing on it properly in a rough manner that made Rubeus wince and yet shiver in a vague anticipation.

He watched her thoroughly atavistic method of eating in silence for an uncomfortable minute and a half; a small lump of half-chewed fruit slid down her chin, which she caught deftly with her tongue between swallows. Though her stomach lurched in irritation from the unknown foodstuff, she smiled at him anyway, a sly twist that was nearly a grimace of pain. "Domo, Rubeus-sama. It was delicious."

Setting the box down proper on a nearby table – he ignored the scorch mark that was undoubtedly Koan's doing – he moved behind Calaveras to trail his fingers over the wet path his tongue had created, smiling as she shivered again. Digging in, he began to coax her muscles loose, kneading in a rough manner as he said, "Are you preparing for your mission? Have your sisters given you visions to stop the sailor soldiers?"

Her head rolled as she sighed. Wiseman had promised their deaths to their great phantom, but she wondered if she could have Rubeus spared; surely he could be useful, with his glib words and sly personality. And Koan had been so enamored of him, it would be a gift to her to keep him alive.

But she doubted it; to the phantom she was loyal, and only they four, the _ayakashi no yon shimai_, had been so graced as to be allowed that trust. No one else. Sacrifice he would be, on the altar to which all of them would be led so that their life and hatred would nurture the phantom and the power with which they would rule. So she stared at the destruction her sisters had left on the walls as she stated, "I have been prepared from the moment of my opened eyes. For Koan, Berthier, and Petz, I will accept the mission to avenge them all."

Ghosts, her sisters shuddered like a pool into which a pebble had dropped, mixing into one another to produce new colours. Each vanquished sailor soldier took shape in their places, their eyes just as hollow and gaping, their uniforms smooth over their bodies. Calaveras shuddered beneath his hands. "Is this what my sisters tell me from Hell? Yes…make the sailor soldiers writhe in pain as well, show them their fallen comrades!" She flung herself up, nearly cracking her skull into Rubeus' jaw. "I will show Sailor Moon the crumbling world when she is torn and bloodied, blonde hair in the wind!"

"And what is the mission, Calaveras?" Rubeus asked.

"It is Code : 004, is it not?" she whispered, lifting her chin as she held out her arms, feeling but not seeing the spirits of her sisters as they wove around her body, whispering secrets in her ear. "Operation: Rebirth. Already I feel my body filling with the power of my sisters, and I will use it to subvert the last sailor soldier. Mankind will be her enemy, Earth will be a prison until they repent!"

The sun had begun to set. Candles with their soft, flickering light had long ago begun to burn in the living room of the condo, lightly scented rose and jasmine. Just enough light to move about comfortably in, they warmed an unoccupied room, as the owner of the entire building stood instead out on her bedroom porch.

None of the tenants knew their checks went to her; in fact, none of the other buildings she owned knew her face, merely the name she listed ownership beneath. All they knew was that she was simply an American, most obviously filthy rich to live in a two-floor condo that took up almost an entire half of the eight floor and created part of a ninth. She spoke Japanese flawlessly, was gracious to her neighbors, and gave them all the image of a gentle giant, if you will, who wanted nothing more than peace.

  
She had a tendency to almost tower over most of them, being nearly a head taller than the women in occupancy and a quarter of the men. Always in jeans and boots, her manner more masculine and gentlemanly than feminine and quiet, she unnerved everyone with her charm. But then she always had, hadn't she?

Out on the porch she watched the ships in the harbor, squinting now and again as her unbound hair threatened to cut her eyes as it whipped in the breeze. The white men's dress shirt she wore billowed as well, though it was buttoned chastely enough. Her usual jeans and boots – she had a laughing disdain for the country's custom of removing footwear before entering the home, and she always wore her shoes inside her own condo – were black as always. Comfortable loungewear, in her opinion.

On the street she could see two American GI taking a stroll, standing out like the sore thumbs they were in camouflage and crew cuts. Even eight stories up she could hear one of them jeering at a pair of passing students from the nearby Mugen Gakuen complex, a girl and boy and most obviously close. She frowned, watching the soldiers pass by and out of sight; once again, her countrymen proved to be complete jackasses.

But then, she had an assortment of countries to choose from.

In Japan, she was American and foreign without a doubt, categorized by her colouring and name and yes, height. She had been born in America, but had spent a quarter of a childhood in Australian surrounded by empty land for miles, traveled Europe for several years during puberty before regaining her citizenship. And for a long time, she had simply been known, derisively and in awe, as simply an Earther.

Thinking about it made her heart ache. She wasn't supposed to be this old, not yet; as of this year, she was only about twenty-one. But in her timeline, with so many centuries passed in a quasi-realized state, the occasional solidity to acquire land and wealth in staggering amounts, she could tick off at least four decimal places. Empires had fallen, grown, and tumbled right back down again in an eyeblink; she had watched the world spin and age. Languages woven from rudimentary syllables, she had noted the complete re-emergence of the language of the Moon on the tiny islands of a future Japan.

Slowly, she realized the doorbell was ringing, cutting through her thoughts.

Normally, it would cause her a bit of concern, as she had not, before a week ago, had any visitors. Deliverymen knew to simply leave packages at the door; neighbors accosted her in the elevator or in the hallway.

Reaching out, she depressed a button on the intercom next to the door. "Who is it?"

"Chibi-Usa _desu_!" a singsong voice rang back.

Pausing, Alex blinked. She certainly hadn't expected the pink-haired child to be a frequent visitor, as the last time had obviously been out of fear and a need for support. "It's open, _imouto_. I'll be right down." She released the button and stepped back into her bedroom, sliding the porch door shut behind her. As she left her room, she paused to turn the intercom off, noting that it had crackled a bit; obviously, having it right next to her often-slammed bedroom door had loosened something.

Downstairs, however, Chibi-Usa was having a bit of a crisis trying to do the opposite. She stared sullenly at a door that refused to budge, no matter how many times she flailed around, trying to catch its attention. Having a rather stubborn doorknob, she had tried the archaic method of twisting and actually physically pushing it open, and failed miserably. Last time, Alex had opened it for her.

Used to doors that did the work on their own and always slid open at the tiniest movement, precise enough to match a person's speed with its opening and closing, the 21st century was giving her no end of grief. Just as she had gotten adept at twisting doorknobs, the entrances at school slid open on tracks, another adjustment; and then, shop doors in the city opened on their own! No one could make up their frosted minds.

With no options left, she gave it a kick, wailing, "Open! I command you!"

And as always, it was the old bit of violence that worked, nudging the bolt open the last inch to drop the pink-haired child through the frame and onto the carpet with a grunt. Luna P, bewildered as only a machine could be at her predicament, beeped cautiously at her as it hummed through on its own power. Though it looked like a rather grotesque parody of Luna bloating from gas, it was programmed quite intricately; its forward motion put it between Chibi-Usa and any possible danger.

With the appearance of Alex in the hallway, it did a sophisticated aural, metal, and mental scan, noting her height, weight, muscle mass, and every other tiny detail needed, though it groaned with an internal screech of gears in consternation as it could not mentally scan her at all. Shutting its sensor down, Luna P beeped merrily, having matched profiles up in its database to confirm Alex's status as a friend, moving out of the way as she bent down to help Chibi-Usa up. "Still having trouble with the door, _imouto_?" she asked mildly.

"It's broken," the pink-haired child mumbled petulantly, seeming to take a bit of pride in being helped to stand, instead of picked up like a doll. She momentarily beamed, skipping aside to allow the tall red-head to close the door after her. She, like Alex, didn't bother to remove her shoes, unused to a society that disdained footwear in the home, and still forgetting that she was in a century that thought of feet and its associates as unclean.

In an attitude totally unlike that which Usagi and her associates had seen up until that point, she assumed a posture of patient waiting as Alex picked up an umbrella knocked over during her entrance. Then she asked demurely, "May I sit down in the living room?"

It was such a strangely absurd question that Alex paused before nodding her head in amusement. "Yes, you may sit down in the living room," she said, somewhat formal, as Chibi-Usa flounced into the semi-twilight of the room, her dark school uniform blending in with the candle shadows. Settling into the couch, she held out her arms for Luna P to settle into as Alex disappeared into the kitchen, getting a snack for the child.

What she brought back was a plate of cookies and a glass of plum tea, which she set in front of the pink-haired child. She had a package of soy crackers and a glass bottle of red soda for herself, which she set down before taking up residency in one of the armchairs. But she didn't speak; obviously, she was waiting for Chibi-Usa to initiate any conversation.

And she did, though not at first. She took a cookie, nibbling at it in what she obviously meant to be a ladylike fashion, head slightly bent over the plate. Sipping at the milk, she repeated the process several times as Alex watched, mildly fascinated; she went through two cookies in this manner. It was on the third that she finally ventured forth with a hesitant question: "Alex-san, have you heard of Sailor Moon?"

Quite the question, too; Alex nearly spit out the mouthful of soda she'd finally taken. After a minute of trying to explain to the bubbly liquid that her nostrils were not, in fact, the correct route, and that her throat was patiently standing by, she swallowed. "Hasn't everyone?" she coughed. "Young girl, skimpy skirt, every working man's fantasy…been on the TV a lot recently, though no one can get a decent picture of her." Massaging her throat with a wince, she added, "Why?"

"But she's supposedly to be powerful, isn't it? A soldier of love and justice…." Cookies forgotten, Chibi-Usa had begun to stare at a fixed point past Alex's head. Her voice grew wistful as she said, "The legends say she can save the world, and that no one is more powerful than her. Is it true, Alex-san?"

"Legends? She's only shown up recently, _imouto_. Not nearly long enough to have bards sing songs of her battles." At the child's uncomprehending look, she sighed. "A bard is one of those foppish idiots who makes up songs about heroes and battles at the royal courts. Or they did; they're pretty well extinct by this time." Frowning, Alex took a normal sip of soda. "You sound as though you've been hearing these ‘legends' for quite some time now."

Suddenly flustered, the pink-haired child sank into the couch, shaking her head in the negative beneath the weight of Alex's stare. Though she had wailed about the hellish moments of her life before arriving in Tokyo, Chibi-Usa had not been in the least forthcoming about where she was from, or why she had come; and the tall red-head was growing even more suspicious, though she didn't like it. And of course, there was always the perplexing name…

The doorbell rang again, eliciting a startled squeak from the pink-haired child, a warning beep from Luna P, and a sharp swing of the head from Alex. "More visitors?" she muttered, getting up as the doorbell rang again, twice. "I'm coming, dammit!"

As she got closer she heard scuffling, which was even more perplexing. But she could also hear a familiar voice squeaking, another berating, and she glanced back at Chibi-Usa, shrugging. The pink-haired child, however, remained noticeably tense, curling around the exaggerated cat's head for support.

Having never bothered to lock the door the first time, Alex simply opened it and blinked as two struggling blondes fell across her threshold.

"This is new," she remarked after a minute. "Now they're sending live models to playact dirty fantasies right to my door. I feel singularly blessed."

"_Konnichi wa_, Alex-sensei!" Minako literally sang, dragging a limp Usagi up to her feet with her.

"_Sensei_? This fantasy gets dirtier every minute. What are you talking about, Minako?" the tall red-head snorted, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

The long-haired blonde had slid off her school shoes, and had begun a hopping dance around, looking for house slippers and not daring to set her socked feet on the carpet. Usagi, in customary deference, removed her shoes as well but remained standing, head down and looking at her briefcase. Alex looked in no hurry to stop the amusing prance, and in fact leaned lazily against the wall as Minako continued to hop and said, "I brought you a troubled student, in need of assistance! And besides, as a sailor soldier, you're our guardian teacher."

"Hah! You barely listened to me in another lifetime, what would make this one any different?" Scratching her cheek, she added, "You can stop dancing, Minako. In case you haven't noticed, I tromp quite happily on my carpet in shoes." She wriggled a booted foot for emphasis, before wandering towards the kitchen. "Want a snack?"

Minako paused in mid-bounce, leg literally in the air. Even Usagi seemed surprise, lifting her head to show her shock as her friend laughed haughtily. "Americans! I knew all along! Come on, Usagi-chan!" she crowed, running for the kitchen. Behind her, the _odango_-haired blonde merely walked, despite the lure of food. She halted in mid-bound as Alex shook her head, saying, "You can wait in the living room with the kid."

"….kid?" Usagi lifted her head slowly, staring past Minako into the twilight of the living room. When she saw those two familiar poofs of pink hair, she began to babble indignantly, a meaningless stream of noise that finally coalesced into "What's SHE doing here!?"

Minako seemed only slightly less surprised, though she regarded the child with suspicion. "Maybe she's come to turn herself in?"

Chibi-Usa stared at them from the couch, both girls blurred and indistinct, lit from behind by the bright kitchen. In such a manner she could see the subtle glow emanating from the gaudy brooch on Usagi's chest. "Sailor Moon no Tsukino Usagi…"

Tensed, she crouched on the cushions as the two blondes came closer, both eyeing her in a suspicious manner, though Usagi was far more blatant. Neither seemed any less or more wary when Chibi-Usa reached out to touch Luna P, the merest slap of her hand enough to bounce it once, twice, on the carpeting.

Smoke exploded out from the machine, Minako and Usagi, springing to their feet at the action, beginning to cough violently. "Alex-_sensei_!" Minako hacked, waving her arms frantically to disperse the smoke. "Chibi-Usa is—"

The crack to her skull was minimal, but enough to stagger her on her feet. Through the haze she could see Chibi-Usa wielding a rather demented pink umbrella decorated with smiling Luna faces, brought back for another swing. As she swung again Minako ducked, though the quick movement dropped her to her knees as she inhaled another lungful of the smoke; along with the throbbing pain in her head, it was effectively making her sleepy. On the floor lay Usagi, already unconscious with a telltale muss to her hair to suggest she, too, had been clocked.

Filtering through the first floor of the apartment, it reached Alex barely seconds after Luna P had exploded. A deep inhale caught her off guard, but didn't have the strength to knock her unconscious as it had Usagi. "What the hell?" she coughed in rather irate English, swinging her arm to wave the smoke away. "Usagi! Minako!"

A blast of light seared into her eyes. Though it was painful to the point of blindness, the power it released was kind, warm and enveloping; and just barely she could make out the form of Chibi-Usa holding Usagi's brooch, open to radiate the power of the _Ginzuishou_.

"_Mon Dieu_," Alex whispered. "It's resonating with her."

The child turned her head.

And on the skin of her brow glowed the golden crescent moon. Insubstantial was the outline of a gown around her body, the fabric bunching with her sudden running movement. Just as quickly did the light disappear, leaving dots of white in the tall red-head's vision even as she vaulted over the cutting board to follow. Usagi and Minako didn't even stir as she ran past, thundering up the steps to see a ponytail of pink hair vanish around the corner. "Chibi-Usa! Chibi-Usa!"

The door of her bedroom was wide open, as was the porch. She couldn't run fast enough to make it in time; Chibi-Usa saw her, as she stood on the railing holding the umbrella. Opening it, she dropped off just as Alex's hand reached out to grab her.

And impossibly, unbelievably, she floated away on the breeze.

  
Through the eyes of a woman born to forever see the spirits, Tokyo was a cramped city indeed. Humans, vibrant and alive, trampled through a domain of hissing, confused souls, trapped within the sphere by misdeeds or simple ignorance. Almost all of them were angry spirits, lusting for recognition or a chance to be useful; when they saw her, knowing she was able to pierce the veil, they surrounded her _en masse_ in a clamor.

"My friends," she purred, holding her arms aloft. Standing as she was on a busy sidewalk in Juuban, still dressed in the red and gold skirt and bodice she favoured, hair tied back into a bun by a bright yellow bow, she was gaining more than a few looks. Not to mention that her words were like the clicking of shells, spoken as they were in an entirely different realm. Ignoring it with a rather imperious tilt of her chin, she crooned into the whirlwind, "A chance to be useful, this is what I ask of you!"

Their voices became a babble around her as they all began to cry and yell and scream to catch her attention, shoving at one another. She smiled; such violence was always intoxicating, even amongst the dead. It continued in such a fashion for a minute more, until she gestured sharply. "Enough. You, the boy; Itsuke. Do you see the city and all of its people?" she said in less a question than a statement, plucking his name from the memories of his life.

"I see all that is required of me, Lady of the Phantom," the boy trilled, ascertaining her title amongst the dead in much the same way she had his name. Barely ten, she could judge by the solidity of his form that he had been dead for a long time; most spirits were too confused and new to retain such a sure remembrance of their body. Indeed, the souls pushing against him didn't pass through him as most would, stopped by the force of his will.

Like a queen she motioned him to her feet, and the boy compliantly dropped to stand before her, though his age was most likely triple, if not quadruple, hers. A power as rare as hers commanded such respect, simply; and she could reward as well as punish. "Tell me, Itsuke, about the sailor soldiers of the 21st century. Speak to me of their power."

She could barely see the whites of his eyes as he narrowed them, slitting them in hatred. "The sailor soldiers, Lady of the Phantom? Of their leader we can see only purity, a white light that makes all else insignificant. Princess of the White Moon, she inspires love and carries the force of the gods."

"Blasphemy towards the gods," she corrected him angrily. "Is it in the circle of the heavens and hells to never die? To give life as if it were a trinket?"

"But she doesn't see us," the boy responded. "And so we wish her dead, unable to torment us any further."

Around Calaveras pressed the bodies, thick, thin, and forceful, of the pedestrians continuing to hurry, always hurry; Tokyo was, she had decided upon arrival, a constant flow like a river that needed to be dammed up. She could see their imperfections as they passed – weak hearts, cancerous growths, aneurysms set to rupture – and she was eyed them all with a connoisseur's eye as she said, "And the others?"

"The sailor soldiers protect their shining princess. Each shimmers, insignificant, within her light, but we have seen them begun to disappear one by one. Soon, only two remain."

"Two?" Calaveras quivered with shock fraught with tension. "Two! Wiseman-sama said nothing of two, merely her heart's desire…! Who could there be besides the sailor soldiers?"

The boy seemed puzzled. Surely a woman of her power and knowledge would know the answer before he gave it, but Calaveras seemed genuinely taken aback. "She Who Is Fire and Flame. She who compliments the shining light of the princess with her own."

Another spirit, insubstantial to the point of invisible, pressed forward to whisper, "A soldier who is not a soldier, of whom they walk in her shadow. Red hair of copper, and blue eyes of the lazuli."

Red hair and blue eyes? The medium stared past all of them, recalling the individual details of the five sailor soldiers she knew of, all of them without a red hair amongst them. Such a colour was unusual even in her lifetime, but she knew, naggingly, she had seen it before. Maybe even recently….

Her lips moved and made no sound, until finally she stammered, "She is awake in this era? _Masaka_… The Guardian, awake, in this time!" Wiseman had completely neglected to mention this fact to her; or, sickeningly, she realized he may have entirely forgotten about it. After all, the soldier in question had been out of commission since the time of the ice.

"And there is the child!" another spirit said, somewhere beside her head. "A resonation with the shining light of the princess."

"Yes, her! Her! Where is she!" Calaveras demanded, turning to see the spirit, a wan male who had died a mere five minutes ago. It didn't matter, of course; once a person died and their soul was released, they saw the same that every trapped soul did. They simply couldn't always interpret it in the same manner, but this one was intelligent, constantly near enough to death in his last years to absorb it all.

"Running. A fountain; a door in the time of space."

Calaveras smiled, a curiously coy twist of her rubied lips that chilled the spine of a passing bank worker. Casually did she gesture with her fingers, a curling of the digits into a fist, to rip his spirit out of his body with the ease of taking a breath. As his fat, fleshy body tumbled onto the concrete, his heart so suddenly stopped, his spirit screamed. "Wiseman-sama, our victory is at hand; feast on the agony of the 21st century and know my work!"

As she rose into the air, the entire street lifted their heads to watch, stopping in mid-step. With the events of the Dark Kingdom still relatively fresh, they began to panic with the realization that maybe it hadn't all been a dream or a freak act of the weather. When she began laughing at the sight of them, huddled like so much cattle, they started to trample one another trying to escape. Gesturing as they ran, she wrenched their souls free with the ease of one, gathering them like a protoplasmic ball between her hands, a hundred screaming bodies left to writhe on the concrete with spastic twitching.

It had always amused her that she had been considered the weakest of her sisters simply because she couldn't throw fire or blast people with wind or some silly element. That instead she could see into the realm of the spirits, and commune with them.

Floating easily in the wind, a small globe between her hands the size of a softball containing traumatized, confused souls in the triple digits, she cried out, "Now, your payment, my loyal friends! Take of their fleshly bodies and live again; and remember who rewarded you all so handsomely, and that she is merely a tool of the Phantom!"

The air became suffocating at the sudden flight of a million souls shooting downward past her, bodies flopping as if jolted by electricity as they were filled. Priests who had robbed their shrines woke up as chaste schoolgirls; women who had been beaten by their husbands awoke as office workers; old, cancerous men woke as schoolboys. She released the spirits between her hands to fill the void, and they exploded into their new existence horribly confused and screaming to wake up.

As satisfying as the sight was, Calaveras had pressing business. Even as she turned in the sky, staring out across a city expanse of miles, she could see the jagged tears of time and space she and her sisters had created. They pulsated like purple bruises, throbbing indignantly as they slowly, slowly healed over. But the spirit had said it was a door, which meant an opening specifically attuned to open, not a rip forced.

Then, she saw it.

As merrily as a neon sign did it glow in the air above Juuban, as if knowing she had been looking for it. Grinning in anticipation of the hunt, Calaveras ripped open her own door across space with more than a bit of glee. Looking through before she actually entered she saw an even more delicious sight; "The Rabbit," she moaned, unconscious and sprawled next to a burbling fountain. Luna P hovered above, beeping frantically as the medium stepped through, tipping her head down at Chibi-Usa thoughtfully. "Now, what could have possibly done this? Perhaps honest death was too much for your clean white hands? The shouting of a hundred traumatized souls too loud for your deaf ears?"

From her waist she slid a small dagger, ornate of handle to be used in sacrifice. Luna P's beeping was now klaxon and absolutely terrified as it sped at Calaveras, bouncing around and off of her. She snarled, slicing through the air trying to smack it away as the mechanical head continued to assault her. "Blasted device!" Quick movements brought her elbow around to smash between Luna P's bulbous eyes, halting it in mid-air long enough for the blade to cut deep across its face to expose a tiny crystal within. No hardware or messy wires powered the contraption; it was this crystal she pulled out, dropping it beside Luna P as it fell to the ground.

Blade still in hand, she turned back to Chibi-Usa casually, advancing once more. "Now, my blasphemous child, where was I?"

"Mamoru! Mamoru, open the door!" Again did a fist smash into the nondescript wood, cracking it slightly. Inside they could hear footsteps and, strangely, paws; when the door finally did open, Mamoru, Luna, and Artemis all stared out.

Alex hoisted Minako back into her arm, having set her down to knock; in the other, she held Usagi, both still quite unconscious. Of course, the long flowing gown on Usagi was unusual in itself. "What the hell took you so long?"

The dark-haired prince blinked, still somewhat unsure as to how he was supposed to take her rather forward mannerisms. "I was summoning my friends."

He found himself catching Usagi as she was unloaded into his arms. "You don't mean your generals, do you?" the tall red-head asked quietly, re-adjusting her carry of Minako. At Mamoru's surprised nod, she sighed. "Good. I hoped they would be freed once Metallia was gone. I remember their betrayal better than I daresay you do, but I know it was out of confusion. Not hatred."

"Endymion-sama would never befriend such men," Luna piped up helpfully beneath them, trotting out of the way of their feet. The tall red-head completely ignored custom and headed straight for the couch, setting Minako comfortably across it as Artemis followed.

Mamoru hurried to set Usagi down in an armchair, still warm from his sitting in it, and there he knelt to stroke her cheek. Confused and horribly worried. "Alex, what happened to them?" he queried, frantic enough to forget the honorific.

"Chibi-Usa." Lightly brushing a few strands of hair out of Minako's face, Alex frowned. "She somehow knocked them both out with a sleeping gas—"

"_Shimatta_…" Luna whispered frantically. The feline stood atop the armchair looking down at her charge, who murmured in her sleep. "Her brooch, it's gone! Chibi-Usa has taken it!"

"She took it and leapt off my balcony," Alex muttered as she stood up. "Floated off by umbrella. I couldn't grab her in time, but I don't think she's done it with bad intentions. She resonated with the _Ginzuishou_."

The dark-haired prince and feline alike stared incredulously at her.

A clock ticked in the second silence that followed, once, twice. When Luna finally found her voice, all she could do was cough as if to clear her throat. "You can't be serious. Resonate? That's impossible, Alex-san!"

"Don't you think I know that, Luna?" she snapped back. "But I saw it. The girl resonated with the crystal when she touched it. She had the sign of the moon on her brow. And Usagi was dressed like this after it happened."

"Uunnngh…."

Usagi swung over, smacking Luna down beneath her hand atop the chair. Luna screeched, swatting the blonde's hand away before Mamoru could remove it; it was, most likely, the claws that had Usagi screaming into wakefulness. "_ITAAAAI—II_!"

"I didn't do it, mama, it wasn't my—oh," Minako stammered, waking up abruptly as well, flailing up in an act of anger. She sagged down on the couch, looking around rapidly. "Where are we and where's the pink-haired brat?"

"Taking an umbrella ride," Alex replied to the second. "Though I think ‘brat' at this conjuncture is a bad description."

Artemis, his tail whipping back and forth in the usual signs of anger, leapt into Minako's willing lap. "This is a bad situation. If Chibi-Usa has the _Ginzuishou_ and Usagi-chan's brooch, how can she become Sailor Moon if the enemy arrives?"

Usagi's face blanked. "What do you mean she has my brooch?"

Above her head, Luna was showing the same anger as her white counterpart, pacing the top of the armchair. "We simply have to find her before the enemy does, or perhaps trick them. Make them think Sailor Moon is fighting them…"

"What do you mean, she has my brooch?"

"Did you happen to take Serenity's illusion pen?" Alex asked the black feline, standing in a rigid posture that spoke of her annoyance at being unable to pace as Luna did.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE HAS MY BROOCH!?" Usagi shrieked above them all, making every single person in the room jump.

Gasping, her hand clutched to where her bow would normally be on her breast, the _odango_-haired blonde felt strangely…naked. She had gotten so used to feeling the weight of her brooch, the warmth of her crystal, that losing them was like losing her arm. Her dislike of Chibi-Usa was growing into something far stronger with every passing second.

Unsure of how to answer, they all traded somewhat abashed looks with one another as Usagi's eyes widened. Finally, Alex said, "Chibi-Usa took it after she put you to sleep. But we can get it back, as soon as we find her; you can do that." She caught Usagi's gaze, and held it. "It's a part of your spirit, _tsukimidango_; you could find her in the middle of the deepest cavern on Earth if you wanted to."

"_H-hai_," Usagi whimpered. "I could. I can feel it now…like a far-off breeze, warming my skin." Looking down, she gingerly lifted a fold of her white dress, confusion writ on her face. "Why am I dressed like this?"

She stood up, still groggy from the gas. As she moved the gown slowly dissolved into her school uniform, though her neck kerchief was loose, its knot undone. She lifted a hand to her head as Mamoru steadied her, smiling at him. "_Arigatou_, Mamo-chan."

"Let's find Chibi-Usa then, ne, Usagi-chan?" Minako said brightly, hopping up to take her friend's hand. The _odango_-haired blonde nodded, smiling; but the smile turned to dread as a tremor passed over her. Minako didn't feel it, nor did Mamoru or the felines.

But Alex bent over double, a scream bitten in half as she felt Calaveras' work in the streets. It was an onslaught of pain and emotions, and no doubt any other person in Tokyo who had even the slightest bit of sensitivity had paused in their actions, feeling a cold wind, as Usagi had. "It's so many…!" Alex gasped out as she fell to a knee. "So many people just…screamed…in pain, and suffering…"

"The enemy!" Artemis said, oh-so-intuitively, looking towards Luna.

"We have to find Chibi-Usa, before they find her first." Mamoru's voice was low, but authoritative. He held Usagi to his chest as Minako helped Alex stand, and he saw the nod of agreement the red-head gave him before he turned away. "If Chibi-Usa resonates with the _Ginzuishou_, then it could be we've been suspecting the wrong person all along."

All they could do was run as they left the apartment building; a bus or taxi would be too slow, costly. Usagi, holding her prince's hand, was in the lead with a surprising burst of stamina that only her determination could give her. She had seen three of her friends taken by the Black Moon, and though she thought of Chibi-Usa with little to no love, she now would protect the child from them at all costs. For her to have resonated with the powerful crystal…it meant there was a bond that even Usagi had to recognize.

It was there, too; the moment Mamoru had said it, she realized what the feeling was inside of her head. Like a song in her mind since she had birthed it, the _Ginzuishou_ was now a chorus; a second harmony had been added. The harmony was what led her now, a slightly frantic sound that drove her on faster, near to the breaking point as she spotted the park. "There!" she yelled back. "From where she fell from the sky…!"

Minako and Alex broke away in flawless motion, leaping into a tree near the wall blocking the park from the street. They used it to jump over the wall into the park without breaking stride, and seconds later, Usagi could feel the surge of magic as Minako, at least, transformed. It was a familiar feeling. Unsure of what to do, she slowed down at the entrance, Mamoru and the two felines halting beside her. "What can I do, Luna? I can't become Sailor Moon without my brooch."

"We wait," Luna said briskly.

Calaveras was in the act of bringing the blade down when she spotted the golden gleam out of the corner of her eye. At first, she could dismiss it. But as it came closer, its sharp whine louder as it cut through the air, she realized that somehow the wretched soldiers had found her. She pulled her arm back just as the boomerang, aimed for her blade, sailed by and ricocheted off the stone of the fountain. It sliced deep through her back as it arced back for its owner, and her scream was quite angry at being tricked.

Sailor Venus caught it.

The blood stained her white glove a watered burgundy, but she ignored it as she smiled haughtily at Calaveras. "For this age, still the love of Pisces, Sailor Venus is champion! Attacking helpless children with such violence, no one can forgive you for that!"

"You don't need to apologize, Sailor Venus. Simply taste defeat as revenge for my sisters!" Calaveras laughed, lifting her arms.

As Rubeus had seen hours earlier, the three spirits of her sisters began to form above her head. But this time they were animated, their vacant faces contorted with hatred. "Strike, my lovely sisters!" the medium cried, motioning towards the long-haired blonde as Koan, impossibly enough, shot a ball of flame towards the soldier.

But it was met by a similar power, as a second fireball smashed into it, both twisting into the air to vanish. "This is the power of our enemies? At least give my soldiers something to sweat over!"

Calaveras froze, staring at the Crystal Guardian as she leapt out of the tree behind Venus, landing easily on her feet. She most definitely had not anticipated this, and even forewarned, she was already beginning to panic. "Petz! _Onee-san_! Strike, strike!" she shrieked.

Both soldiers flinched as the wind slammed into them, threatening to blow them back into the wall. Petz, her eyes narrowing in hatred, increased the pressure to slide them back across the grass, uprooting shrubs around them. "The one who took Jupiter!" Venus yelled into the wind, slowly pulling her arm around to aim with a considerable effort. "I won't allow her to beat me….." Finally did she summon her chain, its links flying straight into the wind as if it didn't even exist, to wrap once, twice, thrice, around a tree trunk. She saw, astonishingly, as she herself was lifted off her feet, her ally fly into the air. A hand raised as if to ward off a blow, and Venus saw the wind, literally saw it, part before the Guardian and continue on past her.

Petz, quite dead and past such fears, was startled enough to stop the wind, and Venus fell flat on her face.

But, rolling to her feet immediately, the long-haired blonde took the opportunity to sprint over to Chibi-Usa's side as the three spirits and their white-faced sister continued to stare at the tall red-head, who was slowly advancing on them. Picking the child up, Venus heard something crunch beneath her heel; a few small shards of glass sifted down as she lifted her foot. Shrugging, she grabbed the inert Luna P as well and ran like hell for the park entrance.

The tremor of magic wasn't even enough to slow her down, though the sudden blast of heat again had her all but leaping out of the park proper and onto the sidewalk, not that it was any safer. In her arms, Chibi-Usa began to stir, and a passing elderly man gave her a lecherous look that spoke of very naughty things with a live octopus. Clutched in the girl's fist still was Usagi's brooch, and Venus gently pulled it free as the _odango_-haired blonde and her prince ran to them.

"Is Alex-san still fighting the enemy?" Luna demanded as Venus gave the brooch up. Smiling, the blonde nodded.

"No worries, Luna. Though it isn't her place to fight as a common soldier; you know that." Looking towards her princess as she gently transferred Chibi-Usa to Mamoru's arms, she said, "Transform, Usagi-chan!"

Above the height of the wall, a great geyser of flame spun up into the sky. Venus ran back as Usagi cried, "Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!" and let the transformation lift her. It felt soothing to don the persona of Sailor Moon, a fact she regarded with some bitterness, and as she settled on her toes again, she impetuously kissed Mamoru. "Be sure to save me, Tuxedo Kamen-sama," she whispered before running again, into a vision of hell.

Or, not quite hell, but hot enough for it. She saw Venus released her Crescent Beam at Rubeus, who stood protected by the geyser of fire still visible outside the park. He looked quite pissed, cowering as he was behind his power; Calaveras, unconscious, her body twisted from a blow, lay behind him on the grass.

Sailor Moon came up between Venus and the Guardian, who was strangely quiet and aloof. "Sailor Moon, you'll have to use your power," she commented idly. "Only healing magic can break through Rubeus' flames."

The _odango_-haired blonde nodded, feeling her rod materialize in her fist. "But can't you do something, Guardian-sama?"

"One can't fight fire with fire forever," she replied mildly. "The purple-haired one was weak; this one is stronger, and smarter." She relaxed into a fighting stance, adding, "We'll cover you, of course. Now do it!"

"_Hai_!" Sailor Moon leapt forward, sensing, not seeing, her two allies moving behind her. Rubeus recalled the last time she had tried cleansing him, obviously, as he began to back up, feeding his flames in desperation to keep her away. The heat grew more intense as fire broke off from the main geyser, snapping at them like hydra's heads.

A golden beam smashed into one, knocking it away as Sailor Moon ran beneath it. Another slammed into the air inches away from her ribs, close enough to blister her skin but not touch. She jumped up, screaming, "Moon Princess Halation!" as she swung the rod high into the air like a lightning rod above her head. The light that blasted from the orb at its end was dazzling enough to blind any looking directly at it.

Rubeus howled in indignation as his flames withered beneath the assault, even as he continued to feed them. Aloft by her own power, Sailor Moon continued to feed her will into the weapon, destroying the fire as it grew. Below, Venus huddled with the Guardian beneath her cape, their eyes already seeing stars as, in essence, a second sun burned in the sky.

But it wasn't enough. Though Calaveras, unconscious and unprotected, had already been blasted to powder and slag mercifully by Sailor Moon's power, Rubeus continued to fight. Tuxedo Kamen shielded his eyes as he stepped into the park, able to see by his angle that the red-haired man was still standing. "_Shimatta_," he swore. "Even under Sailor Moon's power, he's still standing…!"

Nearby he could see the blue hump that was, in essence, his cowering allies. Neither of them could have been able to attack Rubeus in such a blinding light; they would have been blinded. And Sailor Moon, his princess, only knew that he was still alive and that she had to continue fighting. It left him to do something, but damned if he knew what; he had no projectile powers he could use in such a situation except for a rather flimsy cane.

Surely he'd had more power than this in his previous life…! Cursing his uselessness, he looked around frantically for something to use, even a tree branch to swing. "Kunzite, I wish to the gods you were still here to instruct me now, because I need it!" he muttered, blinking as the light suddenly shut off, and Sailor Moon screamed.

His princess fell from the sky, her leg scorched. Rubeus, in a posture of attack, his face still in the contortions of a snarl, moved to pounce on her.

The dark-haired prince felt his heart stop. Kick starting, it pounded faster and harder in his chest, coinciding with the warmth growing in his hands, flooding his veins. The power he knew he had, but how did he call it, for the love of the _kami_…!

Venus, still partially blinded, pointed towards Rubeus, her finger glowing, her lips moving to use her power.

But what everyone heard was "Tuxedo LA SMOKING BOMBER!"

The long-haired blonde was blown back over the Guardian as the energy blasted from Tuxedo Kamen's outstretched hands, slamming Rubeus away in mid-air to slam into a tree trunk. The red-haired man didn't even bother to curse at them, using what power he had left to tear open an escape portal and flee.

The Crystal Guardian, eloquently, summed it up for everyone: "Holy fucking shit."

Tuxedo Kamen stumbled in his steps as he started walking towards them, tackled from behind by a precocious pink-haired child. Her cry of "Mamo-chan!" startled them all even more than the tall red-head's exclamation, turning heads; Luna and Artemis ran past them to the two blondes.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Chibi-Usa wailed, clutching onto Tuxedo Kamen's leg. "But I had to do it, for mama…!"

"Do what, Chibi-Usa? Take the _Ginzuishou_?" Venus asked slowly, picking up Artemis as she stood.

"Taking my brooch….yes, and where were you running to? Tell us everything, Chibi-Usa! Are you an enemy?" Sailor Moon demanded.

Pink eyes shining with tears, Chibi-Usa held aloft the crystal she wore around her neck. "The _Ginzuishou_ of the past, and the future, I had to have them! It was dangerous, but I needed the power to help my mama and my world!"

"The past and the future?"

"How is that possible?"

"It _is_ possible!" the pink-haired child cried. "And you have to help me save it, please! Sailor Moon," she pleaded, "you have the power to save the future! My mama…_iie_…the 30th century is going to be destroyed forever!

"Sailor Moon, the legendary sailor soldier…please! Save the 30th century!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neptune and Uranus' introduction was partly because I couldn't wait to write them, and partly because, thanks to canon, they should have been awake and running around by this point, fighting daemon. So it made sense they would have encountered some of the Black Moon's handiwork.


	18. Act 18 : time warp - Sailorpluto

##### 

It was always so very cold, and she hated it. Everything was still as a place frozen in time, a stage set complete with fog; and because, of course, it was exactly that. The endless echoing, the constant loneliness, and she had, in her own lifetime, only been here for sixteen years.

The small, forlorn Hello Kitty calendar proved it, worn at its edges and dulled from her fingertips, tucked into her right boot. After all, where else could she hang it? On the spinning corner of a tiny universe? Hooking it on the elegant high frame of the massive door behind her, a gaudy pink scrap against polished wood made to last the span of eternity? Blasphemous.

And the constant size of her workspace drove her utterly bonkers. No matter how far a universe and its shared time was, no matter how far she seemed to walk – it could have been the distance of miles – that damned door was always at a determined pace behind her, as if following her everywhere. But it wasn't the door moving; it was simply the space contracting around her, remaining at a constant length and width to her eyes. She couldn't let the thing out of her sight, after all, and if she had to wander off to check on a certain time frame, well then, the thing could damned well follow her.

In her first year she had run frantically, trying to escape the hulking door that kept…following…her. She had not slept since she set foot through it; nor had she ate, passed excrement or urine. Though it seemed as if time was passing, she was – and how it hurt her head to think of it – actually living in the same minute constantly, because, obviously, she was between time. Her stomach never rumbled with hunger, because she had eaten in the last hour before her arrival. Having used the bathroom minutes before entering, she felt no intestinal cramps or pelvic clenching, demanding she release her body's waste.

And damned if she didn't actually miss, no, long, for the chance.

Probably had forgotten how the muscles worked, too.

Though she had to admit that the few visitors she had, staring out from the forbidden side of the door, living in the flow of time, did brighten her now and again. Especially her lovely princess, though she was usually very sad that she was still just a child.

Thinking of that very child had her hand straying to her hip, to fondle the empty space between the lavender skeleton keys that hung heavy on the loose belt she wore. Each key was a miniature of the larger model staff she held in her left hand almost constantly, heart shaped at its top and tooth whimsically. Though the ruby orb that adorned each one didn't seem to pulsate with warmth as the one in her staff, which even now emitted its light merrily. Attuned to the one missing key….

"Small Lady," she sighed finally, sadly.

  
"I always wanted to be an idol," she said sadly. Eyes like the sky after the fallen sun glittered with emotion, worlds in miniature reflected in curves. Flickering candles like tiny fireflies made pinpoints of light within her pupils; a beautiful, somber tableau. "To be so famous everyone recognized me, wanting my autograph. A picture. ‘Ara, there goes Aino Minako, the famous idol!' they'd say…

"And as Sailor V, I had that." She laughed, bitterly. Ironic. "A false identity to fight evil; and it was popular. There are still girls I see running down the streets with pins of my face, always smiling…always smiling," she whispered, clenching her fists within the folds of her skirt. Rumpled from her earlier tussle with Usagi, the Juuban uniform slowly faded away like a half-recalled dream as she concentrated, shedding the illusion to reveal bright orange pajamas. The whole idea had, after all, been a spur of the moment plan when she'd woken up for school.

Alex stared at her over the rim of her coffee cup, as always utterly direct. It somehow comforted Minako to know the woman was so absolutely American, unable to dance around the subject or question. She knew when to listen, a skill the long-haired blonde recalled in another lifetime that she'd cherished as well. Free psychiatry to die for. "Somehow, it doesn't surprise me. You're too bright to be ignored, Minako; a trait you share with Venus. But then, she had always channeled it into being the strongest soldier, to besting everyone and living fast and hard. She had accepted her role to be nearly expendable to her kingdom and to her queen, but she had also grown up from near birth being told it.

"You, as Aino Minako, grew up for thirteen years utterly carefree. Where Venus would have enjoyed her status as an icon, you have troubles, because you have the unfortunate position of being two people in the same body." The tall red-head swirled a finger in her coffee, seemingly unconcerned with the steaming temperature. "I see it in Usagi as well; though she thinks she's accepted herself as a soldier and a princess, all she's done is struck an agreement to work with them. She never truly merged; like three of her standing back to back within her, there's a very distinct separation between Tsukino Usagi, Sailor Moon, and Princess Serenity." Pausing to take a sip, she added, "I would say she's even less willing to do it than any of you, as her guardian soldiers, are."

Minako reached across the couch to slowly run her hand through Artemis's fur, the sleeping feline unconsciously arching his back into her palm. Next to him Luna remained an adorable ball of fuzz, curled into a loose crescent. "Why is that, _sensei_?"

The tall red-head snorted at the term, but let it go. It was better than the damned respectful ‘-san' all the time that made her feel like an old hag. "Easy. From what I know of your lives, what do you have to lose in becoming completely Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, or Mars? Your parents seem to dislike one another, or at least, your father disappoints your mother, and she makes your life a mild hell. Makoto, obviously, has no family at all, lives alone, and considers herself lucky to even have all of us as her friends after so long.

"Ami's parents have long since split, and her mother is so absorbed into her job at the hospital that she may as well be alone as well, and her ability to make friends? Almost nonexistent. Rei is the only one who even has close to a decent family, because her grandfather is a caring, nurturing individual who is, unlike her father, always there for her. But it's her father's betrayal and her mother's death that has done so much damage; and her grandfather won't live forever. She thinks being aloof and distant will keep people away, stop her from truly making any sort of bonds.

"But Usagi? What doesn't she have that you could all wish for? Loving, living parents. A little brother, friends at school, a pretty attitude towards life, and a carefree existence in a house paid for by her father's job. All she's had to suffer is a lack of allowance and bad grades, and that, my dear, is almost inconsequential. And she even has the love of her life – granted, she lost him for a time – but to have been essentially linked to him for millennium and having known they would be together is more than any of us have received." Though Alex included herself in the lack of love life factor, she breezily skipped over any attempts at elaboration, adding, "and why would she want to lose it all just so she can become a short-skirted martyr?"

Minako's face mirrored the utter despair she felt as her old teacher quite skillfully hit on the very heart of the problem. "But…Usagi-chan would, if she had to. I know she would…!"

"Of course she would," Alex said soothingly. "But not without remorse. Maybe a bit of prodding. But this early in the game, it's too soon to tell that she would even need to give up Tsukino Usagi; or that you would have to give up Aino Minako. Maybe it'll be the other way around, who knows?" She shrugged, sipping damn near silently from her cup. "Maybe you'll all become old hags, bereft of your true magic and long life, and I'll have to babsit all your screaming little brats."

The long-haired blonde couldn't help but laugh at that particular image, though the idea of herself with – horror! – wrinkles was a bad thing indeed. But she did pause as she mentally replayed Alex's last words, brow furrowing with thought. "Ano…long life? But how would that be possible?"

Alex, in the middle of getting up, motioned questioningly towards Minako's can of Coke, to which she got a responsive nod. Waiting for her to return, Minako shimmied towards the massive stereo with a gleam in her eye, considerably cheered as she flipped through the music selection. The silence had been tickling at her even more than her unsettling thoughts, and she plucked out the Labyrinth soundtrack simply for familiarity and popped it in. Not too loud; Mamoru and Usagi were presumably now sound asleep in the guestroom, Chibi-Usa on the couch in the den. And of course, the two pussycats on the couch, one of whom had sprawled on his back, leg reflexively kicking as he chased squirrels, mice, or a svelte Luna through his dreams. Minako had woken up often enough at night to hear his particular warbles.

Her new Coke, already snapped open, sat on a coaster for her to drink, along with a fresh package of cookies. A bowl of popcorn, buttery to the point of sickness – and oh, how Minako already adored the stuff – was set down as well, within reach of both of them. Late-night sleepovers at Alex's place were definitely going to be good things. "I'll assume you don't remember enough about Venus to warrant the surprise," the tall red-head started off, curling comfortably into her seat.

"I remember…things," Minako said hesitantly at length. "Planetary agreements, the name of our castle…a little cousin's name for some reason…having to prepare myself for a trip to Jupiter…"

"Jupiter always was hard on outside visitors," Alex said dryly. "The gravity none withstanding, there was always the faintest tickle of radiation once the ships passed through the radiation belt – what's been named the Van Allen belt, though they had some Jovian title for it back then, of course – and into the protective spheres of the colonies."

"_Hai, hai_….it was always so difficult to walk around, I hated it!"

Alex snorted, rubbing at her temple offhandedly. "You weren't the only one. Gods knew why they liked the gravity so high, the masochistic bloody bastards. They did it on purpose, you know; they could have changed it, but no, they liked the constant pressure. Kept them hale and hearty, I think that was Jupiter's answer when I asked her once." She waved her hand dismissively, saying, "But I'm getting off-topic.

"The reason Earth was so damned jealous of the Moon – and of Serenity, consequently – was that the kingdoms within her sphere of power shared in the long lifespans given by the _Ginzuishou_. Because Earth was seen as an evolving planet, not quite ready to gain such heady power, it was left out of the pie. Even though the Golden Kingdom rivaled, in its own way, the seat of the Silver Millennium on the Moon, it was regarded in the same way a human nowadays regards a monkey. Close, but no cigar."

"The _Ginzuishou_ is so powerful as to give thousands of people immortality?" Minako whispered, awed. Of course, Luna had told of its immense ability to destroy worlds, and Usagi had decimated the evil of Metallia from Earth as well as resurrecting the Moon Kingdom; but one planet at a time! Not nearly six!

Taking a handful of the yellow popcorn, Alex said matter-of-factly, "Well, you remember the crystals needed to act as a focus in each kingdom just to channel magic to every corner. Like electrical sockets, they merely plugged into the power of the _Ginzuishou_ itself, which gave them all the juice needed to work. And it only took a little bit; mages would add their own spells and crystals to spread out the magic to make everything livable. It was the failure of the _Ginzuishou_ to power everything as much as your soldiers' spirits being closed off to your planets that effectively wiped out our system's population.

"The long life was simply channeled through the crystals as well. But immortality was reserved only for the sailor soldiers; and that was of a magic older, more primal, than the _Ginzuishou_." She munched neatly on the popcorn between words, licking the butter from her fingers like a cat. "At the prime of your lives, had you lived that long, you would have been ageless until you were killed in battle, but most, I was told, never made it that far. But it makes an ironic kind of sense; keep the powerful avatar of your planet alive despite Time, so that you don't have to diddle around waiting for the next while the poor thing gets too old to kick over their head or even fight without pissing themselves. Then they'd die, then allow the next to be awakened usually as a squalling infant in need of teaching. All of it had a sort of cosmic logic to it."

"So we could live forever?"

"Theoretically. Like I said, sailor soldiers tend to die rather quickly. Uniform a dead giveaway and all, and usually, the fights you were sent into weren't just quick ‘blast ‘em all and let the gods sort ‘em out' shebangs. Oh no. Mostly it was a pissed creature from outside of the system, sneaking in and attempting to take over the galaxy. Big things that could turn you inside out."

Minako gulped, turning an interesting shade of green. "I see."

The tall red-head began to absently bob her head to the next song, the only sign she gave that she was even paying attention to Minako's selection. "The sailor soldiers were revered for being avatars of the planet, powerful, and willing to go out in a blaze of glory for the good of all. Those who survived and lived on to fight more battles were practically worshipped; I guess the Mars of two lifetimes previous to Rei's first incarnation was thought to be not just the protector but the creatrix who formed Mars by her flames. Lots of girl power worship back then.

"But the wielder of the _Ginzuishou_ itself had only a certain amount of life in her, a cycle of a thousand years that, from what I understand, came from the symbiotic nature of the crystal itself. It kept the queen alive, rendered her barren upon the birth of her first – and only – child, gave her the time to rear the girl properly, then promptly withdrew itself to link with the daughter. The queen would die exactly a thousand years after she was born, and the princess would take her place."

"_Na-ani_?!" Minako choked, nearly spitting saliva and Coke across the table. Slightly drooling, she stared at Alex, who was contentedly eating another handful of popcorn and apparently not fazed by the reaction. "That's…that's terrible!"

She did have to admit it was interesting, though.

After all, she never recalled such a fact in her memory, but then, it was highly possible that she, as Venus, was never told. She was expected to die quickly after all, and what business was it of a sailor soldier to know the time of her queen's death? Still, it was a rather gruesome bit of information, one that had her looking uneasily up at the ceiling and her sleeping princess just on the other side.

"Well, a thousand years is a hell of a nice lifespan," Alex cut in dryly, peering into her coffee cup with annoyance. Plucking out what looked to be a white cat hair – Artemis had been ‘investigating' her shelves, none too subtle about his search for tuna fish – she flicked it from her finger into the nice carpeting. "And it puts a bit of a leash on any wrongdoing. Feel like being a dominating hell-bitch? Great, you've only got a thousand years to do it, and everyone else has just as much time as you. Granted, the long lives of the citizens tended to overlap the reign of the queen, but for the most part they outlived the majority ruler. You knew you had a certain amount of time to do your job, and that's it. No extensions."

"So…" Minako drawled slowly, suddenly quite intent on her can o' Coke. "If we could…theoretically….live forever—"

"…ah," Alex cut her off masterfully, setting her cup down. "That's what this little soul-baring session is about."

Innocence personified, not a sullied hair to be found, gentlemen, Minako said, "Ne?"

Too bad the tall red-head wasn't fooled. She deftly removed the source of Minako's current infatuation, setting the can out of staring range. Then she lightly lifted her by the chin to meet her eyes when Minako refused to do it herself. "You think you could be alive in Chibi-Usa's future."

"…ano...that wasn't what I talked to you about, at first, but…I think now…."

"Minako, Minako." Removing her hand, Alex leaned back in her seat, focusing her eyes on a point not quite past Minako's head. "I figured the fact she was talking about the future, hers or anyone else's, had you thinking about yours. But I guess now you're also wondering if maybe you'll get to find out…" She tipped her head, saying, "ne?" almost coyly.

The long-haired blonde nodded slowly, flushing deep crimson to the roots of her hair. "I…I've been wondering about it, but I always wondered if I'll ever get to just stop being Sailor Venus. But that's the problem." Frowning, she touched the tip of her thumbnail to her lip, pressing hard. "If I find out my future – if I find myself – it means I never did. I don't want to know that," she whispered, almost too quiet to be heard. "I don't want to know that I can't live out my years truly as Aino Minako, that I have to give up my dreams and my loves and my entire life to fight."

Slowly, the CD was spinning to the end, and it signaled for them both to glance, unevenly, at the clock. 2 A.M. "It's late. You need to get some sleep; you do, after all, have school tomorrow," Alex commented, in an abrupt divorce from the topic that had Minako staring at her. The tall red-head stood, taking the popcorn bowl and her cup for a last trip to the kitchen as Minako, dressed as she was for bed already, slipped down onto the other couch. It had been prepped for sleep hours before, with a nice thick blanket and a pillow of just the right firmness to make a person weep.

If she noticed the candles seeming to turn themselves off on their own, extinguishing as if by invisible fingers, she ignored it. Curling up beneath the blanket, she heard Alex walk back to the table, taking the half-full can. "Sleep well, Minako; and maybe in the future, you're doing the very same; peacefully dreaming."

  
It was unfortunate that she was both right and horribly wrong at the same time.

But on a planet so laughably small as to be, possibly, merely a habitable asteroid of the Kuiper Belt, another slept well in her place. His dreams were of bloody revenge and a particular sexual fantasy, but he did, to his taste, sleep excellent.

He awoke with the sunrise, which, seeing as they were so far away that the gigantic yellow star was a tiny little dot in a cold sky, was more thoughtful than scientific. Nevertheless he woke by his own particular schedule, stretching a body that was still pleasing to the eye – very much so – despite their diet regimen. Tall but compact as an athlete, he had retained his muscles merely for show, each pectoral perfect, abdomen washboard. He took pride in staying so fit, because who knew when he would finally find his one true love kneeling before him, begging to be allowed to touch him?

Well. ‘True love' was maybe stretching it ludicrously. ‘Massive infatuation' was more in the ballpark, ‘stalking victim' even closer. He had no mistaken belief that she loved him. He merely desired her constantly, aching for the need to have her, warm in his bed and possibly crying with those eyes for mercy. Yes, he rather liked that idea.

Demand slid from beneath the sheets – silk, a rare enough commodity on Earth after the ice, and the only material fit for a prince – to stroll across the cold floor, ignoring the temperature as he donned a robe of white silk and tied it temptingly loose at his waist. As if his demeanor dictated his tolerances he had no notice of the cold, and would often brave the chill with flimsy bedcovers and clothes inside of his chamber. He had a bit of a guilty pleasure watching his little brother, Saphir, emotionless as he was, trying to keep his teeth from clacking as he delivered his reports just inside of the doorway. Priceless.

Palming a remote device from his bedside table, he flicked an image on above the projector near the wall, quivering slightly from anticipation. Though the woman never changed in her expression or pose, a fanciful painting he had found and copied during the siege, he hungrily devoured every curve and hollow. As always he longed for her eyes to be open, but he had no chance of that until he had the real thing.

Beside her body he dressed himself, taking pride in his clothes as he did every other aspect of himself; each fold and pleat perfect, stain-free, shoes so clean as if they had never trod upon the ground. His grooming regimen was only slightly quicker, as he merely had to comb his hair, attend to his teeth and skin, and lightly dab a bit of cologne at the hollow of his throat. Stray hairs were never a problem, as he had rid himself of the entire problem years ago.

Though he was a prince in name rather than blood or title, he looked every inch the part.

Smoothing back the drapery of his cape, he strode out of his rather large chambers and into the badly lit hallway that connected all of his allies' private room. Exiting out of another door was Rubeus, looking scorched and irritated from his last battle against the sailor soldiers. Demand barely gave him a glance; though the information the red-head had brought back was valuable indeed, his defeat was a mark against him.

Nonetheless, he gestured imperiously for him to follow, ripping open a portal with the fingers of his free hand. Alerted to the noise, Esmeraud appeared in the door of her room, coinciding with the silent opening of Saphir's door. Neither had to be told to follow, and they filed through the black, jagged tear after their prince.

They stared at the bodies of three young girls as they lay on the floor once they stepped through, the smell of their unwashed skin becoming rank. Esmeraud make a show of covering her nose and mouth. "To have brought the fabled sailor soldiers down so low! How terrible that they submit to such a stink after only a few days; perhaps they've begun to rot?"

"They live. And they are of use to us." In the darkness sparked an unholy light; and the light became Wiseman's roiling, tempestuous crystal ball, the only true illumination in the room as the robed seer appeared before Demand. "Though their forms are fragile despite their blasphemous intentions, they can be used as examples. Destroyed, like the sacrifice."

Demand was too dignified to sully his shoe by nudging the closest of the three girls, but Rubeus, his spirit tempered by a sound defeat the day before, pushed at the blue-haired genius hard enough to illicit an unconscious gasp. She flopped bonelessly, an arm slapping across the dark-haired shrine girl's waist, pressing the two together in a lazy spooning position. "But they're useless sacks of flesh," Rubeus snapped.

"So useless that the last of the guardian soldiers defeated you, Rubeus?" Esmeraud drawled lazily, snapping open the feathered fan she kept close at hand. Waving it lazily to dispel the rather moist stench, she ignored the red-haired man's blazing, fierce stare at her, turning fawning emerald eyes to Demand. He ignored her effortlessly.

"Wiseman, you told me of a troubling vision; repeat it for us now," the prince commanded on a sudden switch of topic. Though the robed seer knew he was the true power in the room, able to smash them all without hesitation – and he should have done it, if only to send them as company to the four sisters who had failed him – he bowed his head in subservience.

His insubstantial hands continued to flow around the ball in his lap, images flowing like the waves of a troubled sea within. He said, "Rubeus was defeated by the lone guardian soldier, Venus, but also another. A soldier who sleeps now, but stands awake at the side of the sailor soldiers in the 21st century."

Esmeraud, the youngest and almost viciously defensive of the fact, looked puzzled. Rubeus, though he had seen the soldier himself, was almost equally puzzled but derisive. Saphir, being the scholar he was, allowed himself a fractional widening of the eyes in slow shock; and his brother, the eldest of them all, wore only a grim frown. "She Who Is Fire and Flame," the prince murmured slowly.

"_Hai_…the Crystal Guardian," Saphir added, running a hand through his perpetually tousled hair. "Of course; she was put into sleep by the cataclysm. She would still walk in the 21st century, at the side of the sailor soldiers."

Rubeus snapped, "And so what? It's just another girl. She couldn't defeat me. There's no worry to be had over another brat."

The harsh, repetitive hacking in the room had them halting the argument before it started, but it wasn't until the sound ended that they realized what it had been. Wiseman, laughing. "Foolish, impetuous boy. The Crystal Guardian was sworn to protect the royal family. She is the fire itself; it comes to her summons without the aid of magic or oaths. Nothing is hidden from her, not even the tiniest secret in your mind." The seer sounded almost angry. "And she cannot be killed by human weapons. To have her in untouchable sleep is what allowed for us to invade the city; awake, she would have struck every soldier down."

"You make it sound as if she's some sort of god," Esmeraud said distastefully.

"Not a god. The legends say that she is rightfully protector of a greater power; but that she accepted the queen's offer to protect her blood, like a humble knight," Demand remarked in kind, almost as if reciting from memory.

Rubeus seemed ready to stomp his feet in irritation, angered at the talk. "Ridiculous! Calaveras may have cowered from her, but she couldn't even dismiss my flames. Like children scared of the ghosts—"

"You idiot." Saphir managed to put a lot of wrath into such a quiet statement. "You blithering fool, would you use the equivalent of a bomb against an ant? She is a weapon to be wielded only in the worst of circumstance, not to swat a careless little idiot like you. Only when the royal family is in mortal danger would she bother with such power."

"How true, Saphir," Wiseman said mildly. "Most likely she found it convenient to disrupt Calaveras' spirit to fight."

At this, Rubeus seemed to be puzzled. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the seer, obviously thinking, but Demand once more steered the conversation away. "And what are we to do now? The last of our troops are gone; Calaveras is the last of the sisters to have fallen in battle. Has anyone an idea?"

Proving she had at least a modicum of intelligence, Esmeraud said, "Well, surely the rabbit will come back. Perhaps we should wait until she returns, and most likely she will bring allies."

"That's quite true," Saphir remarked. "When she vanished, she went by a different path through time; an opening that was made to do so. Not the shoddy tears we've made. Certainly it would be easier for her to haul her new friends with."

Esmeraud crooned, reaching with her fan to trace the curve of Demand's chin with its feathered edge. "My prince, allow me to prove my faith to you. I'll capture the rabbit once she steps back on the soil of the 30th century, and she will give us the keys we need to finally destroy the Crystal Palace once and for all." Tilting her head with a jealous light in her eyes, she added, "And I'll make of the queen a gift to you, my sovereign lord."

Demand pushed the fan away with the tip of an index finger, not so much as acknowledging her flirt as he said, "See that you do. If the rabbit were to escape us and reach the palace with the soldiers, it could destroy our victory."

Wiseman dissolved as the prince, gesturing for his brother to follow, abruptly turned to leave. Though Saphir was to follow he would have to open his own door; Demand's closed on the heel of his shoe with an inch to spare. Imperious to the end. "I distrust him," Rubeus snapped in the silence that followed.

"My brother?" Saphir asked lowly, turning in the darkness towards the red-haired man. But Rubeus shook his head in the negative, snorting.

"Wiseman. I think, sometimes, he merely uses us as pawns; that the _Jakokusuishou_ is not as powerful as he claims. That he needs us to do his work for him." By the mirrored looks of suspicion on Esmeraud and Saphir's faces alike, he knew he wasn't alone.

Esmeraud snapped her fan shut, pressing the back of her hand to her nostrils. "His knowledge of this girl in the 21st century….how odd that Calaveras would know of her as well, to be scared of her. She's younger than I; how would she have such information?"

"From Wiseman, perhaps," Saphir offered. "More than once I caught him talking to them, though in meetings he would never even acknowledge their presence. Perhaps it's better they've been killed; perhaps he was plotting with them."

"Perhaps," Esmeraud murmured.

For once, it was a glorious day in Tokyo.

And thank the _kami_, it was a Sunday.

Out of the window of the upstairs den Chibi-Usa stared, watching the birds fly by. It wasn't the highest she'd been above ground, but the view was decidedly different. More alive and warm. Definitely beautiful.

She still wasn't sure that she wanted to return home. In fact, she was hesitant, knowing that it would be a terrible sight; dead, as opposed to the city she saw now. It made her want to forget everything and just stay put, sleeping forever at the Tsukino house or here, ensconced in comfort, a lost cousin who wasn't really a cousin at all.

But she had a duty to fulfill, a strong sense of loyalty that both her parents had given her driving her to it. Instinctively she clutched at the crystal and key around her neck, the crystal's cold facets again driving a tiny dagger into her heart. Only her mother could make it warm; her mother might never be able to do so again. She wanted to cry, and it wasn't until she felt the heaviness on her cheeks that she realized she was doing so.

  
And there was also the sight of Luna P, rolled lifeless into the corner. Eyes dim, the mechanical toy could do nothing to comfort her until another power crystal had been inserted into its core. Though it was merely a machine invented to protect her, she had long ago begun to rely on it to always be there at her side, beeping quietly. To have it so cruelly dismantled broke her heart, and she knew it was unfixable; the crystal that powered it simply did not exist yet.

Not to mention the fact that coming to this time had broken one very serious rule.

She shivered to think, poignantly, of what her punishment could be. Even though she had done it with the best of intentions, she knew she had done an unforgivable thing…and now, in the light of day, she realized as well that she could have very well have changed history. It had never once entered her mind before.

In the next room she could hear Usagi and Mamoru, their voices carrying through two sets of open doors. Earlier she had peeped in, being the precocious, curious child she often forgot she was, to see them almost feverishly kissing one another. It was an anxious thrust of hips and tongue they shared, a heat that was obviously shared but not consummated. She recalled her own parents and their chaste kisses by comparison, their cravings satiated by one another often enough to prevent such need. They gave of their love to each other freely; by comparison, the _odango_-haired blonde and her dark-haired prince seemed to hold back, perhaps for their morals, or her inexperience.

Strangely she was reminded of her parents, and there had been moments when, as they stood as joined in the sunlight, a dark, solid silhouette, she had whimpered their names so perfect was the image. How silly, of course; Tsukino Usagi no Sailor Moon, the most powerful sailor soldier, was too…childish to have ever been her mother. Unladylike and rambunctious, she was no better than a child herself, in Chibi-Usa's opinion.

When her father had told her the legends of Sailor Moon, of her power and uncompromising love, she had always pictured a woman like her mother; sophisticated and a true gentle lady. Her mother had always laughed at the comparison, saying it had never been like that, and Chibi-Usa had always mourned that Sailor Moon had vanished before she had been born. Died, perhaps, in glorious battle, no one would tell her.

Now, seeing the soldier in person, Chibi-Usa was just a bit angry. A crybaby was not the kind of girl who should have born such a mantle of power, and it had infuriated her that such a child bore such a magnificent legend. Something obviously had lost between reality and fantasy. And yet, still, she had seen the _odango_-haired blonde in battle; seen her take each loss like a physical blow, yet retaining herself throughout. Only a strong soldier would have taken defeat so well.

Could she…._would_ she…take the strongest sailor soldier to her future to save it? It was easy to accomplish – Tsukino Usagi did not exist in the 30th century as she knew, as Sailor Moon had ceased fighting in the 21st – but could the girl save her mother? Though she had always assumed the sailor soldier had been the protector of the _Ginzuishou_ before passing it to her mother, both of them having the blood of the past lunar kingdom in their veins, could a 14-year-old girl know how to use it? Protecting the sacred stone was one thing; using it was entirely different.

In bare feet she crept downstairs, clad in an oversized T-shirt the tall red-head had found in her closet – a washed-out, comfortable black fading to grey – smelling coffee and the baked smell of pancakes and waffles. She could see Minako's blonde head in the kitchen shoveling strawberries, cream, and miniscule waffle chunks into her mouth, swallowing mouthfuls big enough to choke her. As she wandered into the doorway she saw Artemis and Luna sharing a bowl of cream, moving their tails this and that way to avoid being stepped on as Alex moved around the kitchen making breakfast.

The pink-haired child felt a lump rise in her throat at the strangeness of it all; a comfortable, relaxed presence that was oddly domestic, a cheery tableau she had never experienced herself. Her parents, loving and attentive as they could possibly be, had always been far too busy to cook meals for the family, leaving the task for servants. A happy household for Chibi-Usa had never consisted of shared dinners with less than seven people. Consequently, she realized, she didn't even know if either parent could cook.

Alex noticed her first, though she said nothing as Chibi-Usa continued to stare at the room in its entirety. Then she said, "Chibi-Usa? Do you want some breakfast?" waving a spatula at the plate of steaming pancakes sitting on the cutting board, piled some twelve high. Bacon lay draining on a paper towel next to it, a plate made of eggs – over easy – bacon and sausage already sitting in wait for Mamoru out of the way.

"_Sensei_ cooks! I'd forgotten all about her cooking," Minako managed to say around another mouthful of food. "I'm going to just live here and become a fat sailor soldier, content to eat all day long…"

"So we can roll you into battle like a cannonball?" Artemis muttered dryly from the floor.

Chibi-Usa crawled onto the other stool, staring quizzically at Minako's plate. It looked as if a bomb had hit it, the waffle shredded and soaked with strawberry juice and melting whipped cream, a few whole berries left rolling in the liquid. "Ne, what's that?"

Minako speared a strawberry with her fork, letting it drip before she shoveled it into her sticky maw. "This?" At the child's nod, she said brightly, "Ara ara, the future has no strawberries? Chibi-Usa-chan, you've been deprived!"

"A strawberry? Ano…so they're…red?" She picked one for herself out of the cooling sludge, staring at it as the juice dripped down her fingers. "They're so big, too…"

"There's no strawberries in the future?" Luna sounded a bit suspicious – if not worried; for such a common fruit to be non-existent, something drastic must have happened, and Chibi-Usa had yet to truly explain the situation.

The pink-haired child frowned down at the black feline, licking experimentally at the red, syrupy fruit. "Of course there are. But they grow so small, and darker in colour….they're very rare."

"Are you sure you're not confusing them with blackberries?" Alex asked over her shoulder blandly, pouring the last of the batter into the pan.

Whatever Chibi-Usa said was lost in a moan of joy as she bit into the fruit, juice and syrup spilling down her chin as it simply melted into ooze between her teeth. Taking it as a sign of agreement, Alex flipped the new pancake onto a plate holding two recently made, and got a carton of strawberries in syrup out of the fridge to pour on top. Chibi-Usa squealed as the plate, a fat dollop of cream set atop, was placed in front of her. She began to steadily devour it much in the same way Minako had her waffle, as if forgetting the simplest rules of etiquette in favour of a delicious breakfast.

"I anticipate a shopping trip once this is all over," Alex muttered.

At her feet, Artemis blinked at Luna and said, "Why?"

"Because once _tsukimidango_ gets down here and finds food, the three of them are going to leave a mess behind to rival the San Francisco earthquake," the tall red-head snorted, "and I'm going to need some serious cleaning supplies."

Sure enough, as if called Usagi appeared in the doorway, her loyal prince at her back. "Ne," she purred, sniffing the air, "I smell breakfast."

"Uncanny," Luna drawled.

Alex promptly handed Mamoru his fixed plate, shrugging with a mildly mischievous smile to his surprised stare, and handed Usagi an empty one. "Go to it. Just leave the trimming on the walls, please? I just re-painted."

"I do not eat that much!" the _odango_-haired blonde squeaked, though she found herself smiling as she realized it had been a joke. She stared at the tall red-head's retreating back before turning to the pancakes, spearing several. Even the cooking ability matched Moriya's; just maybe she was going to have to allow the American into her life after all.

Minako vacated her seat so Usagi could settle down – though it put her and Chibi-Usa within line of sight of one another, both appalled at the other's messy eating habits, both unwilling to consider themselves so crude – and put her plate in the sink to wash. Mamoru used the cutting board as a table, and for a while the kitchen was reasonably quiet as they all found themselves busy with their own little tasks. Domestic bliss at its most surreal.

It was too bad Chibi-Usa, by her very existence at the table, represented the mild pall cast over everyone's thoughts. Minako's confession about the future hit very close to what the problem was; the child represented an uncertain fear they all had in regards to their lives. Would they possibly live to see the future Chibi-Usa called her home? Would they even live to see a year from now, or a week? Taking on their mantles of power had cast them all into doubt, but the pink-haired child had quite abruptly reminded them of their expendable lives.

The clunk of dishes in the sink was the only deviant noise in the room, save that of silverware scraping plates. Minako, in a rare display of domesticity, offered to dry as Alex washed; Artemis' comment in the positive towards it (or negative, depending on your translation) gained him a wet dishrag in the face. Usagi's disparaging remarks in regards to Chibi-Usa's table manners turned into a furious snap of teeth across the table, a scene so odd everyone stopped to watch until Mamoru managed, by grace or luck, to put a stop to it.

"She who would be queen, behold her serene presence," the tall red-head sighed, rinsing off one last dish.

Chibi-Usa's sudden change of attitude was startling to behold. Eyes the colour of an albino, such a pure mix of white and red, focused past Usagi and her prince to a spot on the wall, as if she had seen an apparition. Mamoru noticed; Usagi, oblivious, was still eating. And she was oblivious still as that stare came down on her head, intent on details that the dark-haired prince couldn't guess at. Finally, in the absence of general conversation in the room, her question seemed thunderous: "Queen?"

The snap of heads up and around was sudden and, in the main, reluctant. Warily, the two felines glanced up towards Alex, who was meeting Chibi-Usa's eyes with a strangely intent look of her own. Searching, maybe. After all, the child had known of Sailor Moon, and coming from the future as she claimed was bound to have known of the soldier's royal blood. But Chibi-Usa's surprise – more accurately disdain – seemed at odds with her knowledge up until now. "Usako is…" Mamoru started to say, unsure, until Alex raised a hand to stop him.

She was still staring at the pink-haired child. Muttering a curse beneath her breath in French, she touched a hand to her temple as if annoyed, glancing away finally from Chibi-Usa. "Chibi-Usa, what do you know of Sailor Moon?"

"That she was the strongest soldier."

"And that's all?"

"That she was Tsukino Usagi, and that she carried the _Ginzuishou_," the child added.

The _odango_-haired blonde began opening her mouth, most likely to start yelling, but another raised hand stopped her. Alex closed her eyes as she said, "And no one told you about her past?"

"Mama and papa only told me bedtime stories. Of great battles and victories. Mama told me Sailor Moon had been an ordinary girl, but she had been strong, stronger than any soldier in the galaxy. But," and here she frowned, "mama never said she was such a klutzy, childish, stupid girl."

"_C-c-chotto_!" Usagi sputtered. "I am not stupid!"

"You are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Quiet, both of you!" Luna snapped from the floor, stamping her paw. "Both of you are acting like immature babies!"

Both girls flinched in an eerily similar manner, their reactions nearly perfect. "_Gomen ne_," they both warbled petulantly.

Frowning, Alex stared between the two slowly as they both bowed their heads in a contrite manner, oblivious to the strawberry goo getting on their hair as it sort of…flopped onto their plates. Muttering again in French, a slightly longer curse this time, she said, "She has her faults, but no one's perfect. As Princess Serenity she was just bad, and gods know it was only a gaggle of handmaidens and instructors who kept her from constantly tripping on her face."

"Serenity…? Princess Serenity?" Chibi-Usa's face transformed again, into one of extreme disbelief as she looked across the table at a maddening Usagi.

"We were all reborn," Minako cut in, noting Alex's lack of chastisement for the interruption. "Millennia ago, we all lived on other planets, and Usagi-chan was Princess Serenity, of the Moon Kingdom."

Chibi-Usa smiled. It made perfect sense now; Usagi had to be an ancestor. She had died, passed the holy stone on to her mother, and one day, she would receive it. Everything that had seemed so muddled in history was now clear. "_Obaa-sama_, I'll call you now."

Sputtering. Artemis, surprisingly, was trying not to laugh, but then again, so was Alex. Mamoru looked as though he was caught between laughing and trying to maintain his stern, adult stance. Luna was speechless, and Usagi was, well, horrified. "_NA-ANI_!? How dare you, you, you, you little brat!"

That did it. Composure lost, everyone in the room but the two in the middle of the whole mess broke up laughing. Usagi's screeching protests were simply lost in the noise, but then, weren't they always?

Later that night, they assembled in the park. It seemed somewhat ironic that such a piece of idyllic nature in the city proper seemed to be the centerpiece for many of their problems. Even the Tokyo Tower, with its almost inherent ability to lure all that was bad and monochrome dressy, didn't have so many hits beneath its belt. And sadly, both places still bore scars from those battles, though the park was in far worse condition. They had to literally break in, the gates now locked at their common entrance and the interior taped off, to prevent any worse trauma to the greenery. What they saw was sad. "I…I didn't think we'd done so much damage," Minako whispered, as if a loud noise would disturb the fragile ecosystem.

"Terrible, isn't it?" Alex murmured back, lightly jingling a set of keys and their chains in her palm. She had driven them to the park in, of all things, a black Saturn. Not exactly the epitome of filthy stinkin' rich that they had figured her to be, though granted, the thing was loaded to the teeth, all leather and chrome and an engine that was definitely not factory floor. But all she had said was, in reply to Minako's sarcastic comment, "What did you expect, a Porsche? It has no passenger space, hideous body design, and it's bloody stick shift. How else do you expect me to chauffeur the princess and her court around, a refurbished limo in pearly Cadillac white?"

It had been a good point.

So they had driven here, through traffic that was still ridiculously congested due to the constant stream of nightlife that refused to die despite the growing lateness of the hour. Though Chibi-Usa had said nothing about needing darkness to do whatever she needed to send them through time, they had all opted to wait. Partially to nap, to think; and to assume that the flashing lights that were bound to occur would just be forgotten as someone's personal firework display. In the city, it was possible; it was just the brilliant light and acts of healing or earthshaking that was a bit hard to pass off as normal pyrotechnics.

Mamoru, with the pink-haired child riding on his shoulder, her broken toy clutched forlornly between her arms, formed a ragged triangle of protection around Usagi with Alex and Minako taking the lead. Both cats were draped like rag dolls over the shoulders of the two, Luna's whiskers twitching in a sure sign of nervousness against the tall red-head's cheek. "I feel a disturbance here still. As though the Black Moon destroyed more than trees."

"If they time-traveled, maybe they're doing it in an unorthodox way." The dark-haired prince held out a hand as if smoothing the air beside him, frowning. "Ripping open space and time violently, it would leave a mark."

"I see someone's actually been paying attention during science class," Alex remarked from the front.

Whatever he would have said in return was cut off as Chibi-Usa, sensing that very distortion, squirmed from his shoulders to shimmy to the stones. "They don't use the time door. They use a power that is evil and wrong to rip open holes to pass through, in disobedience to the sacred rule."

The pink-haired child's comment was obviously a repetition of something told to her, parroted as seriously as an adult. Fingers curling at her neck, she frowned as she added, "I violated the sacred rule, too. But I had to. I have to save mama, and papa."

"The sacred rule, Chibi-Usa-chan?" Luna asked slowly, piqued.

"The door must not be opened. Time must not be traveled." Her eyes, as bright and comic as a kewpie doll's, looked sad. She knew how serious that rule was, and that she had tap-danced right over it in complete violation. The guardian of the door would possibly be stern with her, but forgiving; but now she realized, with a sinking feeling, that her guests might not be allowed to pass through at all. Her entire mission could end in failure.

In the quiet that followed, Usagi emphatically said, "Let's transform, ne? We can't visit the future as ordinary people!" grappling with her brooch. It was mostly towards Minako, as they were the only two sailor soldiers left; the transformations of their two allies were something neither of them had really witnessed.

The long-haired blonde's response was to lift her transformation pen high, flashing the victory sign with her free hand. "Venus Star Power, Make Up!" she crooned, relaxing in the grip of her magic as it spun her around, teasing her with its growing strength and familiarity of her body. As it dropped her she blew off a kiss to her admirers – all seven of them, including a perplexed bird – posing jauntily. "To the future! Sailor Venus and the spirit of love will never die, in any age! Even when the hour looks weak, the guardian of the age of Pisces will pronounce victory!"

"Do you just think of these stupid speeches to bore the villain to death, Venus?"

"Why, _sensei_, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"And it's the Age of Aquarius, by the way."

Venus gestured foppishly. "Whatever."

Chibi-Usa was quietly giggling, though she was trying to hide it, ladylike, behind her hand. Venus' little song and dance had worked to break the mood, and she grinned as she gestured towards the _odango_-haired blonde. "Ne, Usagi-chan?"

Lifting her brooch just as high, Usagi cried out, "Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!" allowing herself to be lifted off her toes. Her power was more of an explosion as it exchanged Tsukino Usagi for Sailor Moon, sculpting her clothes into that of her fuku. The light was a brilliant, momentary flash that left them all strangely invigorated in its wake, blinking to see her smile and plant her hands on her hips. "For love and justice, the pretty soldier, Sailor Moon, will always triumph!" Her own pose was definitely unique, with a lot of hand and arm gestures, one of which nearly smacked Venus in the face. "In the name of the Moon, I will punish evil!"

"You know, during this wonderfully voyeuristic minute of posing and speeches, the enemy could have killed you both twice over."

"Ara ara, jealous, Guardian-sama?" Venus purred, the respectful title appropriate to the tall red-head's change in attire. Though hers had been vastly quieter, and more subtle, she stood at ease in her blue uniform and cape, fingers hovering above the empty sword scabbard on her hip.

"Realistic."

It left Mamoru as the only civilian left needing to change, and his was a tricky transformation indeed. Though he had managed to perfect it to the point where he could force his change without his beloved being in danger, his capture and subsequent death had done some very subtle alterations to his body. One being that he had lost the connection in his brain that had allowed him to access his power; and so he was again trapped to Sailor Moon's peril. Now was as good a time as any to break free.

He slowly flexed, recalling the sensation of his power. How it felt to bring the transformation on, knowing he was needed. That his aid had been summoned by a link to his princess, a bond older than the nations of the world. Catching her eyes with his own, he stared into the crystalline blue he had come to associate with peace, taking her gloved hand in his naked palm. Smooth like satin, but strong enough to act as body armor, he concentrated on the feel of her inside of it. Her power.

Like the breaking of a mirror Chiba Mamoru shattered, blown away on a sudden breeze to reveal the dapper suit and cape of Tuxedo Kamen. His reward was the bright, open smile of his princess, who whispered "Tuxedo Kamen-sama" in quiet awe.

Impulsively they kissed, melding into one another. When they parted, they blushed as Venus said, "Awwww!" longingly, most likely wishing she had her own prince to lock lips with; but Chibi-Usa was staring at them with a sad, wistful look, partially hiding below her toy. She turned away as the dark-haired prince frowned, taking hold of the key around her neck again.

He took it as a sign and parted from Sailor Moon, glancing at the Crystal Guardian and pointedly back at the pink-haired child. Saying without needing to vocalize that he trusted her to fulfill her duty; to be a commander and a maker of decisions. Nodding with a wry smile, the tall red-head said, "_Imouto_, the future awaits. We can't save your mother until you lead us there."

"_Hai_." She lifted the key into view to show the tiny glow deep within the decorative orb at its top, as if responding to a beacon none of them could see. "It has to work," she whispered desperately, looking up into the sky. If they had all looked up as well, they might have seen, amidst the white dots of the stars, a purple light that pulsated in time with the key. "It must," she added just as softly.

Like the transformations before her, she stabbed the key up towards the sky like a receptor for the lightning, bracing herself for the inevitable winds. "Time Guardian! Tear apart the sky and open the space-time door to me!"

And the winds did indeed start, though nowhere as pressurized as they would become. Still they whipped branches, ripping yellow police tape free and sending it over the wall. "I call the true name of the almighty god of time, the time guardian's father!" she cried, closing her eyes. "Cronos! Reveal to me the path of light!"

The light stabbed down from the sky.

There was no solid surface, nothing to give one a perception of confining space or depth. It played hell with the eyes, and nausea racked them all as they were thrown, no, hurtled, through the opening into this new dimension. Venus cried out as she landed wrong, twisting her knee, toppling over with Tuxedo Kamen riding her back. Sailor Moon fell backwards to crack her skull against her beloved's arm, her long ponytails tangling in the legs of the tall red-head flailing madly behind her.

Chibi-Usa, sucked up into the vortex seconds before it had taken them all, leaping after her frantically, was nowhere in sight.

"My head, my head!"

"Unggh, I've fallen, and I can't get up…"

"Are we there yet?"

"Luna? Artemis? Where are you!" Tuxedo Kamen called over the ruckus, still partially buried under a mound of girlflesh. The two felines had been like dead leaves in a hurricane; they had been ripped off their separate rides rather violently, and all he had seen of them was a matched pair of kitty tails-and-hindquarters.

The relentless weight finally eased off, and everyone got their feet, if hesitantly. Around them was darkness, but it was a living darkness; and as their eyes were adjusting, they could see, near and far, the mini swirls and reaches of the universes that held those lives. "_Sugo-o-i,_" Sailor Moon whispered, reaching out as if to touch them; but they stayed perpetually out of reach.

Against the backdrop in what seemed to be in front of them appeared Luna and Artemis, running to meet them. "We finally made it!" Artemis panted as they got close, skidding to a tired stop at Venus' feet.

"Where did you go? Is Chibi-Usa-chan with you?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"She isn't here?" Luna looked around slowly, a worried expression obvious on her furred face. "But she has to lead us, she's the only one who can!"

Picking up the black feline, the tall red-head agreed, saying, "She has the key. Without her guiding us, we'll be lost between time forever; or until someone else comes through. Not much chance of it happening, seeing as it's forbidden."

She added, "You'd think it would be easy to spot that ridiculous cotton-candy pink head."

They all traded looks.

"What can we do?" Sailor Moon queried, sounding worried. "Without Chibi-Usa-chan, we're lost, but we can't just stand here! We have to save the future!"

Wrapping his arms comfortingly around her, Tuxedo Kamen held his princess silently. Venus stroked Artemis' back, frowning in thought. "Maybe we can just…walk, and see if we run into her?"

The _odango_-haired blonde leaned into her prince, crystal blue eyes staring into the unfathomable expanse of darkness. This was terrible; she knew the pink-haired child was depending on them, on her, to save her family and future, and it may have already been in vain simply by their being lost. They would wander eternally between so many possibilities and realities, all of their powers and abilities unable to save them. And the future would be bleak, but they would never know.

She stifled a sob, feeling suddenly, violently useless. With Metallia, she had still had a chance; here, there was nothing. Nature was not forgiving, nor cruel; it simply existed. It didn't mean for them to be trapped, but that was simply how it worked. "No," she whimpered. "No, I can't leave it like this. We have to save the future, I promised her…!"

Her prince was puzzled as she left the solace of his arms, cupping her hands at her breast. Calling her crystal from its protective brooch.

Behind them, their allies had been arguing over suggestions of what to do, but the sudden release of power had them pausing. "Ne, Usagi-chan, what are you doing?" Venus asked finally, after a long minute.

"Finding Chibi-Usa-chan." Holding out her arms, the _odango_-haired blonde directed the crystal towards their seeming front, closing her eyes. The glow they had already learned to expect began to grow around it, illuminating their space with a gentle, pure light.

"Ah, _tsukimidango_, I don't think that's a good idea," the Crystal Guardian said as a warning, glancing around.

"I have to find her!" Sailor Moon shot back, nearly snapping it. So focused was she on her task that she didn't see the dots of light. Multitudes, millions, appearing in many of the galaxies and universes surrounding them; the echoing light of her crystal on a host of worlds. She realized her folly only when the faces began to surround her, thousands of similar blonde faces, all of them responding to her probing with their own power. They pushed at her like a stream, then a river; a torrent of lives, past and present, slammed into her finally, throwing her back as they crowded her. She screamed.

A hand closed around the living warmth of the stone itself, abruptly cutting off her control. Disoriented, she opened her eyes as she lay sprawled on the equivalent of the floor to see the tall red-head close her other hand to create a fist, a shield, around the crystal. "I told you that wasn't a good idea," she sighed.

Everyone was staring back and forth between them, before Tuxedo Kamen reminded himself that he was a gentleman and knelt to help his princess. She lolled in his arms, sweat beading on her forehead from the exertion; nay, the shock. "I don't…I don't understand…how…?"

"What happened?" the Crystal Guardian replied, opening her hands. Like a balloon it lightly hovered between them. But when Sailor Moon held out her own hand, it floated easily back to her, like a dog returning to its owner. "Simple; you were searching for the future _Ginzuishou_ she holds, correct? We're between time; there are, as you've seen, literally thousand incarnations of the holder of the sacred stone. You searched blindly, and they all responded to your call."

Venus pointed her finger off to their right. "So did that."

An ornate door, elegantly scrolled and massive, now stood there, closed.

But it was the woman that stepped out from behind it that wore an expression of severity that had them staring the hardest. Not because of her arrival, but because she wore the fuku of a sailor soldier in a deep, unreflective black. And she had a really damn big stick. "Halt! I will not allow you to go any further!"

An easy order to follow. Venus slid to point, fists clenched; behind her she sensed rather than heard her superior take up a similar protective position. Though the woman looked to be a sailor soldier, an ally, her arrival was suspicious at best. "We'll ask the questions, lady!" she snapped imperiously, lifting her finger, ostensibly to get her point across but in reality to aim. "Who are you to block our way?"

"The guardian of time. The wielder of the keys. My job is to eliminate any who break the sacred law; I am Sailor Pluto," she announced, sounding stern, but somehow almost childishly anxious, as if this was her first chance to do such a thing. Her rounded face and features still had the last remnants of baby fat before true maturity, framed by long hair that was so deep an emerald green it seemed black. The look in her ruby eyes was not quite ageless, but anticipatory; this was indeed her first such job to protect the door.

She swung her staff around to aim its heart-shaped head at them, whispering, "Dead Scream."

The wind that had sucked them into the light was nothing compared to the needling, sharp gale that came at them. Venus cried out in pain as it slammed into her, Artemis echoing her with a yowl of his own as he hunched at her feet. Then it abruptly stopped inches from her face, curving away and over her head, only to fade entirely as the attack ended. Not bothering to waste time checking in with her allies, she leapt up to shout, "Crescent Beam!" shooting the golden energy at the black-clad soldier.

Surprisingly, she seemed shocked that she was getting return fire, but she brought her staff up to ricochet the attack off and away into space. Again she said, "Dead Scream," buffeting Venus in mid-air before she could land safely, slamming her down hard enough to have her seeing dancing cabaret birds circling her head. But before she could get up and try again, the Crystal Guardian shouted, "Stop! Both of you, stand down!"

Ruby eyes looked around towards the blue uniformed soldier, frowning. But she pulled back to stand at ease, gripping her staff in its upright position. "My apologies, Guardian-sama. I recognize you all, but I cannot let you pass. It is forbidden."

"I know. I apologize as well for not recognizing you as well; you were an elusive soldier to visit." The tall red-head smiled wryly, eliciting a similar, if smaller, smile from the black-haired woman. "But we were led here by one with a key. Only from your grace can someone have one; and we need to find her."

This bit of information was surprising, to say the least. Pluto's expression seemed to crumple, twisting into an emotional mess. "Small Lady?" she whispered.

She swung around, touching the red jewel atop her staff, the size of her fist easily. Within was a steady glow, a beacon that was growing brighter even as they all stared at it. No one had to ask what it meant; the vagrant key was coming closer.

As if similarly called, a blob of sugar pink appeared within their sight, off to the left of the door. Closer it came, matching the brightening glow of Pluto's orb, until they could see two bobbing pigtails. "Chibi-Usa-chan!" Sailor Moon cried.

"Sailor Moon! _Minna_!" And then, plaintively, "Pu!"

The child launched herself into the black-clad soldier's arms, simpering. Luna P, dropped at her feet, rolled uselessly over towards the gathered soldiers, and Venus picked it up. "Pu, oh, Pu, I was lost! I brought them here, and I got lost, and I was so scared….!"

"Small Lady, you had me scared to death! I thought you were lost forever in time, unable to use the key…you broke your promise! Why?"

Chibi-Usa sniffled, wiping her nose messily on the sleeve of her uniform. She flailed at the soldiers, all of whom were still staring in rapt attention at the strange reunion. "I had to bring the past _Ginzuishou_ home with me; the crystal of the soldier of legend, Sailor Moon. I thought, maybe, it would be stronger than ours, and it could save mama and papa and everyone…so I went to the 21st century."

Pluto went to her knees, bowing her head in forgiveness to the child as she whispered, "You had me so worried, princess…! Breaking your promise and stealing a key, I had thought you lost. And it was for nothing; the _Ginzuishou_ is everlasting, no matter what era. All that matters is the knowledge of the user."

"Princess?!" Sailor Moon, and Venus, shrieked.

Both blondes were staring in blank shock and a bit of horror at the pink-haired child, who, still in Pluto's arms, had a rather haughty look on her face. And if they didn't know any better, the black-haired woman was trying hard not to start laughing. "I happen to be the princess, of course! I didn't tell you because you were all ordinary people—"

"Ordinary people!" Sailor Moon raged, flailing her hands. "I'm a princess too!"

"_Obaa-sama_!"

"Cheeky brat!"

"Sailor Moon, this isn't the time to start an argument!" Tuxedo Kamen cut in abruptly, doing his levelheaded best to stop the entire thing before it reached the razz of tongue stage. Then all they could've done was stepped back and tried to stay out of reach of the saliva.

The _odango_-haired blonde and pink-haired child flinched, chastened, but not quite mollified. They glared at one another across space, a length that had suddenly shortened without their knowledge by Pluto's presence. Luna sighed. "How unusual that two princesses can manage to be so childish."

"I think it's the pigtails. They're just tied too tight," the tall red-head offered.

Pluto rose, releasing Chibi-Usa to retrace her steps, taking up a position at the side of the door. In her other hand was the key the child had used, and she hung it on her belt as she said, "Enter the doorway; the future awaits."

Sailor Moon held her prince's hand tightly, releasing the tension they all felt as the door opened on its own. Chibi-Usa ran through it without waiting, disappearing into the light. Venus and Artemis slowly followed, along with Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon, Luna at her heels. Slowly they all disappeared from sight, leaving only Pluto and the Crystal Guardian, who asked mildly, "How could you let this happen?"

  
Ruby eyes looked away as the soldier sighed, fondling the keys at her hip. "I love Small Lady," she said softly. "I trusted her, but her mother's situation….she took me by surprise and stole the key. And I am bound by oath and duty to never leave the door, unable to have simply followed her and preventing this all."

The tall red-head looked around slowly, her eyes seemingly drifting nowhere in particular; but a galaxy far, far off to the right and above their heads was chiming with the klaxon of bells. A dissonant, worrying noise; it was associated most commonly with warning. Danger. "We've disrupted the natural order of time already, haven't we," she stated more than asked, looking back to Pluto.

"_Hai_." The guardian of time looked physically sick.

A shrug; the Crystal Guardian moved towards the door, blinking at the light. "I suppose we'll know if we irrevocably fucked it up if we cease to exist." With that parting statement she stepped through the way, surprised at the sensation of sudden weight as she left a world unburdened by time to one governed by it. On the trip in, she had been so buffeted by winds and knocked about that she had never noticed the change, and it was somewhat anti-climactic. Behind her the door closed, and she was nearly shoved up against Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon as they stood shocked, staring out over a destroyed, wasting hulk of a city.

"It's so terrible," Venus was saying, sounding pained. "Everything beautiful is destroyed."

Like a giant foot had stomped down, smashing all in its path, the city looked like so much broken glass and crystal. Everything had been made from the two materials with supports of wood and stone and man augmented materials, but it had all been crafted cunningly to hide the latter. It would have shone and reflected like a jewel in its entirety; now, the moon that hung low in the sky simply illuminated the tragedy.

All that truly remained was a giant spire of opaque white crystal, encircled by smaller, similar spires at its base. Like a child's rendition of a futuristic building, it was streamlined and utterly beautiful and looked entirely useless as any sort of living quarters. "So much crystal…the entire city was a giant focus," the tall red-head murmured, eerily echoing Makoto's prediction of days ago. "And this is the future?"

"Crystal Tokyo." Chibi-Usa was staring at the city with an unrecognizable expression, silent tears running down her cheeks. "A gigantic blast destroyed all of those buildings, killing people. Then the enemy came and released poison gas; it killed more people in the streets. I…I was protected, somehow…"

She squared her shoulders, preparing herself. And then she began to walk into the city itself, into the heavy mist that covered it all like a funeral shroud, thick and noxious. Sailor Moon never hesitated as she followed, pulling Tuxedo Kamen along, though Venus jogged ahead of her without saying a word, all of them followed by the cats and the Guardian.

The mist was cold, a chilling sensation that ate right down to the bone. Chibi-Usa's teeth were chattering, noisy over the silence of the dead city; Tuxedo Kamen moved forward to doff his cape, wrapping her in it. It wasn't enough, however, to kill the rotting smell of the corpses lining their path, many so far gone they were unrecognizable. Sailor Moon was making gagging noises, a hand clasped over her mouth. In unison – though the long-haired blonde was silent up until that point – both Venus and Chibi-Usa voided their stomachs onto the hard, frozen ground at the sight of a particularly gruesome pair of bodies.

"Strange how no animals seem to have been around," the tall red-head remarked a few minutes later. She knelt down near a large man, her push to roll him over enough to send Sailor Moon this time heaving off to the side. "No bite marks. By now, even stray pets would have started to gnaw on them. Are there any animals alive at all in this century?" She directed the question towards Chibi-Usa as she stood back up.

The pink-haired child, her eyes gone dim yards back, shook her head slowly. "_Iie_…only cows, and pigs. What we eat."

Tuxedo Kamen was muttering something beneath his breath that sounded suspiciously like a Buddhist prayer. He was helping his princess to his feet, wiping her sour lips clean with his sleeve like a doting parent with child. "Chibi-Usa, where are you leading us?" he asked over her head.

"The Crystal Palace." She stood several feet away, pushing limply at something in the mist, Luna P rolling listless at her feet. It took them all a minute to realize, sickly, that it was a swing; it had been a playground; there were bodies too small to be adults lying on the slides, hanging in another set of swings. All of them she had known, because there were simply too few children in the city for her not to have at least casual contact with them all. She wished she knew what she was feeling. "That's where mama is. Inside of the Palace."

Everyone was staring at her – most of them were pouting in that particular way that she had long ago recognized as an adult's expression of pity for the child. For what they were obviously not supposed to understand, or even really accept. Surprisingly, only Tuxedo Kamen and the Crystal Guardian seemed to have a twist to their mouths that meant they had not pity, but a sort of resonance to her situation. Mamoru; he had told her last night that he knew her terror, that he too had lost both his parents forever to a car accident. Alex had mentioned briefly that death had a bad habit of wearing her clothes, a cryptic statement Chibi-Usa had no idea to interpret.

But Usagi, Minako; neither of them had lost so much as a close relative. Nothing to really hit them so low in their guts that they felt their breath ripped out of them. Only friends brought back from the grave by the wish of a holy stone. And no matter what, that pain was only temporary.

Chibi-Usa nodded slowly to herself, pointing through the mist, past the destroyed and shattered crystal. Even at their distance the large black monolith was visible, sleek as the Crystal Palace – because that was the only thing the gleaming, perfect spire in the center of the city could be – and just as tall, like its sinister, negative twin. "That appeared after the blast. I saw it. I think they use it to travel."

"It looks like a giant crystal as well," Luna piped up from the top of a shattered fountain. Mist poured from the urn of a robed woman instead of water.

"Black crystal…like the earring that woman, Petz, threw at Jupiter!" Venus added, balling up her fists as though merely saying the name would invoke the green-clad witch back into the flesh.

Like a black hole, it seemed to absorb what tiny bit of light hit its facets, a dull, opaque, lifeless thing. "So the enemy knows how to use crystals. No doubt they used it to amplify their evil, as the Crystal Palace would amplify the _Ginzuishou_," the black feline said, picking the conversation back up after Venus' interruption. "To break the evil swallowing the city, we need to destroy it!"

Sailor Moon shook her head, looking away from the black monolith to stare at the palace, so translucent that it was barely visible through the mist. "If Chibi-Usa-chan's mama is inside of the palace, in safety, we should try and help her first."

Luna twitched her whiskers, musing over the idea. The _odango_-haired blonde didn't wait, however; she simply started off, glass and crystal crunching beneath her heels. Venus jogged to intercept her, gaining a somewhat irritated look from her princess at what she considered babying; the rest of them fell back into pace, a tired procession. All too soon they were passing through a wall of crystal into the front entranceway, though the absence of a door was… "That was strange," Tuxedo Kamen remarked.

"No door." The tall red-head swung Chibi-Usa and her toy up in one scoop despite her protests as someone began laughing. Echoing off the walls, it was distinctly unfriendly, and it grew almost screechy as the child was handed over to the prince. "I think we've been tricked; this isn't the palace, is it, Chibi-Usa?"

The pink-haired child shook her head in the negative as the laughter grew louder. Behind them, Venus adjusted her stance with the quietest click of heels on the ground, Moon turning about completely to stare off to their right, fists balled. With an easy twist, the Guardian closed her hand above her scabbard, the solid shape of a broadsword simply appearing to fill the once-empty space. The cats did a quick leap to stand guard at their princess's feet, despite their size.

In here, there was no mist, and it made the sudden entrance of the two men, standing side by side in front of the wall they had entered through, more unsettling. "Greetings, Rabbit! Welcome to your deaths!" they both gloated, assuming identical postures of arrogant waiting, arms crossing over their chests. "The legendary sailor soldiers. How sad that only two of you remain to be so easily destroyed."

"We're not so easily defeated!" Venus threw back, gesturing with a rude flick of wrist that had several sets of eyebrows lifting. "And who are you to think otherwise?"

Both men bowed, a splay of arms in almost foppish manner. "We are the Bull Brothers of the Black Moon."

  
The problem with having teenage girls who, having grown up most of their lives without any sort of knowledge of their magical powers or special abilities, become super heroines and get dropped immediately into dangerous situations, is that they simply don't think. Most will still be so assure of their newfound powers that they seem to think that any sort of plan or even time itself is a thing to be used as a weapon in itself, and that just blasting away will work.

Of course, all girls that age had such a problem, heroines or not.

So it was with the two sailor soldiers.

Before either man could elaborate any further – like maybe personal names, or their evil plot to kill them all, effectively giving them ideas on how to circumvent those plans – Venus snapped out with her chain, about to send her golden links flying as surely as her beam. Sailor Moon, seizing the opportunity alongside, held aloft her weapon, yelling, "You can't stop us! You captured Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and for that, you'll pay! Moon Princess Hala—"

There was a noise like the popping of a lightbulb.

Both attacks fizzled seconds before even fully forming, mere specks of promising light and nothing more. Two sets of jaws dropped in disbelief. Two sets of hands, and a few paws, smacked their foreheads. "We were interrupted before we could mention, with glee, that there is a shield around your very feet that is simply preventing your powers. Magic's cannot penetrate it," the leftmost twin sniggered.

He gestured to himself, light skinned and blue eyed, a reverse image of his twin – though both, oddly, had white hair. "Kiral."

His twin, dark skinned and red eyes, said, "Akiral."

Both said, "_Shi ne_."

From around the feet of the gathered soldiers rose a rapidly growing border of crystal, thick to the point of opaque. And it was true; Venus pointed her finger at the wall, shouting, "Crescent Beam!" only to have her finger pop and fizzle, slightly scorching her glove. "…_shimatta_!"

"Oh, how lovely, a beautiful cage to keep my rats inside!" The source of the grating, harsh laughter appeared just high enough for them to see above the wall, though she hid her pouting lips behind her fan. Esmeraud. "Kiral, Akiral, excellent work! Now, in sight of the ruins of the palace of the unholy, you'll all die worthlessly. My prince will love me and only me!"

Chibi-Usa trembled in Tuxedo Kamen's arms. The sudden hatred she felt for the woman was almost heady, a sensation she never had really felt nor needed before. She was one of the people who had destroyed her home; her people; and she felt no remorse for it. Screaming suddenly, needing to vent the anger before it grew inside like a weed, she threw Luna-P at Esmeraud's head. "No! No, no, no! You can't destroy the palace! It's protected by my mama and by a holy power that can stop you!"

Esmeraud, unused to such forms of combat – physical objects? Thrown at her? – barely ducked the flying toy. Still, it grazed the side of her skull, prompting her to shriek like a bean sidhe. "You little insect! You-you-rodent child!" she screamed, touching the faint mark at her temple, barely red. "Kiral! Akiral! What are you waiting for, kill them! Create the chemical reaction, blow them up!"

The wall loomed high over their heads, impervious to their magical attacks. "Smash it!" the tall red-head snapped, kicking it for emphasis. "Break it with your fists if you have to!"

The twins visibly started on the other side of the wall as the group began to physically pound on the crystal, kicking and punching at it. Apparently, they hadn't thought of such a simple thing, and they both began to shriek as the entire thing came tumbling down like cards, as easily broken as a thin plate of glass. The barrier, however, exploded hard enough to slam them all into one another, enough to rattle their heads. "Faulty spells," Kiral stormed.

"Not our fault!" Akiral agreed.

"Well, don't just stand there, do something!" Esmeraud snarled, making no attempt to do it herself. After all, that's why she had them. Both of them jumped, looking from their mistress to the soldiers, who were still shaking their heads. What the hell else could they do? Their one plan had been stopped; they were only minions, not intelligent, thinking individuals.

"Moon Princess Halation!"

Akiral became so much black dust, blown away from his twin's side. Kiral watched him fly away, twisting his body entirely away as he sighed; being an evil construct dedicated to being merely a disposable lackey was turning out to be a pretty shitty job. Though, surprisingly, he wasn't dusted yet, and he peered around curiously to see why.

Venus had pulled out a microphone.

Artemis was making gagging noises at the _odango_-haired blonde's feet at the sight of the golden, gaudy thing, which she held to her lips with a wink. "I feel past-tense today."

"That's ‘nostalgic,' Venus," the tall red-head muttered.

"Whatever." She held the mike out, pointing it at Akiral. "Venus Ten Billion Bolt Rock `n Rouge!" she sang, hitting a rather high note hoarsely. Like his twin, he was blasted into dust, though his death released the spell of illusion around them to reveal the mere yards they stood from the palace gates; Esmeraud, predictably, was nowhere in sight.

Chibi-Usa wasted no time in tearing herself away, fleeing the safety of their rough circle to pick up the small black dot that was Luna-P, dropping to her knees to huddle around the toy. If they had asked, she would have merely told them she was thanking the gods for saving them, though in reality she was trying desperately not to cry. She was too young to have seen all of this death, far too innocent and pampered and protected in the years previous to have so much forced on her so soon. It wasn't fair; but she was coping. She was Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, by the gods.

When they all walked up to her, some a tad quieter than the others, she simply stood up and said, "The Crystal Palace" and walked through the gates.

The gardens were still beautiful and growing, in sickening contrast to the death just feet away. Obviously, the structure as a whole was powerful enough to repel the Black Moon's evil, its death and subsequent decay. Water still flowed from the fountains, and the air was redolent with the scent of flowers and greenery. As they came closer to the castle proper, an immense ornate door, similar in design to that of the door Pluto still guarded, appeared within the crystal wall. Like it had always been there. At the touch of Chibi-Usa's hand it swung open noiselessly, revealing an immense chamber.

Pillars and marble walls served as decoration, the crystal soaring in arches above. Like a fusion with the Moon Palace, the scrollwork and carvings resembled pre-Roman architecture almost identical to that of the ancient building. The floors were alabaster, diamond and pearls and precious gemstones forming mosaics beneath their feet. But as beautiful as it all was, the eye was caught by the fanciful doorway off to the right, almost as grand as the entrance to the palace itself.

Chibi-Usa led them towards it, and they passed beneath thick pearlescent drapes tied back, into a chamber that held nothing but an altar.

Set high above the floor, carved with a robust goddess in modest robes and Roman pillars and scrollwork, it was like a piece of art in itself, even without the immense piece of crystal atop it that stabbed the air in multiple directions, rough but beautiful. From the doorway, it merely seemed lovely, like an expressionist sculpture; but as you came closer a shape took form inside of the facets, a face in repose becoming clear. "_Kami-sama_," Artemis whispered.

"Oh…oh, no," Venus moaned.

"She looks…peaceful…" Tuxedo Kamen said, staring slowly towards his princess as she, frozen like a deer in headlights, stared at the figure. "Peaceful, Usako…"

She lifted her hand, covering her mouth as if anything she said would profane the sacredness of the altar, of the room itself, stepping back. Next to her, the Crystal Guardian exhaled sharply, asking, "Chibi-Usa, who is that?"

"Neo-Queen Serenity," a different voice said, a girl's squeaky, lilting tone.

The 21st century fugitives looked towards the door, expecting someone to enter behind them, but Chibi-Usa looked down instead. "Diana! Diana!" she cried, a lavender-gray kitten, complete with a cute little bell at her neck, prancing out from behind the altar. She skidded towards the pink-haired child, allowing herself to be scooped up and appropriately nuzzled and cooed. "Diana, you're still alive!"

"Another talking cat?" Venus remarked quizzically, looking pointedly at the white feline draped over her shoulder. "Isn't two enough in the world?"

Diana purred in response.

It was then that they realized someone was indeed standing in the doorway, watching them all with a sad, wistful expression. The kitten leapt from Chibi-Usa's startled arms, scampering towards the man to plunk down at his feet, looking entirely innocent and adorable and horrifically, matching his outfit.

His hand passed through the drapes, gloved in white. But the suit he wore was a tone of lavender that no straight man should have been caught wearing, along with a matching cape lined in white satin. He even wore a domino mask, though it seemed silly when it was obvious who he was; who he had to be, with eyes the colour of a deep, restless ocean. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" Sailor Moon moaned, echoing everyone's surprise. "_Iie_….Mamo-chan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of sailor soldiers being immortal -- dying and being replaced only when killed in battle -- just made more sense than them living a normal lifetime. May just be me.


	19. Act 19 : tenchyuu - 30th Century

##### 

The day had been beautiful.

Setting up his store for the day's business – something of a joke, considering that money was a concept discarded ages ago – Jack Eigakusha lifted his head towards the sky to feel the sun. Though the air was still frigid enough for less-tolerant bodies to be wrapped up in coats, he always wandered on the streets in nothing but shirt and pants, hands in pockets for sake of occupying them than warming. The winters in England had been ball-busting cold, nothing compared to what was becoming milder weather as the years passed.

A transplanted Londoner, he had lived in Tokyo for a decade studying the entire archipelago for the basis of a book. By the end, after he had received the first check in royalties and given a minor award for its excellence, he had decided to make the residence permanent. He had chosen a new name based on its somewhat punnish nature; the kanji for England was also the kanji for a gifted person. And so he settled into his new condo, gaining a teaching job at the nearby junior high, wasting his royalties at the pachinko parlor, and winning himself the reputation of a crazed foreigner. An all right guy, if a bit soft in the head.

But the strange events in the city itself he had never transcribed, merely watched. The lights, the strange rumbles in the ground. Accounts of lovely girls dressed in the risqué uniforms of students lost on their ways to school, girls who had powers beyond reckoning. He watched, read, anticipating it all coming to an end in a most violent way. That was how such battles happened on TV; the slow build-up, the large crash. A final showdown.

It had happened, finally.

And one day, he had woken up to find frost on his walls.

Bending over him had been a sweet-faced girl, her serious eyes staring into his as she explained, patiently, what had happened. Why he was awake.

And why, ultimately, the entire world was cold.

She was a brilliant young lady, he knew now, and had argued passionately to awaken those in the city who could take over as teachers. Apparently, she had known his name, and together they had gone into the freeze-dried remains of one of the public libraries to liberate several volumes on farming. Public workers were thawed out, gardeners, florists. Most had no real clue how to till the soil, or to even nurture the frozen earth to working condition, but he taught them. Himself, and several other teachers. They showed them how to irrigate, plow, watch and wait.

When food was growing, grass and weeds flourishing along the cleared perimeter of what had once been the epicenter of Tokyo, they began to thaw out the cattle. Pigs. They released them to eat the greenery, to fatten them for the kill; and when the time came, and they had the meat, they began to awake a few more people.

Now he was content to be a giver, a smiling scholar going gray in the temples, handing out the books from the frost-damaged shelves. He didn't think of it as a library anymore, but as a storeroom, and he, the clerk. Most of the books salvaged from other such bookstores and libraries had been brought here, and he alone was given the responsibility of sharing the wealth. Mercury had been his biggest patron and supporter, often bringing more books as she she found them.

He straightened the sandwich board outside of the picture window announcing the library as "OPEN," dusting off a bit of condensation from the rough wood. The cloth was carefully folded and put in his pocket to dry later; even such commodities as cotton and wool were still absent from their world, available only in stores that had enough supply that had survived. Thinking of his lack of socks, he reminded himself mentally to go back to the store for another pair, and glanced skyward to estimate the time.

The sun blinded him, but it didn't matter, because the blast that tore apart the sky was just as bright and scathing to the eyes.

  
In the epicenter of that very city, still the epitome of loveliness and grace, the Crystal Palace seemed soulfully dead. The arrival of the 21st century fugitives had made the lack of life all the more acute, their heels clicking down hallways that echoed with the strength of caverns. Though the garden was flourishing, living green outside of the windows and walls, inside it was very, very still.

But there had been no click of heel on the floor when the lavender-suited vision had appeared behind them, no telltale swish of cape. Merely him standing there, as if he had simply formed out of the air itself. And none of them could even utter a word past Sailor Moon's moan of "Mamo-chan?" because it was quite obviously he.

Even though the "he" in question stood right beside his stunned princess.

Chibi-Usa finally broke the stifling silence, by flinging herself through their ranks like a pink torpedo, abandoning all pretense of dignity as she cried, "Papa! Papa!" But there was no reaching of arms on his end, merely a sad smile that stopped her in mid-run, faltering; yet she continued on hopefully, opening her own arms to embrace him around the waist.

She fell right through him, smacking the marble floor on her elbows.

The sound was rather loud, and they all winced. Sailor Moon took a step forward, obviously meaning to pick the child up; but the thought of having to reach through the man, of even coming close, was enough to push her back. He himself was looking back and down at the pink-haired child, rump up in the air as she lay on elbows and knees, obviously shocked. "Papa?" she whispered.

"Small Lady, _gomen nasai_. I wish I could hold you and keep you safe, but…" He spread his hands against the curtains, the fabric pale in colour through them. "Even projecting myself in such a manner is tiring; it takes all of my concentration to even present a suitable shape." Kneeling – and all of them noticed acutely that his feet and knees were an inch above the floor – he stroked his hand over her head. "You've been brave, Small Lady."

Tears welled up in her eyes, her lip quivering. She sat up to reach out her own hand, trying in vain again to touch him. When she realized she truly couldn't, she sniffled, bowing her head. "Papa…I came back to help mama. I brought Sailor Moon with me to save her."

"So I see." He rose to his feet, using the cane he had been holding loose at his side to lever himself up. With a flick of his wrist, he brushed his cape back and over his shoulder, out of his way. Every motion was silent. Behind him, they could see the blurry form of Chibi-Usa standing as well, her eyes red-rimmed, her posture slowly straightening. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I bid you welcome to the 30th Century. Good tidings to all of you, and I wish we weren't to meet under these circumstances.

"Our world is at danger. An enemy has destroyed our defenses, our city, and much of our population. The sailor soldiers were defeated. I was defeated. Our queen lies sleeping, safe in her crystal coffin but unable to awaken." He stepped further into the room, motioning with his cane with an expansive gesture towards the altar behind them. "My wife. My eternal love."

"Neo Queen Serenity," the tall red-head murmured, though in such a cavernous room her voice seemed louder, sharper.

"_Hai_. _Watakushi no aisai_, Neo Serenity _jo'ou-sama_. And I am so blessed to be her lover and confidant, Endymion _koku'ou-sama_." Now he smiled, finally, though the tics and spasms in his entire form revealed the strain it must have taken. "Your future selves, Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen. Names known only as legend and story for centuries."

As his expression smoothed back into placidity, the _odango_-haired blonde seemed to wobble. Her prince, ever gallant, held her in his arms as she shook from the realization, though truthfully, he felt the same way. A sudden weight seemed to have dropped on their heads; the knowledge that they had yet another thousand years of life, more battles and death to look forward to. What did they do on their birthdays? Call themselves trimillennials?

Chibi-Usa was staring at them as if they were ghosts, the shock open on her face. "Masaka," she mouthed. Her parents. Her parents, alive as teenagers, silly in love, in the 21st century. They had always called one another by the names she knew them as in her memory, their actions and speech and very being so calm and benevolent. So almost completely the opposite of what she had so far witnessed; it was no wonder she had never realized.

The king, Endymion, seemed amused, though it was more the stance of his body than any smile could ever show. With a step back, he twisted on his heel to reveal Chibi-Usa to them all, pressing his back literally into the curtains and part of the wall. "Small Lady, have you properly introduced yourself, as a lady and a princess should?"

Mouth flapping shut like a guppy, the pink-haired child seemed momentarily lost. But she was then curtsying like a little lady, neat and proper, as she said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are in good health, and I wish you peace. I am Usagi Small Lady Serenity, daughter of Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion, heir apparent to the throne of the Silver Millennium. I bid you welcome and good tidings."

"Uh," was Sailor Moon's brilliant, eloquent response. Behind her, Venus grinned evilly, though she would have argued that it was merely innocent.

"To think. All this time, she really was Usagi-chan's pink-haired love child."

"MINAKO-CHAN, THIS IS SERIOUS! How could I have a child!?"

"Well, it's rather easy: you see, the mommy and daddy get very happy one night—"

"_ECCHI_!"

  
"You asked."

Tuxedo Kamen could not possibly be any redder by this point, nor his princess. Both were blushing furiously, a source of immense amusement and ridicule. Chibi-Usa seemed somewhat mystified and horrified herself, unsure, exactly, how she was supposed to take this new revelation. The king simply looked on, impassive as he'd been, though that amusement still shone in his tilt of head, posture. "I…I can't have children!" the _odango_-haired blonde finally shrieked, images of her plump belly and stretch marks dancing through her head.

"Not children. Child. The queen can only bear one daughter," Endymion explained, only mildly comforting.

She merely flailed about, leaving her prince to interpret for her. "_One_ child, then, but…when? And how?"

Endymion moved forward, and it was like the sea parting before him as everyone stepped out of his way, despite the evidence that he could simply walk right through them. As he neared the altar he held out his hand, and, surprisingly, touched the crystal. Whatever his power to maintain the illusion, it simply was no match for the protective shield around his queen; he pressed his fingers against the facets, digits crumpling against the solidity as if he, too, had substance. Then, he motioned towards another doorway off to the right of the first, striding off with the full expectation for them all to follow.

Of course they did, though not all at once. Chibi-Usa held her arms open to receive Diana, running after her father as though she would lose him if she didn't follow closely. Venus and the two felines came next, unconsciously forming the protective circle with the Guardian around Sailor Moon, though there was a distinct feeling that it was unnecessary in the palace. As they walked through the door they could see the gigantic monitor that took up the entire wall, partnered with a vast array of controls and buttons. Smaller monitors lined another wall, showing streets and all sides of the palace and the outskirts of the city.

Pointing at one of the buttons, an image of a woman formed on the monitor, standing in a garden as she laughed. It was Usagi as an adult, with well-formed limbs and an absence of adolescence that had transformed her into a pale-skinned, golden-haired angel. Dressed in a sweater, skirt, and stockings, civilian clothes, she seemed totally at ease. "At adulthood, the citizens of the Silver Millennium slow down in their aging process, seeming to freeze into one form for centuries. I stopped at twenty-four; she stopped at twenty-two. We ascended the Imperial Throne of Japan, and Small Lady was born five years later.

"Tragedy struck months later, and Serenity banished the criminal responsible to the tenth planet, Nemesis. But his plans carried on, and the planet froze." Another gesture switched the monitor to a widescreen view of the perimeter of the city, looking out over an expanse of ice that had once been the Tokyo Bay. "As you can see, we've been slowly awakening people, creating anew, but now…the enemy came suddenly, and destroyed our peace. Serenity is the only one who can stop them, using the sacred stone, but she sleeps still, and can't help."

"The Black Moon, is that the enemy?" Luna asked.

Endymion nodded, moving his hands in an intricate dance over the console. Star charts appeared, showing the positions of the planets, many of them marked with comments of ‘reclamation.' The view shot past them all, dodging stars and comets as though they were flying in a ship, only to pass by Pluto and finally stop within the Kuiper belt. Inexplicably, amongst the flying asteroids was a large…space…it looked like a black hole, truthfully, a planet lit from behind and visible only by its jagged corona. "This is Nemesis. Hiding in the Kuiper belt as it is, we were unaware of it until before the first tragedy. Then, we used it for the banishment of the criminal responsible for the freeze, unaware until later that another race once used it as a prison as well."

Readings began to scroll along the side of the screen. "The planet itself has given off enormous amounts of negative energy ever since we discovered it. No doubt it was the lure for the Black Moon traitors, their warring, violent tendencies unsuitable for our peaceful kingdom. After attacking us, their leader denounced us from the hilltop, calling us blasphemous and claiming he would destroy us all."

"Any idea why they would be so angry at you?" the tall red-head queried, thoughtfully tilting her head at the screen as Nemesis spun around in widescreen, panoramic view, detailing its atmosphere, vital signs, and calendar. Endymion shrug gracefully, hands spread wide.

"There had been insurrections by a few, years before the traitors attacked. They claimed our long lives were a sin, in direct disobedience of God. It happened when we offered the awakening citizens new lives in the Silver Millennium, sharing the power of the _Ginzuishou_ with them."

Venus chewed slowly at her lip, glancing sidelong at her princess. The discussion she and her peers had engaged in at Makoto's apartment so many weeks ago came to mind now, worryingly so. Usagi was neither goddess nor God, merely a girl who had an extraordinary power. Somehow, it didn't surprise her that the _odango_-haired blonde, out of kindness, had offered to her people long life, and had been reprimanded – in a way – for her deed.

"King, tell us what happened, please," Artemis said respectfully, leaping up onto a bare panel on the console. "What happened during the attack. We need to know their ability, before we try and rescue Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter."

The picture changed to show a sky view of Crystal Tokyo, beautiful in the sunlight as it shone and glittered like a jewel, untouched. For miles outside of the perimeter glistened healthy grass, defiantly green and lush despite the ice and snow mixing at its edges. It was human civilization beating back nature, fighting to reclaim the land and thrive again. "Hai," the king murmured as they all stared, each with a million questions they all had the sense to hold back, "and it's a short, terrible story to tell.

"On the day that it happened, nothing was wrong. Serenity and I were planning a trip to the Chi-Mil-Louis Enclave in what was formerly the United States to discuss trading. The soldiers were busy planning for their own jobs the next day in the city proper – they had been given a day off for rest – and Small Lady was, if I recall, just coming home from playing with some of the city's children."

None of them missed the small wince the pink-haired child made, almost lost within a corner of the room away from them all. She didn't need to remember any of this, and she had made herself almost comfortable in that small space, mostly forgotten – as usual, she felt.

"Later, I came here to retrieve one last map when I heard Serenity suddenly rush outside, calling our daughter's name…I thought, perhaps, she had gone back outside, hurt herself playing, and I looked towards the door. There was a bright light. Explosions." His fist clenched, the only giveaway to his emotional tumult as his face remained calm, bland. Chibi-Usa made a tiny noise behind them, burying her face in Diana's fur. "I ran to find Serenity surrounded by the soldiers, who were watching helplessly as she became encased in crystal, a protective measure she had trained herself to do in case of an ultimate attack."

"Couldn't she become Sailor Moon?" the dark-haired prince asked, slowly massaging his princess's taunt back, though it didn't seem to be helping her panic any less. Certainly the image of her protector and lover turning to face her, despite standing at her back, was not easing her stress level.

The king made that open handed shrug again, a rather universal gesture. "She gave up the ability to become Sailor Moon. She was Serenity, queen of a kingdom, no longer a soldier. All of her power resided in the holy stone; it is her weapon, her shield, her protection.

"And she was helpless before the direct attack. So she shielded herself as she knew how, though the attack itself seemed to throw her into the sleep you saw her in. Helpless to waken herself and use the _Ginzuishou_ to eliminate the enemy. And then, as I ran to her side, another blow assaulted us all; the sailor soldiers collapsed; I collapsed. Even though I was conscious enough to take them all inside, the languor soon overtook me and I was paralyzed into sleep as well." His hands ran over his lapels, down his jacket. "I created a telepathic illusion to function around the palace as I slept, and it was then I realized Small Lady was gone.

"But Pluto told me she had stolen a key, and fled to the past. Unable to follow, and realizing soon what she could have been after, I remained here, waiting. And so you all came, though missing ranks."

From the corner, Chibi-Usa whispered, "I went to find the strongest sailor soldier."

Endymion nodded, forcing himself to smile – or more accurately, to lopsidedly smirk – as he manipulated buttons again, showing a picture of the north side of the city. "When we told her bedtime stories, we told her stories of Sailor Moon, and her strongest protector, Tuxedo Kamen. But we had given up those names before she was old enough to even remember us as such, and so, to reinforce us all in the images of our new lives, we never told her. The sailor soldiers are known only by their formal planetary titles to the populace and to everyone; and we are their king and queen. Usagi, Mamoru, Makoto, Minako, Rei, Ami…they no longer exist."

"That's terrible," Sailor Moon whispered. "We give up everything? Ourselves?"

"Merely names."

"But that's who we are!" Venus cried, taking a step forward. "I am Aino Minako as well as Sailor Venus! All of us are sailor soldiers, but we're also ordinary girls as well!"

"But you're only halfway," the Crystal Guardian murmured, though she seemed disturbed. "It's what we discussed, Venus. You have to give up being an ordinary girl to be a true sailor soldier, or you'll never truly be Sailor Venus."

The long-haired blonde's face seemed to collapse inward, emotions warring on her face. But as Sailor Moon seemed to completely sag, utterly devastated at this knowledge, Venus slowly collected herself as she watched her princess, nodding her head thoughtfully. "_Sou yo_. To protect my princess. One day, Aino Minako will be a memory. And I'll have to live each day to the fullest until that final hour, ne?"

"Minako-chan," the _odango_-haired blonde moaned. "Don't say that. Don't give up like that."

"But I have to, Usagi-chan. We were born to these lives."

"_Iie_, Minako-chan! We were born ordinary girls!" Pushing free of her prince, Sailor Moon clenched her fists, furious at this turn of events. "You have a future, and it's terrible of you to give it away! Look at what it's cost us already! Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, taken by the Black Moon—"

Venus reached out, grasping her princess's shoulders. But the rough shake was not what anyone expected, least of all herself. "Look at where we are, Usagi-chan! This is our future! We were born ordinary girls with a purpose, and a destiny, and we can't just give it up! Giving up the battle, and allowing the enemy to win; that's quitting, and I won't quit!"

Tears were falling down the _odango_-haired blonde's cheeks as she stared into her friend's eyes. She hated Chibi-Usa for showing her this hellish future, for unwillingly scripting her life for her. But, in a way, it was also a comfort. Even though she would become someone else, it didn't have to be so different; and she would have her Mamo-chan, and her friends. That was all that she ever wanted in the world. Slowly, she smiled, rubbing away her tears with the back of her gloved hand. "I'm such a crybaby."

"And don't ever change that, Usako," her prince said, and she could feel her smile on her back.

Endymion was staring at them in the literal form of a ghost, his entire figure nearly completely transparent. Whatever he felt at seeing his queen, her younger self more accurately, crying brokenheartedly, was apparently strong enough to lapse his concentration. He turned away, staring at the monitor as it swept through the clouded streets of the city, doing a morbid census of dead bodies. Luna and Artemis were engrossed in watching the changing screens, whiskers twitching in horror and disgust. "Do you have an outer system defense, Endymion-sama?" the tall red-head asked, respectfully.

"The perimeter of the Sol system has been unguarded for ages," he answered, tapping his finger. "We saw no reason to defend it. Everything has been so peaceful…"

"That's a bloody stupid reason," she snapped, frowning at him in displeasure. "No wonder they had the drop on you, you've gotten complacent! There's absolutely no reason a defense system shouldn't be in place to catch these problems while they're still minor."

The ghostly king forced that twitchy smile as he faced the Crystal Guardian, holding his cane like a royal scepter – which it obviously was – aloft in his hand. "I miss such directness. Perhaps that's why we've become ‘complacent,' because no one has been around to tell us otherwise."

Lapis froze ever so slightly as she stared at him, digesting his comment. Her eyes lowered then, almost demur, before she nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

Both of them seemed to exist within the bubble of their own conversation; no one else noticed their actions, nor said a word. Endymion turned away and gestured widely then, to include them all, as he said, "Ah, but I've been a thoughtless host. Travelling through time and seeing such horrors, and surely on empty stomachs! No doubt you're all starving."

A loud stomach rumble answered his question, though it was hardly unexpected from that particular soldier. She blushed crimson as the king gestured to another doorway. "Your meal awaits. Follow me."

  
On Nemesis, the rumbling stomachs were louder, but they had all learned to ignore them by now. This time, however, a particularly sharp hunger pang accompanied Esmeraud's temper tantrum as she stormed through her living quarters, wreaking havoc on her furniture. She didn't really care much for the roughly-hewn junk, painted an emerald green to appease her but looking just the same as everyone else's, and so she took pleasure in breaking and snapping it all to firewood.

Parading about in bra and panties, both delicately lacey and lovingly cared for, she smashed her last chair with a satisfying crack, heaving it onto the pile. She had just woken up, still smarting from her defeat of what was yesterday for her, though what was still, by happenstance of planetary time, the same day for them. And so she had taken it out on objects guaranteed not to hit back, though a jagged spear of lumber from her table had ripped a gash in her calf, panting, screaming, and raging. No doubt she had woken Rubeus, unfortunate enough to share a wall with her. Many a night his blasted moaning and grunting had waked her up, and how often had she begged Demand to exchange rooms with his brother? At least another male could deal with the disgusting ritual.

Satisfied with her work, she reached back to twist her sleep-tangled locks into a loose bun, pulling on a green silk kimono and tying the cord tight. Momentarily lulled by the sensation, she lay back on her bed, imagining her prince; her lover. Her future lover, perhaps, but lover all the same. He had the same disdain for magic creations as she did that touched his flesh; none of his clothes were anything less than real. Even his sheets and pillows and curtains – though useless on a planet that saw no sunlight – had been hand made. She herself allowed her uniform in pleasant company to be of poor-quality illusion, though the lace beneath it, and the silk she wore in privacy, was entirely real. It was all she had managed to save during their flight and vigil.

And when she finally brought that bitch queen to her knees, she would force her head back to meet her eyes. She would see the terror in her, before she cut her throat, severing that pretty face from the rest of her body. Demand would finally realize that she, Esmeraud, was his true love, his only queen. Not that white-blonde whore, parading her breasts and perfect body before all and everyone, but her. Maybe she would even take the gaudy tiara for her own; she had a secret passion for the heavy golden headdress she had seen, with its giant ruby. All she had to do was change the stone.

Grabbing her towel from its peg next to her bed, she retrieved a bottle of jasmine shampoo she had bribed Rubeus to find for her in the 21st century, though it was woefully low. She shook it thoughtfully, thinking of the two rations of fruit she would have to give up to the man to have another bottle, and ripped open a portal to the showers.

Because she had not been the only female, once upon a time, they had sectioned the bathroom into two sections for privacy. Only a few weeks ago she could have walked in on Koan and Beruche, discussing the former's crush on Rubeus as they cleaned one another's backs. She had felt a surprising kindred with the sisters, though she would have never had admitted it under pain of death – her, associating with girls who were little more than their servants? – and had enjoyed their talking, though they had never invited her to join them. Saphir's assertion that they could have been in league with Wiseman did, however, make sense, based on the whispered comments and snatches of conversation she had caught before they had realized she was there. It made her strangely sad.

Hooking up her towel and robe, carefully, she undid her hair, letting it fall in its usual rippling mass as she turned the water on, sitting down with the sponge and soap to slowly lather herself. As she scrubbed, she made sure to carefully clean out her leg wound, which had clotted barely minutes ago, and which re-opened beneath the water to turn the liquid pink. Grimacing at the stinging pain as she slathered more soap on to shave, she caught herself wondering if the queen had this problem as well. Surely the leader of a kingdom didn't do such stupid things as destroying her bedroom and gashing herself, and Esmeraud cursed herself.

She shaved off all of her needless hair, save for a small strip to outline her most precious lips – because one day, her prince would kiss her there, and she had to be neat – and rinsed off again. Eyeing the shampoo bottle again, she proceeded to dump the rest of it over her head, squeezing to get the last drops out, and began lathering it up like a mad woman. The entire room was soon thick with the scent of jasmine, and she resembled a sort of leaning sculpture of soap bubbles as her long hair was lathered up. Green turned to a milky, opalescent white, and she scrubbed furiously to rid it of the taint of the city. Finally satisfied, she ducked down to rinse it off, a procedure that never failed to put a crick in her back. "Greetings, Esmeraud."

The noise as she hit her head on the bucket, dropping it from shocked fingers, echoed. She shrieked, wiping at her eyes frantically to see Rubeus, ready to rip his ears off and spit in the holes for daring to walk in on her. But when she finally managed to squint, eyes stinging and burning, she didn't see the smirking, arrogant red-head. "W-Wiseman? What the hell are you doing in here? This is a woman's bath!"

It was hard to be indignant and furious while naked and soapy, but she managed. He was laughing, that deep lung-cough that meant he was amused but sounded as though he were dying. "Woman, I am beyond such trivial things. Your vain nudity is nothing to me."

Now she didn't know whether to be pissed over being walked in on, or that he was insulting her in saying it didn't interest him. She quivered in anger, desperately thinking of something to say, when his hand lifted to stop her. "Enough. I came to make my services known. Your heart feels much anger for the wicked, godless queen."

"We all have anger for that whore bitch," she spat at him.

His hood bowed in acquiescence. "This is true. But for you, it is a consuming passion. You feel displeasure at our prince's unhealthy…obsession…with her, because only you are worthy to be his queen."

Her anger and indignity was swept away in the space of a second as she became chilled to the bone. Though she had never once considered that her open flirtations with the white-haired prince were so obvious, the fact that Wiseman had read her right shook her. Had he been invading her mind with his crystal sphere? "I…I am..displeased, with his choice," she finally said faintly, pressing a hand to her breast, over her thudding heart. "But I would never assume…!"

"Your infatuation for Prince Demand is well known," he replied dryly. "And it would serve us all well if you were to indeed become his queen, to keep his heart and his intentions focused on our cause. And no other woman could tame him, I wager."

Flattery never got a soul anywhere with Esmeraud, usually. But for Wiseman, usually the stoic with his predictions of doom, she melted beneath his honeyed words. Though naked and shivering cold, she preened and posed, allowing herself a moment to dream of such a position. Hoping to capture the prince's heart was one thing; having Wiseman tell her it was possible was entirely another. "_Mochiron_," she purred, slicking a hand along the flat surface of her belly. "Demand-sama is a prince of such exquisite tastes, that surely that witch could never satisfy. But so long as she lives, he will be enthralled by her obvious, flaunted charms."

"And therein lives the problem, Esmeraud." His fingers spun like a spider's legs in its web, forming and shaping between his palms what looked to be a mirror, plain, sturdy ebony, with an aged brass bell hanging from its apex. The surface was tarnished, smoky with streaks. "But to capture a queen, one requires a pawn. The sacrifice, to lure them in for the taking."

In the mirror she could just barely see herself, her hair beginning to frizz and knot without moisture. "A pawn…the rabbit. I can take the rabbit and use her as bait."

The cowled head dipped, though he was frankly surprised she had caught on so quickly. "Indeed. Instead of facing the soldier of legend, Sailor Moon, and her allies, by whom all of you have been so easily vanquished, one merely catches the rabbit. They would never let the child come to harm."

His hands tipped, cupped as though offering water. The mirror floated away to her waiting fingers, the bell tinkling throughout the flight. "I have imbued this mirror with the power to sense the rabbit's energy. Now, she is within the Crystal Palace, safe, protected from my own power. But once she leaves the safety of the palace, the bell will ring, and the mirror will show her position. It will work only in the same century."

"And then, I will simply spring a trap." Esmeraud stroked a fingernail down the mirror's glass, noting the black mark left on her skin. So absorbed was she, that when she finally lifted her head to properly thank Wiseman, she never realized he had left without a sound.

  
Apparently, even the 30th century had to bow before the marvels of microwave.

When Endymion had led them into the kitchen, it had been mildly disappointing to find it had the same appliances as the 21st century; restaurant-size stove and range, large fridge, a cutting board island and a mass of oak cabinets and hanging cutlery, pots, and pans. It had been even worse when he had merely motioned to the fridge, directing his powers into hauling out a crockpot of leftovers, slopping a sizeable portion onto a plate, and nuking it. Granted, it smelled good after being heated up, but retained the consistency of lumped pudding, despite mixing. He slapped portions onto plates edged in silver and most likely costing a small fortune, doling out jade chopsticks still embossed with the Imperial Family crest.

Tuxedo Kamen had been poking at it for fifteen minutes now, still not sure that it wasn't going to leap off the plate, steal a butterknife, and threaten him. Next to him, his princess was simply shoveling it into her mouth, stabbing at errant chunks that had him wincing with every impact of jade to china. Venus was more or less doing the same, having realized she was starving to death. The tall red-head had eyed it strangely, prodded it once, shrugged in resignation, and calmly began to eat. Chibi-Usa ate sparingly, obviously trying to remain lady-like in her father's presence. And lucky for the felines, in the dark-haired prince's opinion, they got to share a bowl of cream.

"Mmaaah, this is yummy!" the _odango_-haired blonde managed to enunciate around her mouthful, swallowing a chunk big enough to choke a water buffalo. "What is it?"

"It was Jupiter's farewell dish, the night before we were to leave. She was very proud that she had found her main ingredient after weeks of searching."

Not liking the sound of that, Tuxedo Kamen paused in picking up a buttery chunk to finally try. "Main ingredient?"

"Well, she recalled most vividly that a delicacy on Jupiter had been slugs, of the type they had imported ages before to live in their gardens."

Venus' mouth dropped open, half-full.

"I'm not as hungry as I thought," Tuxedo Kamen muttered, discreetly pushing the plate away.

Sailor Moon paused, chopsticks midway to her mouth. Noticing that Chibi-Usa was still eating – she had eaten this dish fresh, and had enjoyed it, though she too had nearly made herself sick upon hearing what was in it – she shrugged, continuing to stab and capture chunks. No sense in wasting it. Her prince stared at her as if she'd gone mad.

The Crystal Guardian looked at him rather evilly, and said, "What's the matter, Chiba? Weak stomach?"

"I prefer not to eat something that slimes."

Endymion folded his arms, leaning against his cane. "Get used to it, prince. One eats a lot of escargot during state dinners."

Looking somewhat distraught, Venus poked at her half-finished plate, debating on whether or not to finish it. When she set her chopsticks down, her princess liberated the plate from her, not breaking stride as she began attacking the leftover bits. Only she, the tall red-head, and Chibi-Usa, finished their meals, though the _odango_-haired blonde put away three plates altogether after she swiped Tuxedo Kamen's as well.

The ghostly king clapped his hands, prompting the scraped dishes to float up, chopsticks crossing themselves neatly atop each one, and proceed to bob in a merry train towards the stainless steel sink. His form almost disappeared, as it had when he had hauled the food around, strengthening only when the last chopstick was safely in the bottom. "Now that your appetites have been sated, feel free to roam the palace. Surely you're all curious, though I suggest you avoid the upper floors." He stared past them all at a spot unknown, adding, "I doubt you wish to see yourselves in a possibly eternal sleep."

How true. The comment sent a shiver down their spines at the thought of themselves, older, wiser, more powerful, helpless in a sleep they couldn't arise from. Though at the same time, the lure to just take a look, to see themselves as adults, was strong. Endymion gestured towards the felines as the soldiers contemplated this dilemma. "Diana, please take your parents to the control room. Surely Luna, Artemis, you two wish to formulate some sort of plan to rescue the other soldiers."

Though they all looked at the trio of felines, the comment was hardly a surprise. If they had all survived into the future, surely Luna and Artemis had as well; and who else could give birth to a talking kitten of grey fur? Still, it was worth it to see the blush on their whiskered cheeks, Luna hiding impulsively behind a paw as Diana giggled, her tiny bell ringing with her bouncing movements. "_Hai_, Endymion-sama!"

They padded through the door – Diana more accurately bounded – leaving everyone else to their individual thoughts. Chibi-Usa vacated her seat with a bow to her father's image, walking carefully out of the kitchen with full intent to fix Luna-P. Venus was soon to follow those bouncing pink pigtails out the door, though she changed her path to wander down the main hallway. They all heard her squeal of glee at the sight of herself fixed in gemstone mosaic on the wall.

Endymion vanished, presumably to conserve his strength, as the _odango_-haired blonde decisively pulled her prince to his feet. "We live in a palace in the future, Mamo-chan! Isn't this lovely? It's like a dream…"

"You could be living in a castle on the Moon now, tsukimidango," the tall red-head interrupted mildly, tapping a fingernail on the countertop.

"Ano…" Seemingly at a loss, the sailor-suited soldier chewed at her lip. "But it's not the same now. This is like a fantasy. Like every girl dreams of, becoming a lovely princess, and having her prince, and living happily ever after in a castle. It's still safe…"

The dark-haired prince softly stroked a gloved hand along one of her ponytails, tangling strands between his fingers. She sighed, pressing his palm against her cheek, nuzzling like a kitten. It was a tender moment, and silence filled the void as was due; the princess and her prince fit together like a pair of puzzle pieces, loathe as always to part. When they did, it was by some inner notion, as they separated in unison to instead simply hold hands. So lost in each other, they had forgotten the third occupant of the room, leaving her alone as they exited the kitchen.

No surprise there.

She stood from the barstool, flexing her knees one by one with a wince – apparently, the Japanese proclivity for shortness lived well into the 30th century – deciding to follow Venus' path. Down the other hallway she could see the two lovebirds just before they turned the corner, still vapid and in gloriously, icky love. She made a face that could have been disgust, whimsy, or jealousy, wandering down the large cavernous hallway and noting the gemstone mosaics that dogged a person each step of the way. Apparently, the artist was nothing if not a student of the old Italian masters, because the tall red-head personally didn't recall Mercury looking so Botticelli chubby.

Each soldier was posed against a backdrop of their element, though their soldiers' uniforms had been traded for robes and filmy dresses. Mercury was serene with a pen in one hand and a lyre cradled against her chest with the other, poised as if writing on the curled parchment in her lap as she was cushioned above the water on a bed of bubbles. Her reading glasses were conspicuously absent.

Mars was benevolent in her miko robes, hands pressed together in prayer around an arrow, the head of which touched her lips. At her sides stood birds of fire, their beaks pressed adoringly to her hair. Around her feet was curled a serpent of smoke, its eyes tiny flames. Next to her, Jupiter's fury seemed all the more powerful, the tall brunette rearing back with a lightning bolt in her hand. Clad in the robes and laurel leaves of the Roman god, she looked as though she had stepped fully formed from an ancient painting – and most likely had, thanks to the artist's plagiarism.

Venus had become a well-stacked goddess. Barely dressed, she stared at the viewer coyly, fingers curled as if beckoning or ready to grasp. Behind her back but hardly visible was a dagger created from the shining light of her beam, and once you spotted the blade, you recognized the gleam of the wily soldier in her eye. Not a tramp's lust, but the knowledge of using it to her advantage; even in the gaudiest of silks, she was still Sailor Venus, the powerful leader.

Pluto was a shrouded figure, standing sentry atop an hourglass. Her face was a blur behind the veil of mourning, her eyes twin pinpricks of garnet through the cloth. Standing in the eternal void of time-space, she was the only colour in a joyless domain.

A poem took up one entire panel, describing the fallen heroes of the kingdom, somewhat like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; no personal names mentioned, just a vague bunch of references – ‘the sea is joyless,' ‘'no longer does heaven's wind blow' – and no hard details.

But she didn't see herself anywhere.

That was a disturbing thing. Though she was not the true leader of any of the sailor soldiers – that honor belonged solely to Sailor Venus – she had found herself somewhat expertly placed into the de facto role of both mentor and commander to a small gaggle of girls who seemed rather obstinate towards her rank. They were both the same and completely different than the five girls she had watched grow up and die a lifetime ago; and she was facing not children easily intimidated and absorbent, but teenagers hell-bent on doing their own thing.

The fact that she was a part of their lives now, again, should have, her ego agreed, warranted a similar picture. Yet it wasn't to be.

She came to the end of the hall, and another open door that revealed the dining room, its tables long enough to seat fifty. China was set, silverware perfect, as if a party was expected. The dance floor was gleaming and perfect, and she could see Tuxedo Kamen leading Sailor Moon through the waltz, the clumsy princess eerily flawless, both of them laughing despite the somber situation. She smiled fleetingly, recalling the dance lessons he had taken during junior high, to learn a gentleman's manners. Proper attitude for a prince.

Neither of them heard her walk on past, following the right curve of the hallway past closed entrances to the dining and dance hall, the servant's door, half-open, to the kitchen. Closing it with a quiet click, she had to wonder what kind of parties were thrown, considering the state of the human race; were there so many conclaves of humanity left to create a planetary society? Did they even care about things like etiquette while trying to survive? And while she was on the subject, where did they find enough precious stones to decorate the hallway behind her?

At the end, a set of stairs wide enough for an elephant to cavort up. Noiseless as she walked up, she could hear Venus' heels clicking, faintly echoing, though when she came to the second floor the long-haired blonde was gone to the third. It had most likely been a fast trip, as the entire floor seemed to be dedicated to visitors' rooms, each one immaculate and large. All of the doors she tried were unlocked; she had no problem with inspecting each one from top to bottom.

A princess-cut crystal the size of a small child's fist sat on the bedside table in the last room, chiseled with the "Royal Seal of the Collective of Incan Peruvia." When she pressed the seal, a hologram of a young girl appeared, speaking in what sounded like a bastardization of Spanish, Portuguese, and ancient Incan, simultaneously translated into smooth Japanese which scrolled beneath her face.

The girl identified herself as the Prime Speaker of the collective, and was asking Neo Queen Serenity formally for aid. The rainforest salvation project was not working as well as they had hoped, and the freeze had destroyed more wildlife than had preserved it. After it had finished, the tall red-head set the heavy thing down, careful to leave it in its place. She disliked disturbing things; it was force of habit to leave every intact. But she did wonder why it had been left behind; surely such an important message would have been given directly to Serenity, or taken back with the messenger; and if the Black Moon had attacked before they could leave, why weren't they inside of the castle?

Now internally disturbed, she left the room, hearing Venus' heels again, this time descending back to the first floor in a hurry. Frowning, she looked up to the third floor through the stairwell. Seeing nothing amiss, though her hand relocated to her hip, resting above her sheath for an easy draw, she started up. It was silly to feel paranoid in the palace – no doubt the Black Moon would have invaded and set up shop if it was not shielded – but, she recalled painfully, more paranoia might have saved an entire kingdom a lifetime ago.

The third floor seemed even more still and lifeless than the two preceding it. Servants' quarters, smaller rooms than the second floor, but still well sized. Most of them were empty, but the rest – perhaps a quarter – still held their occupants, sleeping where they had fallen. A touch of their pulse proved they were alive, but barely, comatose and functioning only on a fraction of what they needed. Had Endymion put them to sleep? Or had Serenity's state automatically put them all into protective limbo like some ridiculous ‘Sleeping Beauty' story?

She withdrew, respectfully closing the door behind her, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she held. It certainly answered the question of where the workers of the palace were. But there were two doors she hadn't opened yet, though the one opened directly into a stairwell. The other was a small, featureless door that looked like a janitor's closet; but it was locked. Unusual, considering that very other entrance had been wide open and accessible by all.

Wandering up the first stairwell, she found what looked like a storage room for the castle, full of chairs and tables that belonged in the ballroom, along with surplus sheets, pillows, and comforters for the beds a floor below. Wading through it, she walked the entire length of the floor before she happened to look down, seeing other footprints in the dust. A thin layer obscured everything this far back, and the prints were not of plain shoes, as one would think the servants – however well treated – would wear. The majority of them were high heels; one print was of a dress shoe, large; one of a smaller size, also dress shoes. She crouched to see them, following the path with her eyes to see them end at what appeared to be a normal wall.

Of course, once she came close enough she could see the hairline crack that outlined the door. She had to smile at the ruse as she surveyed the door, made out of the same opaque crystal as the wall, and almost impossible to spot. But if one stood in the path of the shoes, staring right at it, you could find it, like an optical illusion suddenly revealing itself.

  
No doubt the door a floor below was exactly what she had assumed it to be – a janitor's crammed closet – locked to entice any would-be enemy into thinking it was a cleverly concealed entrance to an upper floor. They would bust it down or pick the lock – an archaic, 21st century standard pin and bolt, from what she'd seen – and find it to be nothing more than a dirty storage space. And coming up here, they would've taken one look and assumed it worthless. The castle was a multi-spire complex, and could easily hide the queen's chambers in one of the others.

She ran her hand over the crystal, fingers slightly bent; within a minute, she had them hooked into a small handle cut into a facet, pulling the entire thing open rather easily. It had been cut purposefully about two inches high from the floor, so that when it opened, it left no telltale mark on the floor. She had to step over and in to find another stairwell, this one with surprisingly translucent walls. It allowed in the light, but was still thick enough to contort any view of someone walking up into a trick of the eyes. And it was a long damn walk up, at least the equivalent of two or three floors.

At the top, the door was a plain wooden, featureless thing, a 21st century block anyone could buy at the store, graced with the simplest pin handle lock. She stared at it for a long minute, unable to believe what she was seeing; though who knew? Perhaps the world no longer had criminal masterminds, or even simple thieves, able to pick such a basic lock.

Unfortunately, she was neither of these types, and she had the knob twisting easily to her hand within a few seconds, not counting the time taken to pull out her tools. The fact that the floor was off-limits for a plausible reason didn't bother her so very much; after all, everyone was asleep. And it was an affront to her nature to find such doors closed to her, just begging to be opened and thoroughly investigated.

She opened the door to find herself standing in an immense hallway that put the bottom floors to shame, decorated with a fountain in its middle, and hanging plants. The wall at the far end and part of the ceiling was translucent, and she was beginning to realize that was what passed for windows in the entire building; they would have allowed the rising and noon sun to stream in. But the fog and clouds obscuring the sun was already killing the vibrant green plants, which had most likely been grown carefully from seed and were fragile to begin with. Only five doors opened into this hallway, and she could guess why. Though she wondered at Endymion's warning to them all – surely he hadn't expected Venus or Moon to be able to get past that simple lock, or even to find the door – though maybe it hadn't been for them at all. His comment to her earlier, in the control room, had her pausing to stare into the flowing water, wondering if perhaps it had been a warning solely for her.

Of course, she shouldn't have been looking in the first place.

Knowing her future was not information she needed, nor truly wanted. She had seen the paranoia and fear that came from knowing of your future deeds, and she wanted no truck with it; and knowing the future had never, to her knowledge, actually changed anything for the better. Her father could attest to that.

And being curious had saved her life on more than one occasion.

But at the sight of the five doors, knowing what obviously lay behind them, she felt herself truly thinking. Was it better for her to look in, seeing the seemingly lifeless bodies of her allies and their accomplishments? She had an innate sense that even if she checked every room, she wouldn't be in any of them; four would be dedicated to the sailor soldiers of the future, the fifth would be either Chibi-Usa's room or a very roomy cat palace. There was no reason to believe that the king and queen would bunk down here with their guardians, it would be silly to do so; the sailor soldiers would be the last defense against anyone making it through the door. Putting a floor in between them was not only roomier, but common sense.

She saw again the hidden door, next to the wooden door she had entered though. Again, it took that precise angle to see it. "They seem to be fond of mind-fucking any intruders," she noted, sitting on the edge of the fountain. Looking up at the statue from which the water streamed, she realized it was Queen Serenity – the first that the tall red-head had ever known – dressed in her simple gown, hands cupped as if holding the very world, and instead pouring water. At her feet knelt Princess Serenity, catching the flow, letting it splash out over her hands like a child.

The multi-storied palace seemed like a ridiculous maze next to the rather simple two-storied castle on the Moon. She remembered how open it had been, like a museum where anyone could come and go, how the queen's idea of protection from the world and her enemies was to have the Crystal Guardian's room in between her own and her daughter's. The princess was, in turn, boxed in on her other side by the room shared by her four guardian soldiers. It seemed quaint compared to this nightmare of hidden doors and lengthy stairs.

But then, she had to admit, the queen had been born in a civilization that had considered itself peaceful, despite the conflicts raging around them. Having someone violent invade her room was about as likely in her mind as waking up one day and finding herself a peasant woman on Earth. Here, the queen had been born into a human civilization full of angry people, as likely to attempt assassination as worship her image. Both times, the idyllic kingdom had been desecrated, though mother and daughter alike had expected – but hoped not for – it to happen.

It made her a bit morose to think of it, but it was an outlook on life she herself lived and breathed, that only the strong survived. She fully expected the worst to happen, but she also expected to be able to overcome it; the weak and unprepared fell, and that was life. By no means could the Moon Kingdom have been called unprepared, maybe unaware. But she had survived it alone, as she seemed to do in everything, and again she was trying to pass that instinct on to her allies. Maybe this time she had succeeded.

She stood, hearing the blood rushing through her system in the dead silence of the hall, her footfalls deliberately non-existant as always as she walked towards the door. This time there was no handle to pull it open, no openings at all to grab. It took her physically pressing her hand against every inch of the door to realize it was a hidden button that opened it via a spring mechanism, and the door swung inward; a crafty system. Even if an invader managed to get to this very floor, past presumably loyal servants, they would have to deal with the four Guardian soldiers before they could even hope of reaching the last door. And if they were defeated, their entrance to the royal chamber was an exercise in futility – though it was possible to find one's way – but the possibility of anyone surviving against the _Ginzuishou_ was miniscule. Much less an angry, sword-wielding king who could most likely kill the invader while they were feeling pleased with themselves, their guard down as they ascended the stairs.

As she did finally now.

If the last floor had been immense, this floor was an exercise in tasteful opulence. The ceilings rose at least twenty feet over her head, hung with colourful silks and banners that looked like originals from the Moon Kingdom. Tapestries of the same ilk hung on the walls, usually across from translucent walls to create that same illusion technique used in the stairwell. Plush couches, armchairs, and woven rugs were placed at intervals to create a cozy living room. A partial wall separated one large room from another; what looked to be a school room and a play room in its spare time was set up with two desks and a chalkboard, books neat in a handmade shelf behind the teacher's desk. Two sets of handwriting decorated the board, lessons for math, ancient Japanese literature.

At a second glance, she recognized the toys to be small weights, and judo mats set up in the corner. No doubt the four guardian soldiers were teaching the princess themselves, much as they had a lifetime ago, though where Mars had once taught music, she seemed to be now imparting great Japanese literary works. Interesting.

In the living room, an open door led into a spiral stairwell, leading up into a small hallway with only two doors. One doorway had a childishly drawn picture of a bunny on it, along with a ridiculously uneven Luna P head. There was no reason for her to peep into the child's room – after all, the poor girl was quite awake – so she chose the door directly across and slipped inside to find herself in a pink, white, and lavender nightmare.

Fixtures from the Imperial Palace hung and sat everywhere. They were the only adornments not conforming to the colour code, and they seemed insanely bright and out of place. The bed was shrouded in silks, king sized and immense, seemingly swallowing its one occupant in his lavender suit. He seemed lonely without his queen at his side, for the room seemed to be alive only if she were in it; her life gave the room its final touch. She could imagine the _odango_-haired blonde as an adult, frantically running about still, late for a dinner celebrating one of their trade agreements, or perhaps just to celebrate in general, and tripping over her feet.

And then blonde became silver, and she saw Serenity, her queen, as she offered her hand for the ceremonial kiss, her laughter in her smile…

She clenched her hands tight enough to feel her nails cutting her palm, forcing those memories away.

Her palms were lifted so she could examine the half moons now indenting her skin, one or two welling blood. She licked the blood away, flexing her hands as she observed a lone pedestal near the bed, its glass case shattered. Obviously it had held something important; and just as obviously it had been stolen. But that was ridiculous. Who could have stolen a valuable from the queen's own chambers? It would have been worthless if it had happened during or after the attack – which was impossible – and it certainly couldn't have been too long ago, for the case to be in such a state. The _odango_-haired blonde was at least competent enough to have the dangerous shards picked up, and the rest of the case removed. She wouldn't have left such a mess, no matter how scatterbrained she could be.

She didn't like where her train of thought was going, but it was gaining speed despite it. Even from where she stood, she could see the path of the glass, figuring it had been smashed not at the top, but from below, as though something had been thrown at it. Thrown by someone too short to reach the case properly to open it. And there, indeed, upon closer inspection, was a small tri-legged stand within the case, curved to hold something small and round, like a marble, or a glass ball, or

"The crystal!" she deduced aloud, stunned. Of course; it made perfect sense. If it had been removed from its usual place, indeed touched by untrained, alien hands, the effect could have been devastating on the queen. Even, perhaps, the protection of the city itself; without the power of the _Ginzuishou_ to repel the invaders, they could have waltzed right in. The queen would have been helpless if attacked, and had been forced to drastic measures to protect herself. And Chibi-Usa had fled to the past, carrying that very sacred stone around her neck.

No wonder she had thought that the _Ginzuishou_ of the past would have been more powerful; the child herself obviously couldn't wield it, and it had failed utterly since she had touched it. But even that in itself was unusual, as she knew the princess of the royal line would have been able to direct its power while in swaddling clothes. Was the invasion of Endymion's Earth blood enough to have completely destroyed Chibi-Usa's birthright to the crystal?

Thoughtful, she turned around to find herself staring at a tapestry of a door.

Wondering, she swept the heavy hanging aside to blink, perplexed, at the obvious wooden door with no obvious doorknob. It was a heavy wooden rectangle, complete with recently oiled hinges by the smell, but nothing to open it with. A rather curious dilemma, she mused, as she poked experimentally at the usual knob position. The other hidden doors had all been directly cut out of the crystal, not so obvious out of wood, and heavy, decorated wood, no less. Where the one wood door downstairs had been of plain yellow, unstained or unvarnished, this one had been stained a dark redwood colour.

Very curious.

After several minutes of linguistic cursing, kicking, poking, scratching, and digging in the cracks with her fingernails, she gestured impatiently at it, letting the tapestry cover it back up again. "Christ! And it's probably an actual storage room, for all of the effort wasted." Oh well; it was probably just a sign that she needed to respect their privacy and go back downstairs. She hadn't found anything so far, and for all of her searching she was maybe frozen in a glacier like some Magrathean signature. Frowning, she looked back at the tapestry for any last hint of a clue, turning her lips into a smirk at the sight of the foppish bird sitting atop the woven door. "A peacock guarding a door, with flaming tail feathers. That's terrible. It's not even the right colour, they're not orange and red. Can't any idiot tell the difference between a phoenix and a –"

Something clicked on the other side of the weaving. She shut her mouth with an audible snap of teeth, pulling the tapestry aside to see the door gently swinging open into another stairwell. "Huh. Password. I knew that."

Snorting at herself, she regarded the well-worn steps critically, looking up the well to see another bypass of floors that went up high into the very apex of the palace. Attic space, most likely, which may have accounted for the high traffic – the steps were dull with dirt from the bottom of shoes – but not for a password-protected door. Walking up, she noted the entire lack of translucent wall as in the other stairwell, though the ceiling was translucent to completely hide anyone walking up.

Finally, after several minutes of walking in silence, she found herself with no more stairs to climb and merely an open doorway. Dim light streamed into the small, roughly triangular room through another translucent crystal roof, highlighting the sole object in the room; a statue of sharp, opaque blue crystal that shone warmly. It stood in the middle of the room, making use of the peak of the palace, as the room itself was not very big at all with its sharp, sloping ceilings.

A few worn books sat at the base, dog-eared, as if someone had come up here to read to the lone occupant, along with a feather duster to thoughtfully clean the crystal. She picked up one of the books, staring at the title dully – it was one of her favourites, translated into Japanese that she had decided was a less-than-faithful rendition – and looked up at the elevated figure, unsure of how to react.

The statue was crouched into a position of protection, arms crossed at face level to ward off a blow. Like a heartbeat, the light that suffused the figure pulsed and waned, and it was the only sign that whoever was inside was still alive, if comatose. She felt the weight of time press down on her in this room as she stared across the centuries at her own still face, into eyes that did not blink nor water, or even recognize her existence.

And how long the statue had been here was another painful thought.

Chibi-Usa had not recognized her. Endymion had not mentioned her. He had, in fact, commented on her lack of existence, proven true by the hall of mosaics, in which she was prominently not there. The conclusion she was coming to was not comforting, and it was really driving home the fact that she shouldn't have come looking to begin with. Her constant paranoid curious was biting her on the ass this time.

She sat down at the foot of it, raking an impatient hand back through her hair. "Fuck," she said softly.

Several floors below, Chibi-Usa sat in the garden of the palace, expertly closing the latch on Luna-P. She cried in relief as the toy's eyes lit up, and it began beeping as it ran a diagnostic on her, and then, itself. When everything was proven normal, it floated up to hover in its usual spot next to her, comical as ever. "Ara, Luna-P, I'm so glad you're alright!" she sighed, reaching out to hug the bulbous thing. "Everything's going wrong, and I don't know what to do anymore!"

Beeping cautiously, the toy settled down next to her on the bench, a normal procedure when the pink-haired child needed to vent. It made her feel as though the toy were a real person listening to her, though truly, she knew better; but sometimes, imagination did wonders. "I brought Sailor Moon home with me, to save mama; I made it, Luna-P, all by myself! But, mama…" She paused, thinking of the ditzy, _odango_-haired blonde she had met. The small details she had noticed that, when she truly thought hard, reconciled with her mother's own actions. Her feeling of safety in the presence of Usagi and Mamoru that she steadfastly would not admit to herself until just before the trip…what she had attributed to them being Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen.

"Mama is Sailor Moon," she breathed finally, frowning at her shoes. "Mama never told me she was Sailor Moon….but it wasn't to hurt me, papa said." But deception hurt, unintentional or not; and she knew that was the pain she was feeling. She could have been trusted with this secret, but they didn't trust her…

She stared through the open gates, out at the wasteland that was the city. Even here she could smell the rotting corpses, many of them – if not all – people she had known, if only by name and not by association. Her mother had wanted it that way, to be more of a person to them all instead of some untouchable monarch. But soon, she had said, the city would grow large, and she couldn't possibly know everyone. Not much chance of anything growing now after this disaster.

Luna-P beeped in distress as the pink-haired child walked towards the entrance of the palace, floating quickly to interpose itself between her and the outside world. "Ne, Luna-P, what's wrong?" The ball bobbed frantically in the air, beeping more, its eyes flashing. She stared at it, a slowly growing frown on her face. "Of course I can go into the city. Papa can monitor me from the palace, and I have you, Luna-P. I just want to look."

Even though the city was a den of horrors, and she had seen only a bit of it, there was a tiny, fiendish bit of curiousity still alive in her; most humans always want a second look, no matter how terrible the first. She pushed by the frantic toy and wandered free of the palace, feeling the tiny buzz in her brain that meant she had left the safety of the shield. Luna-P nearly slammed into her back, so fast did it follow her, its miniature receptors relaying SOS back to the palace.

By curious contrast, they mimicked the noise of the bell as it shook merrily atop the mirror in Esmeraud's hands. She smiled wickedly.

Smell assaulted the pink-haired child as she walked on, oblivious to the danger, covering her mouth and nose as her eyes watered. She'd forgotten how cold it had become, without the temperature regulators functioning to drive away the freezing winds of the ice and snow. But it was not quite cold enough to preserve the bodies, to prevent the rot, and so she shook and shivered and smelled the stench of death as she walked.

At one point she slipped, falling to her knees next to one of the storekeepers, a nice Englishman she remembered had given her a wonderful book on unicorns. He had fallen in the street next to his sign, his face and clothing torn away by the force of the blast, his cornflower blue eyes fixed up on a point in the sky she could not see. Now, after so much, she screamed, scrambling back on her hands.

The children she had found had been cruel to her, nasty in their taunts. After all, she wasn't just a child to them; she was their future queen. A princess who had no power, even though her parents always said that someday she would be like them, able to call on her inner strength. But she also knew what they talked about between themselves at night, late in bed; that she was, not in their words but close enough, a freak; and that they didn't know what to do. And all she had wanted was to be a lady like her mother.

But the Englishman had been kind to her. He had gone to one knee and taken her hand and kissed it, and called her ‘Your Highness,' and smiled at her. Her father had called him a true gentleman, and she had treasured the book. He had been kind, and he was dead.

She was crying, huddled on the ground as Luna-P hovered anxiously over her, wondering in the depths of its circuitry where the hell the king was, when something big and green smashed into it. Jumbled imagery of the city gone topsy-turvy registered before the toy slammed into a wall, making an unpleasant noise. Everything shut down as Chibi-Usa screamed, and screamed again.

Her screams abruptly cut short. Esmeraud expertly choked her into unconsciousness, pressing her forearm across the child's windpipe. It took the right amount of pressure and time to produce the right result; contrary to the movies and TV, choking a struggling person was not so clean and easy. Her foremost concern had been killing the rabbit, because she had no doubt that a dead princess would have been of no use to her for barter.

The remaining screams echoed faintly down the street, though the pounding of feet eclipsed it. Venus, having tired of her tour and wandering into the control room to plot and scheme with the felines, had been the first to see the frantic signal on the screen. Luna-P's transmission abruptly cut off just as the signal had intensified, a familiar green-haired woman visible despite the static. It sent the long-haired blonde racing out of the palace, trusting Artemis and Luna to call for Sailor Moon and her prince. Calling power to her hand before she even cleared the gates, she vaulted up into the air within sight of the woman, shouting, "Crescent Beam!"

Esmeraud laughed, slapping the beam away with a flick of her wrist. Venus cried out as it slammed into her stomach, sending her flying back into a wall of the palace hard enough to crack the marble. The green-haired woman preened, nearly glowing with ego and power; she had never felt better, in fact, though why was a mystery. Perhaps it was her proximity to the rabbit, with her powerful blood; she never thought to suspect the mirror which was tucked into her belt, its surface tarnished completely black.

Sailor Moon skidded to a stop as Esmeraud experimentally blasted Venus with a bolt of black, crackling energy. As the soldier cried out, Sailor Moon screamed, "You! Release Chibi-Usa, you evil woman! We've already beaten you once, how dare you try again!"

"It's simple! Esmeraud shall always find herself victorious, even after the struggle!" Holding aloft the limp pink-haired child, she pressed her fingernail into her cheek, drawing it taunt against her skin to leave a red, angry mark. "The rabbit was an easy catch, Sailor Moon; pitiful, for her ancestry is reputed to be strong."

"Let her go, you green-haired witch!" Venus coughed from the ground, finally getting up onto her knees. It wasn't a very good show of might, but she did her best to stand up without wobbling.

It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because it threw Esmeraud into a frothing rage. Stamping her foot, she shouted, "WHAT! You little, impudent, blonde-haired, pitiful nothing! How dare you insult me, the future queen of the Black Moon! I'll kill you for that slight!"

In her arms, Chibi-Usa had gained minimal consciousness, and was twisting feebly, kicking her legs in an attempt to get away. Esmeraud merely held her aloft by the throat, smiling cruelly at Sailor Moon's pained gasp. She held her rod at her side, useless; and she was forced back, as Esmeraud began to walk forward, holding the pink-haired child like a shield in front of her. "Now, you'll take me to the royal whore, that godless wench you call Serenity. And you'll watch me remove her head, and perhaps the child's as well. Maybe I'll kill you all then, after I kill the royal family; I'm not sure yet."

"Why are you doing this?" Sailor Moon asked softly, stunned by the woman's hatred, so obvious and thick. Behind her she could hear Venus quietly swearing, as useless as anyone as Esmeraud advanced.

Esmeraud looked at the _odango_-haired blonde curiously, obviously surprised by the question. "Why? Because this kingdom is a crime against God. Because the queen has so ensnared Demand-sama that she must die, flaunting her charms as she does like any wanton whore."

They were coming up to the gates of the palace now, and Endymion's figure was visible through the entrance. "Ah, the godless king as well! How perfect this trap has worked!" Esmeraud laughed, coyly hiding her lower face with her trademark fan. "My Demand-sama will be so pleased with me! Now," she purred, gesturing with the fan, "drop your weapon, little girl."

Sailor Moon stared at her as if she had just asked for her to take down the sun from the sky. Venus said instantly, "_Iie_, Sailor Moon!"

Behind her, at her right side, she could feel her prince gathering his own power. Though it could have been a perfect attack – dropping down to throw away her weapon, he could have released his power over her head, destroying Esmeraud or at least critically wounding her – but Chibi-Usa hung there, a literal wall between them. Without looking, she opened her hand to drop the rod to the street, wincing at the noise.

Esmeraud seemed surprised as well. Certainly she hadn't expected the annoying brat to actually do it; here she had prepared herself for a full-on assault, hostage or not. "Yare yare, is the strongest, legendary sailor soldier actually a coward?"

"I dropped my weapon," Sailor Moon said softly, "as you told me to. Please; don't hurt Chibi-Usa-chan now."

"Chibi-Usa? Is that what you call her? What a stupid, silly name," Esmeraud stated critically, advancing further still. In her hand was a sphere of black, an imperfect ball of energy, which she lifted with a slowly growing smile. "Just as you are stupid. _Sayonara_, Sailor Moon."

Glitter sparkled from the sky; or at least, that was what it seemed. Red lines appeared in the vulnerable flesh of Esmeraud's face, her arms and legs, neat rips in her dress. Each sliver of crystal was impeccable in its aim; not a one touched Chibi-Usa. The green-haired woman gaped, her hand aloft for a stunned moment with its energy forgotten; her face was wounded.

(The gravity of that statement has to be amended.)

Her. Face. Was. WOUNDED.

She screamed, utterly frozen by the stinging pain and the insult to her ego. "Who…who…who did this? Who dared do this to me!? WHO?!"

A shadow fell across her face, and they all looked up to the palace wall, where the Crystal Guardian stood above their heads, seemingly unconcerned. Running hell-bent down several flights of stairs had been an excellent workout. "_Bonjou'_. Remember me?"

Her hand came up, holding another five shards of crystal as one would a spread of cards. As Esmeraud stared, disbelieving her eyes at the sight of the mythical guardian, her hand spun, fingers dancing to catch each shard between each digit. With uncanny accuracy they were flung, spinning like drills to slash down across her eyes, her biceps, her thigh. Her blinking saved her eyeballs from the delicate, precise wounds, but she hurt too terribly to open her eyes. The biggest insult of all, however, was that she was so arrogant in her methods of fighting that she disdained physical assault, preferring energy attacks – and just as Chibi-Usa's throwing Luna-P at her hours earlier had so shocked her, so did the projectiles. It just wasn't done.

With both muscles cut deep enough to seriously wound, her arms went slack. Chibi-Usa dropped like a sack of potatoes, too groggy to land properly; Venus dove forward, catching the pink-haired child as she began to roll, carrying them both out of the line of fire. Sailor Moon ducked as Venus cried an affirmative, Tuxedo Kamen lunged towards Esmeraud, shouting, "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"

At her waist, the mirror shattered. It took the brunt of the attack, and Esmeraud, blind as a bat, was thrown across the street, smashing through a spider-webbed window with a resounding smash. Sailor Moon used her momentum to spring forward, running towards the gaping hole, glass crunching beneath her boots. Her rod was in the air and aimed as the green-haired woman struggled up, blinking rapidly to see only an intense light as the _odango_-haired blonde, putting every bit of anger at her family being hurt behind it, screamed, "Moon Princess Halation!"

She became dust, and Sailor Moon wobbled, falling onto her knees. Rolling back onto her hands, she could see Venus, carefully holding Chibi-Usa as Tuxedo Kamen, unsure of whom to go to, finally chose his princess. "Usako, are you alright?" he asked cautiously, glancing back at the sound of the Crystal Guardian dropping from the wall.

"_Hai, hai_," she sighed, staring at her rod thoughtfully. She crawled to her feet, wondering how many more lives such a gaudy weapon would take. "Why does peace take so much violence? I'm tired of my friends, my family, being hurt in such a manner," she remarked dolefully, looking around at the destroyed city.

Venus shifted the pink-haired child in her arms with a grunt, muttering something about a futuristic weight-loss center. "Because we're sailor soldiers," she remarked finally, though the question had been reflective more than serious. At the sound of metal scraping stone, however, the long-haired blonde struggled to turn about, while keeping Chibi-Usa protected by her body. It wasn't an easy task, and she frowned at the result.

Luna-P was rolling along the street slowly, pushed by inertia and the wind. Sailor Moon left her prince's side and ran to pick it up, frowning at its lack of noise. "Yare yare, she broke you too," she sighed, shaking the toy without thinking. It made no sign of recognition, and she shook it once more before thinking, belatedly, that it might have been a stupid move. She tucked it beneath her arm, smiling at the sight of her daughter being carried to safety within the gates in the arms of a muttering Venus. A day before, she had wished the child banished to whatever place she had come from; now, she was frantic to make sure not so much as a bee stung her precious skin.

So lost in her thoughts, she was unaware of the disturbance collecting above her head. Tuxedo Kamen, now standing patiently at the palace gates and the only other soul in such a position, saw it before the shadow lengthened before her. "Sailor Moon, above you!" he yelled, his limbs tensing for his forward spring. But as he went airborne, Demand gestured almost lazily to slam him back down with a bolt of energy.

"The legendary soldier, Sailor Moon," Demand sighed above her as she stared, shocked, at her prince's smoking chest. "You killed my associate, Esmeraud. That's an unforgivable act of war."

She stared up at him, furious. Chibi-Usa's capture had created a fear in her she had never known before, helpless as she had been to save her, a fear that had turned to flashing anger at her chance. But Tuxedo Kamen was wounded, injured for seemingly no reason; and that pissed her off mightily and instantly. "An unforgivable act of war! You of the Black Moon attacked us, capturing my friends! Your methods are evil and cruel, and I will vanquish you for that!" Dropping the silent toy, she reclaimed her rod, holding it instinctively in a parry position in front of her.

The sounds of another battle and Sailor Moon's shout had Venus and the Crystal Guardian, inside of the palace with Chibi-Usa, looking at one another for a surprised second. (Hadn't they just defeated the damn enemy?) Motioning for Venus to stay put, the tall red-head ran back for the outer gates, cursing under her breath as she leapt for the top of the wall again, landing quietly as she saw the attacker. She had a feeling the element of surprise was already gone as she saw his eyes shift.

Demand frowned as he saw her movement, brushing his cape behind a shoulder. Before she could react with her projectiles, he flung his hand out, creating a black tornado of wind that blasted her off her feet, throwing her head over heels down the street and through another window, this one partially broken. "Guardian-sama!" Sailor Moon screamed, stunned. Up until that point, the tall red-head had casually batted away anything thrown at her, but now, the _odango_-haired blonde was realizing that even she could be seriously hurt.

"The Crystal Guardian?" Demand remarked thoughtfully, gaining another angered stare. "Interesting. I expected better."

Little sparkles of light came whipping out of the abandoned building as he spoke. But this time it was the broken shards of the window, thicker pieces of clear glass that ripped his flesh open in several places. Though he twisted at the last moment, many hit their mark, and they were far less neat than the crystal cuts. "I see I spoke too soon!" he growled between his teeth.

"Where did you take my friends!" Sailor Moon yelled from below, taking an aggressive step forward. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, where are they? Bring them back!"

He glanced down at her, his eyes suddenly intent on her face. So seriously did he stare at her that her aggression leaked away, and she in fact backed up. "_N-nani_?"

"You….impossible. But your eyes are the very same…" he murmured, rotating his head to see the lone soldier crawling out of the building. Now, there was a corona of fire around her fist, power gathering strength. Like Demand, she too bore the jagged injuries of broken glass, though she bled far worse. "And such passionate protection…only the queen deserves such loyalty. Is it possible that the queen I so desire is in fact the legendary soldier, Sailor Moon?"

The _odango_-haired blonde flinched at his words, feeling exposed beneath the intensity of his stare. But as she looked back up at him, she could see the emptiness in his eyes; they caught her gaze, trapping her as the emblem on his forehead shifted, slitted into an oval from which the light shone. She felt it tug at her body, and she was halfway into the air before her fogged brain registered that she was moving. "Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!" Falling limp within his power, she felt the weight of her only solid weapon dropping uselessly from her hand.

"Don't look into his eyes, Serenity!" Endymion screamed impulsively from the palace gates, pounding his fists against the shield that simultaneously protected and confined him. Demand's smile was both pleased and triumphant, wilting the strong king nearly into oblivion; he had, unintentionally, given the white-haired prince the proof he needed.

Venus, freed of her burden, leapt off the wall of the palace gates, releasing her crescent beam almost point blank at Demand. The Crystal Guardian flung a twisting fireball, going for her sword as she too leapt.

Both of them were blasted down the sidewalk, as Wiseman interposed himself suddenly between them and his prince, a shifting, amoebic hand sending them on their way. They hit, skidding painfully for several more yards, as Demand, Sailor Moon, and the robed sage disappeared, holes ripped open to accept them and spirit them away to safety; to Nemesis, Endymion knew, even as he slumped to his knees in defeat. "_Iie_…Serenity…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do realize this version of the future is more in line with the anime than the manga, but I really wanted to do a 'frozen wasteland' scenario. So I did. The future can change.


	20. Act 20  : Nemesis - Shisoushen

##### 

Christ, her head ached miserably.

The lattice pattern of the ceiling above her head didn't help. "Who the fuck thinks that Rorschach from Hell is comforting?" the Crystal Guardian groaned, voicing her displeasure in English, her brain still too rattled to grope for the appropriate Japanese. Rubbing at the growing knot on the very back of her skull, she tried slowly to sit up.

Her vision didn't swim, but it did do a half-hearted tango before giving up the fight. That was a good sign, and she took it to mean that she could stand, which she also attempted to do in a slow, doddering manner. When she succeeded at that, she figured she couldn't have been as badly hurt as she had estimated, once she'd hit the ground. The speed at which she and Venus had flown had given her very little time to react. Grabbing hold of her ally and taking the brunt of the impact, as well as shielding them as best as she could, she had blacked out not from the initial crash, but from her skull bouncing back on the stones when Venus's cheek thudded into her chin.

Thinking of the long-haired blonde, she looked to her right to see the orange-suited soldier stretched out on a padded table, much like the one she had been laying on. She looked fine, in better shape than the soldier standing over her who felt, honestly, like complete shit. In the reflective surfaces of the walls she could see the scrapes and tears in her uniform, the scuff marks on her boots. Though she was not vain enough nor militarily disciplined enough to worry about her general appearance, it was still irritating to see. She hadn't even gotten a chance to blast that prissy white-haired dick in return for her suffering.

Not that she had been able to call her own power properly anyway. She lifted her hand thoughtfully, wiggling her fingers. Flipping her hand up as if tossing a ball into the air, she produced a tiny, sputtering flame, which promptly fizzled out of existence. Scowling, she tried it again, literally growling through her teeth when she couldn't even bring so much as a will o' wisp to her fingers. "Unbelievable," she said, at length. Out of all of her abilities, her fire wouldn't manifest; and that was ridiculous. She was born with the power; it should have come to her far easier than the rest.

Then again, the rest of them weren't exactly willing either. Shielding herself was coming to her only in times of crisis when she really needed the damn power, and every now and again when she didn't think of trying to use it; like at home. All she seemed to have left to her was that which came hardwired into her physical body; it really did nothing in the long run.

Clenching her fist, she looked to her left to see Tuxedo Kamen, though he was minus the latter as he too was out cold on a table, his mask and cape removed. They sat on a smaller table for medical instruments, which were no doubt Mercury's. Or perhaps Endymion did some nursing of his own; she knew he wanted to study in college to become a physician. Maybe he had before becoming king.

"You're awake. That's excellent," he said behind her, forming his image in the doorway. Thoughtfully, she gestured at him, a motion not unlike the flicking of water from her fingers; but all he did was tilt his head, impassive as always. "Are you testing me, kajidoro-kun?"

She stared at him blankly for a moment – her head injury was not helping her – as she mentally translated the word. Then, her mouth quirked into a smile he knew well; that charming, sly curve of lips that could have enticed anyone. "That's cute. And no, smart-ass, I wasn't; I was testing myself." She made that water-flicking gesture, as if throwing the comment aside. "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak and the mind is questioning."

He nodded as if he understood; and most likely he did. After all, she reminded herself dryly, his past was their future. And their future wasn't looking too bright. "Venus still has much to thank you for," he commented, switching the subject with ease. "Without your protection, she would have been badly injured."

"That's me, the bearer of blunt trauma for three lifetimes. But if she's fine, why is she asleep?"

As she watched in amusement, he mimed a hypodermic plunging into the crook of his elbow, where, she noticed, a Band-Aid had been loosely applied on Venus's arm. "She's obviously fatigued from battle, and from the stress of the time warp. I will not allow any of you to continue on, so obviously sickened, and she disagreed with me; so I judiciously applied a sedative," he explained with a hint of stern displeasure. The look he gave her would have frozen a lesser, meeker being into their shoes; but she was used to ignoring such authority, and she did so now.

Venus whimpered in her sleep, even as the tall red-head reached down to lightly slide her hand across her brow. As she did so, the transformation was released, and Minako rolled onto her side, unaware of the change. Endymion watched in silence, either aware that the commander had such power, or skillful enough to show no surprise. She then moved around to the sleeping prince, removing his transformation just as easily.

Smiling grimly, she said, "You just need to know what button to push." Running a hand through her hair, she changed back into the jeans, tank top, boots, and ever-present trenchcoat she had been wearing; all in a matching deep black that had not yet been laundered out. Straightening her lapels, she spared a wave for the trio of felines who were trooping in, followed by a pale Chibi-Usa.

Endymion easily rattled off everyone's conditions for them, adding Mamoru's to the list – badly-bruised ribs, and a sudden heart palpitation had him on some serious medication, and he was hooked up to a monitor – noting that they would both be unconscious for at least twelve hours. "Though by our planetary rotation, barely half of that time will have passed on Nemesis. They are a day ahead, but their hours are longer."

"What can we do until then?" Artemis asked, leaping up onto the table to sit protectively next to Minako. At her moan, he comfortingly licked her cheek with a rough tongue, and she lapsed into calm. He sniffed curiously at her civilian attire, wondering how she had de-transformed while asleep.

The tall red-head shrugged. "Get some rest. Eat. Plan until they wake up for active duty again." She seemed generally unconcerned, despite the looks of anxiety on everyone's face; except for, of course, Endymion.

Luna frowned, slitting her eyes as her tail began to lash. "How can you be so flippant, LeBeau-san? Usagi-chan could be in grave danger! We can't just sit here—"

"And just what do you propose we do, Luna? I'm ‘flippant' because I at least know where she is – though I have a feeling she's less in danger than we suppose – and because I know we can't do a damn thing until they wake up. How do you expect us to get to Nemesis? Flap our arms and paws and fly there?" she retorted sharply, matching Luna's stare with one of her own; and the black feline inched back. "At least, if the three of us combine our power, we could possibly teleport, though even that is pushing it.

"The only possibility I can think of is using the time warp, to step into the future on Nemesis by a few minutes. But that's a serious misuse of the warp, and we've already pushed the limits by even coming here with Chibi-Usa." Glancing at the pink-haired child for emphasis, she saw that she was carrying Sailor Moon's rod like a personal talisman, close to her chest. Arching an eyebrow, she added, "and don't ever belittle me like that, Luna. Serenity chose me to be in this position for many reasons; and maybe once you remember, you'll chose your words better in the future."

The black feline seemed reasonably cowed by the statement; mostly, because she didn't know what else to say. Alex was right; using their power to travel a distance of millions of light years was quite likely outside of their abilities, without Sailor Moon or the captured three soldiers. The time warp was the only likely way, and Pluto had already tried to kill them for merely entering it. But what, then, could they do? And what could they even come up with in twelve hours?

  
_Kami-sama_, her head ached miserably.

Her slow awakening made her aware of her various aches, a low pain all over her body like that of a sunburn. All she remembered was the sight of eyes; like ice, never ending, glacial, as they had drilled into her furious crystal blues. And the fleeting remnants of a dream, disturbing and short – her Mamo-chan, in the arms of a woman who looked like her, yet was not. Her Mamo-chan and this woman ignoring her as she fled after them, calling his name…

She opened her eyes.

The room was like a cavern, losing her in its dark depths. She lay in the center, lost in a large bed swathed in silken sheets that were like ice against her bare skin. Matter of fact, the entire room was almost insanely cold, which shouldn't have affected her as a soldier; her transformation gave her a higher tolerance to temperature and impact, like body armor. But as she looked down at herself, uttering a shriek, she realized just why she was freezing.

She had been dressed in a gown of white that hugged her waist and curves, baring her shoulders and most of her arms. It dipped obscenely to show off the tops of her breasts, and she tinkled with each breath; jewels adorned her chest in a gaudy design, snaking over her arms like straps above the diaphanous buffs of the partial sleeves. Though it was no more revealing than her gown when she became Serenity, it was alien to her, and utterly humiliating. Who had touched her to change her clothes in such a manner?

And as a matter of fact, why had they been able to change them at all?

Where was her brooch?

Seized with a dread even sharper than humility, she was shocked – to say the least – to see it lying by her hand, as though it were a useless bauble. Picking it up, she felt its meager warmth, though it was like a brand against her cold skin; a heat that pulsated as she concentrated. It throbbed in tune to the pain that suffused her entire body, and she realized the crystal was devoting itself to protecting her. But whatever was attacking her was strong.

Strong enough to make the _Ginzuishou_ strain itself to shield her, a thought that chilled her to the bone.

Weak, she slid from the bed and nearly collapsed to her knees, holding her head. "_Itaaaii_," she moaned, unsure if she could even try and escape from whatever hell she had been thrust into. Clutching at her trailing skirts, she moved towards the sole source of light in the room; a projection, at such an angle she couldn't guess at the image. She stumbled closer to it to perhaps gain a clue to her whereabouts, and shrieked again.

It was she.

No; it was Neo Queen Serenity. Usagi moaned at the sight of her future self, frozen in such a pose, created into an image for someone's lecherous eyes to look at over and over again. She felt impossibly more naked, and she hugged herself tightly, unable to imagine who would be so disturbing to have such a thing. "Neo Queen Serenity…."

A tickle of fingers drew down her naked back, like the touch of a spider; she froze, utterly terrified, unable to breathe, as the hand explored the bare regions of her spine, stopping just above the dimples of her tailbone. It was not a friendly touch, but possessive, cold. "You've awakened, my lovely creature. Sooner than I had hoped, despite the nature of the _Jakokusuishou_; you amaze me, Sailor Moon. Or may I call you Serenity?"

"I have no claim to that name," she said softly, though it was an utter lie. She tried to stand tall despite his engulfing stare, but it was difficult; he was simply adept at making her feel like a lesser being in his presence, that nothing less than groveling at his feet and begging forgiveness would be suitable.

He laughed; a strange, empty sound. "I shall do so anyway; it suits you, as benefits a royal personage. Though you are not yet she, I see her in you." With a flourish, he indicated the shimmering hologram, drawing close to her side so that she could feel his breathing against her skin. "What do you think of my decoration?"

She hoped he couldn't feel the unconscious trembling in her limbs, but at his serpent's smile, she knew it was hopeless. In her hand, the jeweled insets of her brooch were cutting her skin, she was gripping it so hard for support. "I think it's terrible," she finally managed to say, looking away. "To stare at her like an object to be owned –" And now he did own her, didn't he? Stolen like a valuable from the vault, claiming ownership by merely possessing her indefinitely. It was a terrifying thought.

"How true," he remarked calmly, touching his chin. "I've wanted her since the moment I saw her fierce eyes, staring at me; until that point, I thought of the royal family as inconsequential. To see the queen was to see her from a distance, untouchable, a mere speck of white and blonde. But on that day, she looked at me fiercely, and I knew desire."

Her head was starting to spin from all of this talk about the person she would become, but had not matured into yet. It was honestly a bit confusing, too; she simply could not imagine herself as such a beautiful, elegant woman. The queen asleep in her bier of crystal had seemed like a goddess fallen from a painting, not a real person; and Usagi simply could not relate. To her, being a princess and living in a castle was still a fantasy, safe as long as she continued to see it as such. To recognize that the fantastic woman who lived in this era was truly herself, and that her life was mapped out to such a degree, was to shatter what little safe haven she had.

Alex was right; she had no more accepted Serenity than she had Sailor Moon.

Belated, she realized Demand was saying something, but it seemed to matter little as she felt herself suddenly thrust down, falling into a plush chair behind her. No doubt it was a cozy spot for him to relax, and to stare at her future self; the thought made the cushions a little less soft. "You seem shaken and tired, lovely. I expected Nemesis to have an adverse affect on you, but I had hoped that your little stone would have countered the relentless pressure. No doubt the two crystals are engaged in a powerful battle."

"Nemesis…._kami-sama_," she whispered, lifting a hand to her mouth. This was worse than she thought. Trapped on an isolated planet, so far away from her allies; how could she escape?

"_Hai_. My kingdom, as it were." His laugh was brittle this time, mocking; and she realized he liked it here even less than she did. "My empire of mud and decay. But we chose this place to secure our true planet once more, to rid it of the long-living invaders who had stolen the throne."

She looked at him curiously, her eyes innocent and wide, in contrast to the stubborn anger he had worked tirelessly to capture. "Are you Demand?"

Her deduction had him smiling in approval, like a puppy that had learned its commands. "_Prince_ Demand, I will correct you. Ruler of this brittle planet, and soon to be the sole authority of the pretty blue Earth.

"It was not the name I was born to, of course. That I discarded carelessly, as it was unfit in our new society. In the manner of the legendary Earth kingdom, we all chose new names to signify our resistance to the godless Silver Millennium; after the minerals taken from the soil, I chose the hardest stone."

It felt as though a door opened in her mind when he stated this proudly, a memory rising unbidden from the depths of her unconsciousness – it had indeed been the custom on Earth to take a new name, when one ascended to the rank of a top soldier or knight. She remembered Endymion describing the practice – which he had thought of as silly, but then again, members of the royal houses had enough titles and names without giving themselves new ones – and remarking that his four generals, his closest advisors and friends, had chosen the names of precious stones. Many chose such gems, in effect calling themselves valuable to the kingdom and its army.

To think that this faux princeling could have learned of such a practice, and then taken it upon himself to usurp it, to throw it in the face of the very kingdom they had stolen it from; she felt a flashing anger. Not only for herself, but for her dark-haired prince, who had laughed carelessly at the practice, not knowing that in millennia to come, a smarmy boy would take it for his own. "How could you have found out such a thing!" she demanded suddenly, gripping the arms of her chair.

"Does it manner?" he veritably purred, obviously taken with her show of displeasure.

Her arms shook as she clutched at the fabric, half-risen. Beneath her right hand her crystal continued to throb, suddenly frantic with her rising emotions. But perhaps it was not frantic at all, merely as riled as she was, wanting to lash out at this arrogant boy – and she could do it too, she realized with a flush. She could destroy Nemesis without a thought, riding the power of the crystal through space to safety. A thought, and the tenth planet would be reduced to smaller asteroids within the Belt.

What was she thinking?

Her mouth felt cotton dry as she swallowed, suddenly aware of his conniving smile.

He had expected her to attack him.

It would have been deflected, obviously, for she was far too weak to cause any serious hurt; but it would have allowed the malicious energy she now recognized permeating the very air to inch that closer into her soul. Demand would have done nothing forcibly to warp and twist her into his perfect bride – all she had to do was give in to her anger, and the _Jakokusuishou_ he had mentioned, no doubt the cause of the planet's decay, would have hastened her to his arms.

As she lapsed into a stunned silence, Demand's smile grew sharper as he realized she had undermined his trickery. "Impressive, my queen. Instead of giving into your base nature, the very sentiment of humanity, you chose to continue to ignore it. How presumptuous."

"I'm not a monster," she retorted, though it was hardly the vicious attack he had anticipated. "And it's also human to be kind and gentle. Have you forgotten it, or have you ignored it for your own plans?"

He dipped his head – touché – and folded his arms, looking thoughtfully at the untouchable figure of Neo Queen Serenity before them. "Humanity has lost sight of its position in the universe. At the close of the 20th century, people lived longer, healthier. More children were born instead of sensibly killed. Like the parasite, we continued to multiply, not cut down by the reaper of Time or Disease, flaunting the natural predators we had with the forms of medical science and religious inoculation.

"I once read a book when I was young, about how humanity had spread to the stars. With the aid of computer intelligence, long grown separate from us, humanity was given a false immortality, blasphemous in its warped ingeniousness. Things grew stagnant; nothing was quick to change, for humanity, now seeing eons of time unrolling before them, wanted everything to stay the same. Entropy, the natural system of change, cannot work, when an unnatural variable is introduced. Humanity is not pushed to continue past its established boundaries, will not change willingly, in such a situation.

"Though Earth was finally scoured by the ice, clearing the way for a brand new order – of humanity pushed to the brink, willing to adapt and change – the Silver Millennium reared its head and led them astray." He steepled his index fingers, pressing them to his lip in a gesture of pensive thought as he paused in his rapid speech. Usagi, slowly digesting everything he had said, was unsure if she was impressed or confused. How could long life be so terrible? Surely people could still evolve on their own, despite the won battle against Time. Or maybe, she was simply being naïve about the logic of such a world; maybe it took the fear of death and the odds of survival to push and shove a person into adaptation.

"For humanity to change, the unnatural variable must be destroyed. We have no time to wait for entropy to work its course, because entropy is effectively undermined when the despotism is not merely absolute in its rule, but eternal."

"It isn't eternal!" Usagi said suddenly, jerking in her seat. Whatever power he had used to push her into the chair held her effectively in place; it was like fighting wet cement. "We'll die, just like everyone else! A thousand years is not forever—"

"And what if you chose to resurrect yourselves again, using the power of your sacred crystal?" he countered, pointing sharply at the brooch in her hand. "Your mother sent you all to the future, effectively giving you another thousand years of life you were not to have. You had another chance to create your godless kingdom, your utopia of stagnation, and it can be done again and again.

"Your child, the sickeningly precocious little rabbit; she'll live a thousand years. Her child as well. The citizens of the planet who accepted the crystal will live as long, and their children, and their children's children, and people who have known the same situation throughout their lifetimes will rear them.

"The sailor soldiers, with their true immortality, could usurp the throne. And then they could rule from the safety of the palace until assassinated or killed in battle. You are all unnatural and unholy, and Earth is _not your place_."

With another sharp gesture he cut off her oncoming rebuttal, grinning like a madman. Or, perhaps, like a child who had finally gotten his hand in the cookie jar. "We will rewrite history, you see, to rid the Earth of this unnatural variable. All of you are a crime against God; humanity is not your blood. We were destined for the vicious cycle of rapid death and decay."

"Rewrite history….? _Kami-sama_; that's why you came to Tokyo!"

"At first, we merely wanted to kill the rabbit. She escaped us when we blasted your pretty crystal city to pieces. Our goal had been to obtain the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_, to use its power and that of the _Jakokusuishou_ to align humanity's path forcibly once more with that of nature. But when we made plans to capture and kill the rabbit, we realized how we could correct the present by going to the past. Destroy the 21st century sailor soldiers, and incapacitate the 30th century defense system."

That smile wavered, turning petulant. "I had forgotten the legends of Sailor Moon, the strongest soldier. That she was Neo Queen Serenity's former image. You disrupted our plans to kill the rabbit, and destroyed my loyal subjects."

"You took my friends. You killed people cruelly in Crystal Tokyo! Nothing you say can alleviate these tragedies, nothing!" She shook her head, clutching the brooch to her chest protectively. "Death is not better than life! I don't believe it!"

"You have the strength I witnessed in your future self," he mused. "And now, I see it in your eyes; it means my victory. The _Jakokusuishou_ will feed your anger, and it will replace the soft spaces in your heart. As I anticipated, Neo Queen Serenity will be pliant for my domination, and she will be gone from her knight's side to stand by mine. My black lady, my queen."

He moved closer to her as he spoke, icy eyes intent on the _odango_-haired blonde. She felt the force that kept her immobile lessen, and she sprang to her feet despite a tingle of bloodless limbs, wielding her brooch like a shield. Lightly he smacked her hand away, taking her wrist in one swift motion to pull her against his chest despite her cry, forcing her head back. "The beautiful queen of the blue and green planet," he sighed, leaning into her to capture her mouth with his own, bruising her lips as he kissed her roughly. He cupped the back of her head, holding her immobile; ignoring the beating of her fist against his side, he sucked at her lips, drawing them open to stab his tongue into her mouth.

Had it been passionate and mutual, it would have perhaps been a wonderful kiss. But it was forced upon her and it hurt to the core of her soul – it wasn't Mamo-chan's lips, his gentle arms, or his loving, tender ocean eyes blue eyes – and she could do no more than struggle like a weak movie actress caught by the monster. Finally, however, she managed to twist her arm up high, swinging her brooch into the side of his skull, crying, "_Iie_!"

It caught him entirely off guard, and he bit her lower lip before drawing back, clutching at his head. She could taste blood; furious at his actions, and feeling as though she had been raped, she threw up her arm, shouting, "Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!"

The utter absence of even the merest trickle of power froze her blood.

She must have stood in that pose for a minute, though it seemed forever, staring in disbelief at the brooch in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Demand cradling his head, licking at the droplet of her blood on his lip as though it were something sweet. No doubt intending to disturb her – and he did – his tongue roamed along his lips, searching for another precious smear. Finally, he said, "Your godless crystal is useless on his planet. The _Jakokusuishou_ absorbs all power and renders it meaningless, destroy its usefulness. Even the power of your precious _Ginzuishou_ is like a feather against unbreakable stone."

Her arm dropped to her side as she wavered in her stance, feeling utterly defeated. Falling back into the chair, her hands between her knees, she was aware of his steps as he moved closer again to her, but she knew, despairingly, that she could do nothing.

As he touched her, she whispered faintly, "Mamo-chan."

"_Itaaai_, my head," she whimpered.

With a moan, Rei slowly slid up onto her hip from her painful sprawl, finding herself rather frightened at the realization that she couldn't see. In front of her face, her hand was merely a pale blob, cavernous holes at their tips. It took a moment for her to realize that they were her fingernails, and barely a second later she realized, coldly, that she was no longer Sailor Mars.

Someone else moved in the utter blackness, and she took to her feet hastily, poised to fight. Her grandfather had made sure years ago that she knew the rudimentary skills of self-defense, even if her real passion had been in the bow and arrow. So she stood there, muscles stiff from inactivity all but screaming at her forceful movement, fists clenched at her sides, until she heard the unmistakable sound of someone throwing up. The smell was indeed enough to make anyone sick; considering how long she must have been here, she had no doubt she was contributing to it. Then: "Where am I? I can't see anything…"

"Mako-chan?" whispered someone else, hoarsely.

"Ami-chan!" Rei cried out, relieved.

"Rei-chan!?" they both replied, sounding just as relieved. A thin, weak beam of light cut through the darkness, barely illuminating the room, but just enough for them to see one another.

All of them had lost their transformations.

Makoto was in a terrible state. Though her power should have sped up her healing, if not entirely taking care of her smaller cuts, all of that energy had been devoted in her unconsciousness to simply staying active. And as it had failed them, it had failed her finally, and most likely quicker. She held herself around the ribs, cradling her fractured if not broken bones, her free arm hanging oddly at her side.

Ami, holding the tiny penlight, no doubt having carried it for such emergencies, looked considerably better, though her arm was swinging just as strangely. She was regarding it even now with a look of confusion, because she had gained no such injury fighting Beruche; and ever the practicing doctor, she began probing her shoulder with her fingers, the weak light dancing around in the gloom.

But Rei had seen enough of herself to be rather horrified. She looked to be a homeless person who had not seen a bath in months; her school uniform was wrinkled and sweaty, the very opposite of the proper, aloof student her classmates revered her as. Grimacing in disgust, she tried to smooth out some of the wrinkles, though by the paper-thin feel of them, it was impossible to accomplish.

"Where are we, then?" Ami asked, repeating Makoto's earlier query as she trained the light back to them.

The tall brunette shook her head gingerly. "I can guess. The lair of the Black Moon. That's where Koan claimed to be from. And it isn't from our time."

"_Nani_?" Rei gave up on her clothes – she'd been attempting to tug her socks up, which, any civilized person knows, automatically droop after an hour of wear – and frowned in Makoto's direction. "What do you mean, not our time?"

"I mean, I woke up on a ship of some sort. And the bastard who captured us was complaining about going through time." Her words came out harshly as she remembered his casual, angry beating as she lay helpless. Even the woman, the green-haired witch who had fought her, had used magic in their combat, not fists. It seemed strangely un-chivalrous. All the more reason for her to train harder, better…

Ami, if it was possible, looked paler in the light. "That's not possible," she said faintly. "Time travel is merely a theory, hypothesized by fiction writers and dreamers."

"Then how did we come to live in the 21st century, when we had died centuries ago?" Rei retorted tiredly, flinching as she found a bruise on her hip.

"Rebirth," Ami replied, sounding just as tired. "Spirits finding new life. In science, we've already accounted for the possibility of ghosts existing. But we're talking solid bodies, living being entirely, travelling through another dimension that hasn't even been proven to exist."

"Dammit, Ami-chan, does science have to prove everything for you to believe it?" Makoto cut in, her own voice not so much tired as much as it was pained. "You're splitting hairs, is that the term? And you heard what Alex-san said; she was from our era, the 21st century. But she was taken back in time to the Silver Millennium!"

The blue-haired genius threw up her hands, a stupid gesture as it intensified the pain in her shoulder. Rei, as she had never had the pleasure of meeting the tall red-head, was looking between the two of them quizzically. "'Alex-san'? Who are you talking about?"

"Oh, our old mentor from the Silver Millennium. She was living as Moriya-chan, but when she died, she was fully reincarnated, and she lives in a high-rise near the bay."

  
The batteries chose to fail at that moment in Ami's penlight, leaving them in total darkness again. Makoto cursed, and they heard her hit the ground as she apparently slipped in her puddle of vomit. Both girls felt queasy as they realized it, and they began to move, inch by inch, towards the sound of her voice. "Mako-chan, are you alright?" Ami asked.

If the absence of light was bad, the sudden full-blown appearance of it was worse. As though the sun had dropped down from the sky, the room was entirely full of white radiance, and they all screamed in varying degrees of agony as it blasted their eyes. They cowered onto the floor, covering their faces as though in the presence of a god, and waited, painfully, for their eyes to adjust.

"And so I see that the sailor soldiers are weak, no matter of their form," Wiseman's voice echoed around them. The floating sage seemed casually unaware of the brilliant light that expanded from his globe to fill the room, though it barely even intruded into the depths of his cloak. But his eyes, or what seemed to be his eyes for they were as amoebic as his hands, glowed as they stared down at them critically. "Useless, perhaps, for weapons against the white queen."

By sheer stubbornness did Makoto look up, clenching her fist at him. "And who are you! Another servant of the Black Moon? Come down here so we can show you how useless we can be!"

They had never had the pleasure of Wiseman's laugh, but they received the full measure of it now; cringing, they covered their ears now. "As though I would sully myself in combat with the likes of you. No, my pawns, you are condemned back to the dust from whence you came. Your useful is in your deaths."

"It doesn't matter!" Ami cried from her position, staring fiercely up at the seer. "Sailor Moon is stronger than that; she'll see your plans crumble and fail, even if we die!"

"In our Replay operation, Sailor Moon is not the important piece. Only the queen matters; this is a new game, and soon to be a new world, little soldiers. A pity that you show no strength to save yourselves," Wiseman remarked, his voice holding unmistakable scorn. Between his hands the light began to dim; and they knew he was going to leave them to the mercy of the confusing, encompassing darkness.

But Rei, staring at the floating seer in confusion, queried, "What queen? Our queen is dead, stranger; surely your path of revenge has not been so long in the making that you've been misinformed."

Unconsciously, the three moved closer into formation, clutching their hands to call the transformation pens into their palms. But of course, when they appeared, the magic within them was depleted; drained. Still they held them up like swords, or more approximately shields, as Wiseman began his hacking laughter again. "The silver queen of our everlasting hatred, sailor soldiers. Neo Queen Serenity of the godless anthems; ruler of a blasphemous land. When you are finally dead, she will have lost her three guardian soldiers, and time will begin to remake itself. Earth will set on a proper path, and the phantom will then encompass it and ruin it before everyone's eyes."

"Neo Queen Serenity?!" the three of them cried in unison, stunned.

The darkness became their entire world as the light simply ceased to be.

Flashbulbs popped. It was enough rapid light to cause an epileptic fit, but it continued to come, and she bathed in its worshipping glow. "April! April! Over here, Ms. Desiri!"

It didn't seem to matter that the reporter was speaking in English, she understood him perfectly. And the fact that everything seemed to be circa America 1920 was nothing. She looked excellent in the fashions of the era, in a glittering orange fringe dress that barely touched her knees, a blue ribbon wrapped around her head to hold back the blonde bob of her hair. Her lips were painted perfectly in screaming crimson, and she could feel the heavy kohl surrounding her eyes. Laughing, she danced for the crowd, a rather frantic motion of hips and legs that she knew somehow was the Charleston, though she had never heard of it until now.

Posing in a perfect drapery of limbs against the movie poster behind her, smiling coyly as the painted figure of herself in ample miniature fled the villainous gangsters, she was blissful. This was fame; this was unconditional love. All of them adored her as April Desiri, the blonde sensation who was the light to Clara Bow's dark, often compared to the ‘It' girl as her steadily rising competition.

A single reporter stood out of the melee, calm despite the raging sea of flesh around her. Smiling like the Madonna, she was a white apparition, gaining an intense light around her being. Slowly, the dream dissolved around her, and Minako was left standing alone in her flapper's dress and dancing heels, cold in the wake of such warm devotion. Neo Queen Serenity bent her head to kiss her cheek, taking the salty tear that had slid down into herself; and Minako felt unburdened. "_Gomen nasai_, Mina P, but my loved ones need us. Wake up…"

Sneezing suddenly, Minako opened her eyes to find a tail draped over her nose, its end twitching as its owner purred in a dream of his own. Sprawled on his belly on her breastbone, her heartbeat had put Artemis to sleep; and with another breath, she was sneezing out more fur. "Ar-te-mis!" she yelled.

He yowled, paws flapping as he flung himself up a bit too quickly and sent himself head over tail and off the table. Luna and Diana, comfortable on the middle table, both opened an eye to see the white feline twitching on the floor. Luna went back to sleep; Diana, concerned – oftentimes a bit too much in her parents' estimation – leapt down to her father's side. "_Otou-san, otou-san_! _Daijoubu_?!"

"Huuuurrggh," was the best he could come up with.

Minako rolled onto her side, peering down at her loyal companion, snorting more fur out of her nostrils. "Serves you right for sleeping on me like that." His only response was another gurgle of pain as he twitched again. He was beginning to wonder if this truly was his only role in her life; loyal confidant, punching-bag-under-protest, and altogether mocked.

Even as he belly-crawled out of the infirmary, he was forgotten by his future progeny, her attention caught up by her future mother's rapid regurgitation of events to Minako, adding in her comments here and there. Evidently, parenthood had not bestowed upon him even a shred of recognition or dignity. Grunting he finally padded off properly on all fours, without even a "_Arigatou_, Artemis, for watching over me while I slept!"

Maybe he was supposed to have born a mouse.

(Then again, he recalled a lack of respect in general in the Silver Millennium. He was betting it was that damned evil matriarchal society that done him wrong.)

Contemplating his lot in life, he wandered briskly down the hallway towards the back door, a large open-air arch that showed the rear gardens like a painting in a frame. They too bloomed in good health, and halfway to the actual door Artemis could smell the particular scent of grass and some thickly perfumed flower. Endymion had said, upon showing them the tables and stone benches scattered in a rough crescent around a permanent dais in the center, that many ceremonies were held in these gardens. And Artemis, like the tall red-head, had to wonder what kind of ceremonies a dying and recuperating planet could have. Or maybe Endymion was deliberately being ambiguous; hiding the full extent of their futures from them, so to speak.

At the last moment before the door he veered to the left, walking headlong into a wall beneath the stairs to the second floor. He felt nothing as he passed through the hologram, though he had to close his eyes before the moment of expected impact, still uncomfortable with the illusion of solid wall. But he had to open them again, quickly, or he would end up falling down the stairs that started a mere yard from the wall.

Carefully descending, the stairs spiraled loosely into the depths of the earth as he walked, and he could feel the temperature fall to a moderate constant that was, nevertheless, warmer than the fogged streets above in the city. Bouncing the last few steps, he found himself staring into a large cavern carved deep within the ground, big as a football field. The hard packed dirt floor was loosely strewn with padded mats, though not enough to qualify as protection; for seasoned soldiers, adapted to hard battle, having their falls softened during training only made them weak in a fight. He could imagine all of them walking out of here at one time or another with fractured or broken bones.

It was a room entirely dedicated to practice in a way Venus and Jupiter's personal workout spaces simply could not match. Scorch marks on the walls and floor dictated a long history of missed aim, and spider webbed cracks showed where an elbow, a fist, a foot, or a knee had slammed into the dirt. Rough boulders gave little protection against firepower, and several lumpy mannequins lay where they had fallen, tackled or blasted. Slapdash walls and blockades were welded together for additional hiding places. Support beams made of what looked to be steel high-rise girders were slightly scorched, presumably in an attempt to hit someone hanging from them. In various places he could see laser-guided weapons, obviously controlled by the keypad just inside the door, the best technology they had either built or scrounged from the frozen city.

Artemis settled on the very bottom step, curling his tail around his hind and fore quarters as he watched a whirling dervish destroy the place.

‘Destroy' was perhaps a strong word, however. She didn't destroy it as much as attempt to do so, failing, in her mind, miserably. Artemis blinked as she flung herself at the wall, dodging a discharge from five of the lasers and barely escaping without being hit, rebounding off to spin in the air, twisting around another three shots. Her coat had a neat hole burned in it, which she ignored, though the scent of charred leather was rank.

Flipping forward, he watched as she flung what looked to be pieces of glass – and which the city had in abundance – at small boxes above two of the lasers. Both hit, despite her speed and airborne position, and as she landed, she ducked backwards to avoid one more blast. But the two boxes she had hit had effectively shut off the lasers without destroying the equipment, leaving her with seven more.

Another two shot off as she ran for another protective boulder, and she dove into a roll to pass beneath them. Kicking up she brought her elbow around, catching a standing manikin with a blow to the neck and shoulder with a speed and intent that would have most likely crippled. Sidestepping the ‘body,' she caught the poor thing around the throat, turning the cloth torso into the path of a laser. It burnt with a cleaner scent than her leather as she threw it aside, twisting around to see Artemis. Her eyes widened slightly as he caught a familiar scent, but as he turned to see Minako and the cats arrive, the tall red-head was darting off again.

The long-haired blonde was flanked by the image of the king, who had no doubt told her where to find them. And in the darkness of the well stood a tousled, tired Mamoru. "Has it truly been twelve hours?" he queried softly as Minako stepped into the room briskly, already well updated. Artemis nodded.

"Venus Star Power! Make Up!" The dark-haired prince, unaccustomed to bright light after such a long nap, flinched as Minako transformed. With an impatient gesture she leapt fully into the range of the lasers, landing neatly atop one of the boulders. She cracked her knuckles as she winked, receiving a rather wry smile from her ally in return. "I can't let you have all of the fun, _sensei_."

"Oh, really? _En guarde_, then, Venus." The tall red-head was airborne in the next instant, tackling Venus from the rock as five lasers sliced the air above them. They rolled and kicked away from one another, both of them on their feet to face off as the weapons positioned themselves again.

A sizzling sound preceded the arc of the beam, shooting past Alex's head close enough to singe hair. She smiled, disappearing behind one of the walls as Venus slid around the rock, pointing. Both stood at angles to frustrate their audience, unseen except for the telltale sound of heels on dirt tramped to the hardness of concrete. But it was only one pair; and as Venus emerged into view, she yelped rather stupidly as a laser nearly cut off her toes. Flipping backward, she moved desperately to avoid the rapid fire of the weapons as they followed her, taking a precious moment to stop, land, and aim.

She took out one of the lasers and received a burn across her thigh for the trouble. Just as quickly another laser expired, though from where the projectile had come from, she couldn't tell. Entwining her fingers in the parody of a gun, she aimed with what she considered a double-barreled beam, sighting down her indexes as she stepped around the walls and rocks. Though being a sailor soldier came hardwired into her memory, the training she had once received to become a truly unique fighter was lost. She had gained some of it back as Sailor V, but the powerful and deadly technique she had wielded as the leader of the guardian soldiers was slow in coming back to her.

And it showed. Finally despairing of catching her sparring partner unaware around some corner, she leapt up onto one of the walls, barely twisting beneath a double assault: a laser sliced neatly past her midsection, and she was slammed down by a blast of what felt like air pushing her off the metal. Landing somewhat awkwardly, she looked up to see Alex shaking her head as she stood in her old position. "Venus, Venus. You're supposed to fight, not fall down."

Oooo. That irritated her.

She lowered her head in petulance as Alex sighed, leaning back on her left hand. It turned into a surprised grunt as Venus spun up and around with her golden chain, catching her around the ankle and calf and flipping her back off the wall. The long-haired blonde barely had time to celebrate as three lasers came flying her way, and she moved without thinking to pepper the air with short bursts of her beam, creating a rough shield to head off the fire.

The air around her grew hot suddenly. A ball of fire was spinning right for her, melting through the metal of the walls protecting her. Sweating beneath the bodice of her uniform, she swung her arm up to release the links of her chain, expecting them to find a support beam to wrap around without her needing to look. As the fire grew hotter and closer, she imagined the magic being absorbed back into her hand, shortening the distance between her and that very beam, and she shot up into the air.

The flames scorched her heels, but she was pulled to safety as she spun around, twisting desperately to avoid the lasers as well. She reached out to grab the beam, nearly swinging up and over it as her momentum kept on going. Hanging limp, she looked down over the large room, seeing far too many tumbled walls that her ally could be hiding beneath. A barrage of glass shards hit the steel beneath her hands from somewhere to her right, and she squawked ungracefully.

Rolling up, she stood on the wide beam to survey the suspected area. But it was from her far left that the tall red-head appeared, arms folded as she stared up at Venus calmly. The lasers left her alone, keyed as they seemed to be for any sort of frantic motion, but she began to run deliberately, springing onto one of the boulders.

Every laser discharged, crisscrossing the room.

And incredibly, she dodged each one.

Not even dodged, danced.

She ducked, spun, twisted, gesturing in what was an inhuman display of aim and focus. Box after box blew as she avoided the weapons, going off within milliseconds of one another. Each time she turned she came right up to face them, and each time they passed her by as though she were merely walking around an immovable tree in the park. As though she could see them coming from miles away despite their speed, she continued to draw their fire, until the very last one was silenced.

It took ten seconds.

All of it had been contained within a five-foot radius, and was within it that she slid to a stop, poised as though ready to jump. Relaxing, she lowered into an easy crouch on the balls of her feet, looking up at the stunned figure of Sailor Venus high above her head. "What?"

"How…what…how did you do that?" she shouted, flailing. "You….you…lasers…"

"Really? I couldn't tell."

Recalling her chain, Venus rappelled down the wall, landing on one of the rocks. "That was impossible. How could you do such a thing?"

The tall red-head smiled strangely; it wasn't so much smug as self-satisfied, and maybe, even, a little sad. She tilted her head around to see the trio of felines running for them, a befuddled Mamoru and a placid Endymion lazily following. Venus looked away as well to catch sight of Artemis leaping at her, paws outstretched, to be caught in her arms.

Luna padded to a stop between their feet. Next to her, Diana was prancing around curiously, a trembling ball of fur as she sniffed at Alex's boots, and then centered her attention on a scorch mark on the floor. Watching her child as anxiously as she did Usagi – though no one would ever push her to admit it – Luna finally remarked, "That was impressive, Alex-san. But, Sailor Venus, you were rather…clumsy."

The black cat's dry way of saying ‘Inept,' most likely, judging by the look on her face. Venus belted out an embarrassed laugh loud and harsh, causing them all to jump back about a foot. "Ah ha! Have no fear, _minna_, I was simply testing out my old teacher!"

"Is that right?" Alex asked coolly.

"_Mochiron_!" Artemis felt himself suddenly dangled under an arm as she used her other to expansively gesture, a technique he was well familiar with, and wary of. "For Sailor Venus, the brightest star of the sailor soldiers, this was merely a breeze! But _sensei_ has gotten so old and slow in her years, and so I thought I would be kind to her."

Clearly, none of them believed, but she continued to affect the haughty stance away, beaming a 10-megawatt smile despite the frantically trapped cat under her arm gasping for air. The fact that she was standing about half an inch shorter because her heels had melted down, effectively gluing her to the floor, didn't help her campaign any.

Endymion worked up the energy for a peculiar smile, glancing across to the tall red-head. "I'm sure then, Venus, that it would be no difficulty at all to continue practicing. Alone."

Alex palmed her hands together, fingers intertwining like slow lazy snakes. "Of course, for the brightest star of the sailor soldiers, it would be nothing to defeat the highest level."

The long-haired blonde grimaced, paling. "_N-nani_? But, I thought this was…"

"Level three. I believe it goes up to level ten, does it not, Endymion-sama?" Alex asked conversationally.

"That's correct. Sailor Venus was always adamant that her fellow soldiers continued to stay completely trained and alert, in case of any possible attack," he responded mildly.

Artemis dropped onto his furred butt on the floor as Venus started to stutter dumbly, completely trapped. And by herself, no less. She stayed put as they all walked for the door, Artemis limping along rather comically, and the controls were set. "Don't worry, Venus," Alex called out as she hit the button to lock the program in, "at least I'm cooking dinner this time."

Each laser in the room aimed at her.

"A-ano," she whimpered, looking around – and realizing, as her body was tugged back around sharply, that she was stuck. She howled like a basset, fleeing from her shoes rather ungracefully as the lasers fired and began to chase her around the room. "This isn't faaair!"

  
Chibi-Usa swung her legs as she watched the tall red-head move around the kitchen with a silent efficiency. Luna-P sat lay heavy on a stool next to her, tracking the very same movements with a calculating fierceness, re-examining every step to make sure not a one had been made towards the child in anger. Endymion had made sure that this time, upon fixing the toy, its programming had been sufficiently upgraded.

The pink-haired child was reminded poignantly of Jupiter rushing around in a similar manner, though far noisier, her long ponytail wound up into a bun at her nape, her uniform traded for a white chef's apron and sloppy, comfortable clothes. Their food options were limited, and so the tall brunette was always forced to be insanely creative whenever she cooked; the servants tended to rely on basic stews and noodles with plain sauce. Vegetables were growing, but they were midgets compared to their healthy predecessors, and most of the fruit was only happy in the warmer climates.

Rice was as precious as gold, even though they were growing it at a remarkably successful pace. Soybeans were being cultivated in large quantities as well. It seemed as though they had finally gained a real foothold in their new world, fighting back the frost and the ice and reclaiming their planet. Of course, the Black Moon had set them back years, destroying many of the garden plots and farmed terrain. Whatever the callous traitors wanted, they had most likely accomplished in leaving the survivors to starve.

And truthfully, it wouldn't take very much. Chibi-Usa herself had no idea how to cook; if she had not gone to the 21st century, she would have been alone in a palace with plenty of food that she couldn't eat. Perishables were already spoiling in storage, and the leftovers would not have lasted long. She had never been interested in learning the basics of cooking, though Jupiter had tried – transparently – to teach her; it was a skill that a princess, surrounded by servants, should not have needed. It was also a skill she was thinking she was going to have to acquire.

Certainly her mother had never needed it; she remembered a happier time when her mother had described to her, in sometimes strange terms, how she had been a terrible cook. She had terrified her friends with her attempts at culinary masterpieces, burned water, and had been generally unable to do something as simple as heating up a TV dinner. Chibi-Usa had laughed along with her in the safety of her lap, the two of them giggling over what she had considered to be a special secret. The reality, she had realized, was not quite as she had always pictured it.

Being alone in a city rescued from the ravages of the fickle planet, taught by a tutor who was warm, if not almost meticulous and distant, Chibi-Usa was perhaps a bit naïve. She had been ensconced in palatial comfort for almost her entire life, elevated by her blood above the few children of the city. So she had played in the halls of the palace, imagining the battles of the strongest soldier, pretending to be Sailor Small Lady, the second-most-strongest soldier. Her mother had been, in her eyes, nothing if not infallible; and Chibi-Usa had been the failure. Pretending had been her escape.

The children were cruel, infringing on her safe, gentle world. When she was gently nudged outside to play with them, they were vicious in attacking her, deriding her, denouncing her as a fake. And it was true, she had realized early on; she was not in her mother's shadow, she was buried in the dirt beneath it. No power shone within her like the gentle, ever-present aura her mother possessed. She was a tiny human mistake with no crescent mark and no shining presence.

"Chibi-Usa?"

Yes, that was her. The ‘Little Rabbit.' The runt. The stunted rodent of no use except for that as a rug. Her mother's deformed daughter, who had brought about the tragedy of the world by her own shame.

"_Imouto_."

She was nothing.

"_Merde_.…Usagi Small Lady Serenity!"

It was the foreign word that had her staring up as much as the use of her full name. Alex was leaning on the counter across from her on one hand, the other holding a ladle. Chibi-Usa stared, momentarily disoriented, into lapis lazuli settled entirely onto her. "A-ano…._hai_?"

"I'm so glad you've decided to rejoin the world of the living," was her mild response. "You've been so close to tipping off that stool I thought you had skipped a synapse up there."

The pink-haired child blinked, glancing around. She had unconsciously righted herself upon Alex's summons, as she had been indeed starting to tip over. Looking sheepish, she said, "_Gomen nasai_, Alex-san. I was thinking."

"They must have been some catastrophic thoughts." The tall red-head held out the ladle towards her, offering her a taste of the soup at the bottom. A heavy vegetable soup, and it was fragrant as well as delicious. She drank it as delicately as she could as Alex held it for her, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

"That was yummy. You're a very good cook!" Chibi-Usa cheered, smiling. Food always perked her up, though it was the tall red-head's tendency to treat her more like an adult than a stunted child that lifted her spirits even more. It was a treatment she had not truly recognized nor cherished until she had fallen into Mamoru's lap.

The tall red-head shrugged as though it was absurdly obvious, wandering back to stir the rest of the pot. Topping it off again with the lid, she set the ladle carefully on a pad especially for the purpose, wiping up the few drops that fell to the stovetop. "It must be hard cooking in a world that has so few resources. How do your parents manage to keep everything so well maintained?"

Chibi-Usa cocked her head, visibly thoughtful. Though she knew her parents loved her dearly, she knew they took no notice of their tendency to speak above her head, as though she didn't understand them; or, more accurately, as though she were a potted plant in the corner of the room. Everyone did it. She was, after all, still a child, though the heir apparent. As a result she had gained an intuitive look at the monarchy and how it ran the burgeoning city. This was the first time anyone had actually asked her about it, however. "Mama and papa are worried that the frost won't be cleared in time to solve a food shortage," she said slowly, re-assembling the words she had heard over several days' worth of meetings. "Even though they've awoken about a third of the city, everyone who could do something to help meet the needs of the rest of the population, the crops aren't growing as quickly as they hoped. The animals aren't breeding very fast."

"And now most of the working class that was unthawed is rotting in the streets," the tall red-head said succinctly, leaning back against the counter, arms folding. "If the Black Moon plan to take over after every living thing is dead, they've inherited a lot of worthless real estate." She tapped her finger against her lower lip, brows drawing down into a pensive expression. "But travelling through time…"

"Travelling through time is the sticking point," the dark-haired prince spoke as he came to a halt in the doorway, at ease in his civilian clothing. Alex and Endymion both had suggested he remain as Mamoru until expressly needed as his alter ego, to give his body the time to recuperate on its own. And indeed, he was still wincing now and then, as if his heart was still paining him. "If they had only been after Chibi-Usa, why did they capture Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter? They would have killed them outright; prisoners make no sense. And from what we've seen, they leave nothing alive."

"And that may be the only surety we have right now." Endymion appeared like a slow mirage next to Mamoru, an altogether eerie effect. They stood at exactly the same height, despite their shoes, and it was as if someone had taken a photograph and found an afterimage had appeared after development. Even the somber expressions on their faces matched, their straight-backed, perfect posture. It was comforting to know some things didn't change. "If the soldiers were dead, this time would be irrevocably altered."

Chibi-Usa stared between the three adults as slowly, over the course of several seconds, even Endymion's face twisted into realization.

Mamoru found his voice first, though it was weighed down by shock. "They can't possibly be attempting such a thing. It could create a paradox, if not completely destroy the time line. Stopping the creation of Crystal Tokyo….they wouldn't have been thawed out, wouldn't have been awake to alter time."

"Thawed out, hell, they might have been killed by the thing that froze the planet to begin with," Alex jumped in, mechanically going through the motions of again stirring the soup pot. "But it would have stopped the queen from offering long life to her citizens, which is what the traitors seemed to take such offense at; right, Endymion?"

"We have no reason to think otherwise."

She made a derogatory noise, dropping the lid back down. "Well, now we've definitely got incentive to go rescue them. Even if we managed to get to Nemesis and save Usagi, they could just strangle one of the girls and everything goes to shit."

"You put it so eloquently, Alex-san," Mamoru said flatly. She made a slashing motion at him with her finger, and he corrected himself: "Alex."

Claws click-clacked on stone as the trio of felines came up, with Artemis looking mightily peeved. No doubt Luna had roundly defeated whatever masculinity or dignity he had left in front of their future migraine—ah, progeny. It would explain the self-assured flick of the tail she gave as she walked in front of him. "Have you thought of a plan?" she asked the moment she wandered, hesitantly, though Endymion's legs after a bouncing Diana.

Mamoru watched this with a definite twitch to his eye; it had to be rather disturbing to see three cats walk through his future identity's body. But to the question, all he could do was shrug, while Endymion replied, "No. But we have come up with a decidedly bad conclusion."

"How could it get any worse?" Artemis grunted, inching his way through the king's calf.

"The Black Moon are killing someone so the time line goes to shit," Chibi-Usa said, somewhat singsong as she made herself useful.

Luna looked right up at Alex; her frigid expression said it all. The tall red-head looked up and away in her innocence as Artemis and Mamoru both sputtered. Diana, however, looked up at Endymion, curiously asking, "Endymion-sama?"

"Your mother will tell you when you're older," he replied automatically.

Chibi-Usa seemed somewhat oblivious to the reason for everyone's reaction, but then, adults had funny habits.

"The enemy is trying to stop Crystal Tokyo from existing?" Artemis finally, coherently, managed to ask, proving that he did indeed have some intelligence amidst all his male instincts. Luna looked suitably impressed.

The ladle clinked against the sides of the pot as Alex stirred it one last time, reaching across to turn the heat off. "Everything points to it. And they've captured four people who, if even one dies, can completely change the future as we've seen it."

Mamoru lightly ruffled Chibi-Usa's ponytail as he sat down next to her, resting his elbows on the table like a barbarian. She smiled, seeing her father so poignantly in him as he turned away, giving her his face in profile; and then the genuine article (or at least his image) walked past, making his way around the table to stand at the head. Obviously, he couldn't eat, but he took up his normal position as though he were indeed sitting down.

As if on cue the uneven tap of heels came echoing down the hallway, getting louder as the long-haired blonde put an extra spurt of speed into the last yard. She skidded past the doorway in a blur of orange, a hand curling around the frame to stop her flight. Pulling herself in, she stopped in the entrance for them all to see the state she was in: uniform singed and torn, her hair frizzy from the heat, her heels melted into a sort of avant-garde puddle at the bottom of each. Then she struck a flamboyant pose despite her rather disheveled state, crooning, "Cock-a-doodle-doo! That was great! I mean, at first, I was getting burnt and falling down, but then I began to remember things and I went bouncing around the lasers and swinging on the rafters and it was so awesome—"

"Minako-chan, breathe," Luna said at her feet.

"—and I so totally kicked ass!" Venus finished, inhaling sharply. As she stepped forward she threw off her transformation, finishing her rapid advance to the table as Minako, who looked to be in much better condition; except for her scrapes and the hair. Nothing could save heat-damaged hair except expensive conditioner. "What's for dinner? Not snails again, I hope!"

"Just for you, Minako, I made vegetable soup." Alex set a bowl down in front of her, full of steaming soup, and a crusty bit of bread to soak it up.

"_Sugoi_! Just what every hard-working soldier needs."

The soup was ladled out for everyone else – including the cats, who insisted on tasting the broth; they got to share a big steel bowl – before the tall red-head herself sat down. Minako slurped hers noisily in appreciation, apparently oblivious to the heat. Pausing between spoonfuls, she looked up at the two other soldiers and asked, "What do we do next?"

Mamoru took it upon himself to describe to the long-haired blonde the situation, though it was not without an undercurrent of pain. He had to keep a strong front – his manners and royal status as a prince demanded it – but re-living the thought of Usagi dying all over again was not pleasing. It had to be so much easier for the king, who maintained his placid façade until he thought it absolutely necessary to show anything else. And it couldn't have made him feel any better to know his wife was not only dead to the world, but also in the hands of the enemy.

But it was heartening to see Minako's change into a levelheaded leader, the shift taking place in a matter of seconds as he spoke. All smiles one minute, and nothing but attentive the next, she set her spoon down and stopped eating entirely to listen to him. "King, do you have any space craft? Like we had in the Silver Millennium for leisure and diplomatic trips?"

"_Iie_. Such a discovery may have been thwarted by the ice, and we've had no time to waste trying to replicate the ability of a space ship while surviving."

"So we can't even really get to Nemesis," Minako deduced rapidly, stirring her soup. "And we couldn't possibly teleport, just the three of us. Not without Sailor Moon."

The tall red-head sopped up some of her soup with her piece of bread. "Maybe in time, with practice and the full realization of your powers, you could teleport on your own. But we don't have months or years to waste for that to happen." She delicately popped the soaked bread into her mouth. "Another idea?"

"I'm thinking of one, _sensei_," Minako replied dourly as she lifted up a spoonful. "Maybe we could just have faith in Usagi-chan that she'll find a way off of Nemesis on her own."

Endymion said, "That seems to be one of the few options left to us."

For the second time that day, Usagi awoke in a strange room. Again in a mild sort of discomfort, which had abated only slightly. At least her head no longer spun; when Demand had lost his temper and slapped her away, she had crashed into the chair with no grace intended. Her skull had managed to find that one spot between the cushions where the padding was thin, smashing against the metal framework.

Apparently her fighting him was not as much the turn-on as he wanted.

Still generally woozy she sat up, finding herself alone in the large room. She'd been moved from the chair to the bed, dropped none-too-neatly onto the icy sheets, and again she was freezing cold. Shivering violently, she slipped from the bed to receive the shock again of her bare feet against the stone floor. Shoes, she needed shoes, but Demand's obviously wouldn't fit her. Her hand reached to find her brooch, and found only silk; the gold jewelry had been set atop a bedside table instead, next to a creased paperback.

The covers had long been lost, the pages inside almost fallen out of the binding. It fell open to a particular section, having been folded and creased so often to hold the page. Translated into Japanese from English it was a somewhat clunky read, but she realized quickly that it was the book he had spoke of: "Now, now,' said …Aah-nii-aah…from where she was leaning on the terrace wall. ‘Entropy can be our friend.'

"‘When?' I said.

"She turned around so that she was leaning back on her elbows. The building behind her was a dark rectangle, serving to highlight the glow of her sunburned skin. ‘It wears down empires,' she said. ‘And does so in despotisms.'"

The entire section was circled, most likely for quick reference, and she closed the book slowly. "But that isn't me," she whispered softly, letting her hand slide away. "I wouldn't let it happen." She stepped away from the bed, holding her brooch as she tiptoed towards the door and the closet set right next to it, saw a bundle of pink, white, and black. Her clothes, her civilian attire, and as she came closer, she saw the shiny toes of her shoes peeping out from beneath.

It would have been wonderful to change back into her own clothes, and she did try; but the fastenings on the gown she had been thrust into were impossible. She couldn't even find half of them, and she was too polite to rip it off, even if it belonged to a megalomaniac. So she contented herself with slipping on her shoes and stockings, feeling slightly warmer. Her toes were ecstatic.

She managed to pin the brooch on her dress, though the fabric was so flimsy she kept her hand clasped over it, just in case. So protected, she exited Demand's room, closing the door behind her with a click of the knob that sounded thunderous to her paranoid ear. But no one came out of the other doors; no one appeared to throw her back inside again. It was a definite good sign.

Creeping as stealthily as possible, one hand gathering up her voluminous skirts, she snuck down the hallway and past many more closed doors. But they were all so ordinary and plain, most likely storage rooms or bathrooms. She didn't need them; she was looking for an ominous door that would be heavily locked or perhaps barred. A door that was made to keep prisoners locked in tightly. After all, where else could Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Mako-chan be, but here on Nemesis along with her?

An open door sat near the end of the hallway, and she peeked inside slowly to see what looked to be a kitchen; but if it were a kitchen, then Usagi couldn't help but feel sorry for them. What looked to be a standard Salvation Army kitchen set, small enough to be child's size play toys, sat in the very middle. A rig of gutted parts from a fountain made up their sink, continuously sucking up water and spitting it back out again into a rusted tub. Piles of cheap earthenware plates and thin metal utensils and chopsticks in rough mugs sat next to it for washing. Even Demand, it seemed, had to eat off a plain dish. Such power they all seemed to wield, and they couldn't even waste it on perfecting dinnerware or kitchen items for themselves.

Now disturbed for reasons she couldn't quite admit, Usagi continued to the end of the hallway, which opened up into a large cavernous room. There seemed to be no use for it, save that of ego, for the walls were covered in stylized carvings that depicted nothing but victory for the Black Moon. She walked through feeling like an intruder, a spy seeing someone's darkest fantasies; indeed, one of the carvings was a rather graphic portrayal of them rising triumphant atop a pile of white, featureless corpses. Thank the _kami_ none of them were in colour.

In the middle of the room she found herself in a conundrum; two other doorways led out of the room into the rest of the building, as well as the hallway directly across from where she'd come in. No doubt the room she sought would be as far away from any main walkways as possible, but it could have been a side path off of any of these halls. She stood there, puzzling, a lost doll of white and gold in the midst of so much darkness. "Mercury…Mars…Jupiter…"

Beneath her hand, the _Ginzuishou_ throbbed.

"_Hai_…my true friends, alone in this dark world. But not alone anymore!" she whispered fiercely, closing her eyes. She could feel, impossibly, the answering call of power, so faint within the building, but it was there. "They always protected me, gave me confidence in myself. I can't let them down, not with my loving spirit! _Ginzuishou_! _Onegai_, _Ginzuishou_!" It grew warmer, beating back the darkness as she found herself running, hands clasped against her heart where she had fastened her brooch. "_Sou yo_…to Jupiter, and Mars, and Mercury! I have to believe in myself, for my friends!"

She looked like a white-petaled flower from behind, pressing forward into the wind. Her shoes were mutely clicking against the floor as she ran, nearly tripping on her skirts or sliding on her smooth soles. Like a lantern in the fog, she glowed despite the darkness, even as it pressed against her relentlessly, angry. She evaded its grasp as she fled, passing doors widely spaced that most likely opened into more giant rooms.

It would happen. She could save her friends, and they could escape the evil planet, Nemesis, together. All on her own, she was going to rescue them. She, Usagi, would be the brightest star amidst them all, and she didn't even need them to rescue her in turn anymore. No one had to protect her—

Like a stab of pain into her skull, the darkness pierced her glow. Crying out, she slipped to her knees in the middle of another long hallway, the _Ginzuishou_ faltering at her chest. She could feel the cold of the _Jakokusuishou_ trying to invade her soul, teasing her with its power, its evil influence promising her the universe. How could she hope to fight it? Her heart nurtured hate as easily as any human being's; she was no shining figure of hope. She had no true friends, only opportunistic associates who would cuddle close to her holy stone, greedy for the power it wielded.

"_IIE_!" she screamed, her voice echoing down the corridor. The darkness retreated at her final resistance, but she knew that it laughed at her; even she was corruptible. It was a pyrrhic victory at best.

She dropped her head into her hands, crying. _Kami-sama_, she didn't want to go through this all over again. She wanted to be blissfully ignorant of magic and its world, not lost in a dark kingdom that sought to terrify and enslave her. But worst of all, she knew her friends were somewhere in the building, within the castle that entrapped her as well. And it was obvious that the _Ginzuishou_ was nothing without her confidence and spirit to give it power.

Her tears revealed no more crystals, no more secrets, against her hope. She huddled back against the freezing wall, rubbing at her eyes with her fists, like a two-year-old lost in the dark. "I feel so weak…this place is a death trap." And she had no idea where she was, a realization that stabbed another fresh spear of terror into her heart. She could be lost here for eternity, dying alone, mistakenly, before anyone found her.

Or perhaps not; she heard, against belief, voices.

How ironic that she hoped they were Demand's allies.

She crept forward on hands and knees, crawling to her feet as she came close to the source. How had they not heard her scream? The door to the room was wide open.

Inside, Rubeus and Saphir, despite their shared animosity, stood in what they presumed was secretive discussion, so deep were they within the bowels of the castle. Neither of them felt the waning presence of the _Ginzuishou_, nor its wielder, growing weaker with each step. Saphir, so still as Rubeus paced, remarked, "You've become more agitated as of late, since we lost Esmeraud."

"How can I not, dammit?" Rubeus retorted sharply, his anger roiling as high as the flaming red of his hair. "Esmeraud, destroyed by Sailor Moon, like a common foot soldier instead of the strong ally she was. And Demand seems to care only for the silver queen, instead of our real goal! He won't even tell us where he put her captured body."

Saphir shrugged, giving a strong impression that his brother ruled his life more sternly than he himself did. Whatever Demand did, in the end, it didn't matter. "But we will accomplish our goals anyway. The captured soldiers will die, lost forever in the Room of Darkness. Time will begin to change its course properly. Without the interference of the Silver Millennium."

Usagi fell back on her hands, stunned. It was just as Demand had explained, and altogether fiendish in its simplicity. And how would she be part of the plan as well, for who knew how long she could remain in their hands? Not only was she Princess Serenity, with her life span of a thousand years, but she was Sailor Moon, a sailor soldier of immortality. Would she die after her time had passed, or would her soldier's power keep her alive?

"I still say we could use them as vessels, fill them up with the power of the _Jakokusuishou_," Rubeus argued. "Inside that ancient buried prison they'll merely rot and be of no use. With proper discipline, they could be used to carry out the final plan and kill the king and queen."

The studious blue-haired man frowned, looking strangely pensive. "It would be a waste. Killing only one of them could accomplish our goal. We don't even need the strongest soldier, though her death would produce the ultimate result. Her useless holy stone will be cast into space."

"I think your brother has plans for her. He won't kill her. He wants his silver slave, not a corpse."

Pressed against the wall for support, Usagi shivered. He had spoken of making her his black queen, once her spirit and heart was twisted by the evil energy of the _Jakokusuishou_. Forcing her to love him, instead of Mamoru, and most likely carrying out his plans at his side. She would become an evil goddess bent on destruction, allowed to reign freely once Demand died, and in a twisted way, that was most likely his plan. But considering his hatred of her life span, maybe all he wanted was for her to denounce her heritage. All the better for her to become pliant to his wishes.

Dimly she heard footsteps coming towards her, but it was if they were in a tunnel, and they echoed. Getting further and further away, she realized that she was losing consciousness again, and that the speck in her vision was Demand. Speak of the devil…..

And again, they've forgotten me. They didn't honestly mean it, but I'm so small that they can't help themselves. No one cares that I've left the palace walls, without the hovering security alarm that is Luna-P. The toy broke again, and no one knows to fix it.

I can't see through the fog, it's so cold and thick. Like the day that the explosion destroyed my shining city, the white obscures everything. And I didn't mean for it to happen, but I had to prove to them that I was mama's daughter, that I was their princess. The kids were always so mean and cruel to me…. "You're not the real princess, don't you know that by now? You're just a fake!"

"I am too the real princess! Mama and papa love me!"

"Then why don't you look like them? Show us your power!"

But I have no power. I'm a tragedy.

"Can't you use the _Ginzuishou_? We bet you can't, huh. You don't even know what it looks like, the holy stone!" Everyone laughed at me. The fake, the fraud, the pink-haired alien. "Show it to us! Prove you're not a liar!"

Mama can't know my trouble. Mama and papa have so much to do while ruling the city and making everyone happy; I can't tell them. So I did it on my own, with Luna-P's help.

(She could see the crystal in its glass case, safe within her parent's room. No one would dare come here, not that they could make it even this far. It was a shining, glittering prize within the box, and she crept closer to see it sparkle. How many times had her mother told her she would one day inherit this stone?

(Luna-P had been heavy enough to smash the glass and knock the _Ginzuishou_ out to the floor. It felt strangely cold as she picked it up, cupping it in her small hands. "Now I can prove I'm mama's daughter. The _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_…"

(Someone was coming. Suddenly terrified, Chibi-Usa darted behind the bed, Luna-P soundlessly following her. Hugging the toy to her chest, the crystal in her hands, she could hear the soft whisper of her mother's skirts as she entered the room, and the throaty gasp as she saw the mess. "The _Ginzuishou_…! How could anyone… Small Lady? Small Lady, where are you?" The sound of footsteps retreated rapidly, and the pink-haired child knew her mother had taken the hidden stairs directly to the first floor.

(It took several minutes for her to uncurl from her position, following her mother down the stairs. Her eyes full of tears, she wanted to explain and apologize, and she nearly tripped headlong down the steps. And as she reached the first floor, she could hear the sound of something terrible. The entire palace shook as she screamed, running in mindless terror to find her mother out of instinct.

(She saw her mother outside of the gates.

(The crystal enveloped her mother suddenly as her guardian soldiers watched in horror, helpless to stop it. Chibi-Usa screamed again, knowing terribly that it was her fault.)

Everything was the result of my actions. Mama will never wake up without the ultimate power of the _Ginzuishou_, and I could never use it. Sailor Moon was captured by the enemy. How could she be the strongest soldier if the Black Moon could capture her so easily? How can she be my mother and yet be held prisoner?

Nothing is right anymore because of me.

(But she had a true friend that only smiled for her sake. Hidden away in loneliness like she was, the door was so far into the palace to find. A beautiful ornate door, a portal constantly open to the space between time, she had found joy.

("_Hajimemashite_, Small Lady," Pluto had said, kneeling at her feet. "Princess Serenity. One day I knew you would find the door."

(Chibi-Usa had been so thrilled at recognition. Everyone else was aloof or cold to her, disbelieving her royal status for she carried no crescent sigil. "Masaka…you know my name?" she whispered, fearful yet joyous.

(The tall woman nodded, gracefully getting to her feet. "You are the princess of the Silver Millennium. I am Sailor Pluto, the guardian of the space time door. I've seen you grow up, princess, and just like your mother, you will truly grow up to be a gentle lady."

(For that, the pink-haired child felt wonderful. No one but her parents and the guardian soldiers had told her that, and none of the citizens had ever lavished such praise on her. To them, she was merely a child. Pluto had to be a real friend to say such a thing.)

I want to see Pluto. She always knows what to tell me. Her magic tricks make me smile. And I can open a door with my key and see her now, without needing to use the palace entrance.

("Whenever you become sad, Small Lady, you can always overcome your sadness with joy. Say the magic word."

("What's the magic word?"

("Abracadabra. Say it, Small Lady."

("Abracadabra!"

(Pluto pointed her staff up into the air, saying, "Pon!" as flowers exploded into being around them. "See? The magic word always makes you feel joy.")

Like an adult, I want to see her. So I open the door with my key, though it takes an effort; Pluto needs to charge it again. But it opens, and I'm in-between time again, seeing the endless realities unfold around me in the darkness. Pluto says that no matter what, I always become a gentle lady.

But there's Pluto now, standing at the door and looking into the palace. Papa is talking to her. And she's…smiling?

That can't be right. She was always so sad and unsmiling, until I made her happy. My special friend – now papa is making her laugh. Is it possible that maybe I'm not the special friend Pluto always called me? Am I just a silly girl? It isn't fair; I never wanted to share Pluto with anyone.

I fling the key down at my feet and run away.

(Endymion looked back down the hallway, frowning. "I can't understand it, Pluto. She doesn't seem to be anywhere in the palace, and she wouldn't leave the gates again. I was positive she would have come to you."

(Pluto fingered her weapon, staring longingly at the marble floors she could never walk across, the hallways she could never travel down. "_Daijoubu_, Endymion-sama. Small Lady is a smart girl; she'll turn up. Perhaps she went to her room to sleep. She's had a hard day." She smiled, suddenly, before she could help herself. "Like a true princess, she prevailed."

("Indeed," he responded.)

Nothing matters anymore. So what if I'm lost between time? I'm always running away. I'm always trying to get away from the pain of the real world. But it's so cold here, and I'm shivering and I want my mama. It's starting to become scary here, so far away from Pluto's door.

Everything is dark and scary, and I threw away the key. I don't know what to do. If I call for help, Pluto will know I lost the key, and she'll be angry with me. I don't want her angry with me. I want to be home again. Sailor Moon can't save me here.

Something is glowing in the darkness.

"Someone is lost," a voice speaks. "Can it be that the small rabbit has lost her way?" The cloaked figure in front of me is frightening.

I have no power to fight the creature. "Who are you? How can you be here between time with me?"

It laughs, and I'm even more scared now. But I won't cry. "An entity of darkness," it rasps. "I am the end for this world. But you know that I can take away your pain, little princess. Come with me and know power. The power you deserve."

Power…the power I was never born with. The power I desperately long for. I want to be my mother's daughter, truly. "How can you promise such a thing – how do you know?" I whisper, unsure of how I feel. For such a creature to offer this to me, how could I trust it?

"You know I speak only the truth. I can give you this power. Just take my hand."

With power, I could save my family from the evil. Everyone would be proud of me. I wouldn't be the little rabbit anymore, but a lady like my mother. Should I do it? Pluto, I wish you could be here with me!

"You will inspire loyalty with your power. Nothing sad will remain."

Yes…finally, they could love me.

"Like your mother, you will be revered."

Yes…powerful, like mama and her shining stone. I will do it, and become their true daughter. No one will ever laugh at me again.

"Take my hand, princess, and everything will be yours."

….yes, finally.

Bells were chiming all around her. Suddenly, the cacophony reached a fever pitch, and Pluto knew that something had gone horribly wrong.

In the distance she could see a storm brewing, jagged slashes of lightning playing within the funnel of wind growing larger. Such storms were a regular occurrence, as they swept dimensions and realities clean of their unneeded detritus, cast-offs left behind as time created each new second. But this storm was unusual; it was violent, disturbing, an unnatural force of power that she had never seen. It appeared as she had felt the explosion of power from afar, a rippling effect of immense proportion.

Running, her rod at the ready to enter the storm, she came upon something glittering. The remnants of the opened door still glowed, and the sight froze her blood, for she had never felt its creation. But that was impossible, because the use of a key – which sat dead at her feet – always triggered an alarm within her. Someone had opened a door, and had blocked her from sensing it.

But she knew who had opened it.

The question was how she had done it without Pluto noticing.

Picking the key up, she could sense that it was entirely drained of the energy it needed to open the door. But it still would have led Small Lady safely to Pluto and her gateway, had she kept it in her possession, and the child knew that. It was one of the simplest rules Pluto had described to her long ago. To have left it behind like this meant that Small Lady was most likely lost within the growing storm. Everything was too coincidental for it not to be so.

"_Kami-sama_," Pluto moaned, holding up her rod for protection. The storm was a phenomenon that she couldn't control, created by time itself as a clean-up crew. She had no direct interference with it, she could only find her way through it without fear. Dispersing it, stopping it; that she could not do. It was a chaotic element that once started had to run its course.

And no doubt whoever had protected Small Lady's entrance from Pluto's awareness had caused the storm to reach such a fever pitch.

Thinking better of it, Pluto retreated towards the gate, clutching the dead key in her hand. "The king…I have to reach Endymion-sama. I have to tell him what's happened!" Though hell if she knew how she was going to do it. She couldn't leave the gate undefended; it was a sacred rule.

She willed a portal to open in front of her, tracing the circle in the air with her rod. With two quick jerks she pulled the dark wine coloured bow from her breast, tying it around the dead key. This she tossed into the portal, watching it land two seconds into Crystal Tokyo's future, dropping in front of Endymion, Mamoru, Minako, and Alex, as they stood at the console. Closing it, she gripped her weapon tightly, the two seconds passing easily; it was the time they took to run to the door that had her stomach clenching with impatience. Surely Endymion could interpret the message.

Through the gate she could see him running, a shadow of lavender. Behind him the three soldiers had cast off their civilian identities, running as Venus, Tuxedo Kamen, and the Crystal Guardian. Endymion held the key with its ribbon, and as they came close he cried, "Pluto, what's happened?"

Though she could not exit the gate, they crossed it with ease to stand in a half circle around her, breathing hard. Pluto envied them momentarily before she pointed back at the chaotic storm. "This storm isn't natural…Endymion-sama, Small Lady opened a doorway here, and I couldn't sense it. Someone was here with her." Touching Endymion's hand, he held up the key. "She dropped her key. She was lost in time-space. And then, this storm brewed as I felt a release of energy."

"Chibi-Usa's been missing," the dark-haired prince said brusquely. "She left after we finished eating…I found this in the garden, along with Luna-P, broken." He held up the rod he had created along with his princess, a crack visible in the ornamental orb. "Chibi-Usa had found it after Sailor Moon had been captured. She'd been carrying it with her."

"But how the hell could someone hide the opening of a door from you?" the tall red-head asked Pluto, holding up an arm to shield her face from her whipping hair. "That's impossible."

Pluto shook her head mutely, taking the key back from her king's hand. "I don't know, Guardian-sama. But Small Lady is no doubt in danger!"

The wind was getting worse. A funnel spun out near them suddenly, and like a slap they were all flung far into the distance as Endymion, immovable, vanished. They tumbled around, the gate following Pluto like a loyal dog, finally landing in a rough heap some ways away. Around them the wind continued, fiercely whistling in its power. "This is like the _kamikaze_!" Venus cried above the noise, crouched low to the ground.

"And Chibi-Usa is somewhere within it!" Tuxedo Kamen stood despite the battering wind, holding up the rod like a shield. "I have to find her!" he yelled, running into the very center of the whirlwind.

"No, Endymion-sama!" Pluto's voice couldn't even hope to carry across the distance; her words were simply swept away, but she tried. "You'll be lost without a key!"

And indeed, he didn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything, in fact; the wind was like the howl of a banshee, completely obliterating all other sound. Behind him, Venus and the Crystal Guardian retreated back into the palace, ordered by Endymion to stay put. Even with a key, there was no way of being sure they could find him, and they could be roaming space-time forever simply searching. Pluto closed the door.

"Chibi-Usa!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled hoarsely into the wind. Alone he fought against the storm, sweeping the rod in front of him. It did nothing, but it gave him a feeling of inspiration to see the weapon, remembering his princess as she wielded it. Their daughter was whom he had a chance to save right now.

The wind picked him up again, spinning him around within its funnel. He was spat up and out, sent head over heels past the storm into the distance and away from the gate. Landing was no easier than it had been during the first entrance into time-space, and he staggered forward to throw up the soup he had eaten. "I used to pay to go on fair rides like that," he hoarsely coughed, though the humour simply was not there.

He was thankful, however, that he had been thrown clear of the black, fierce menace. It made the travel easier. Reaching up to brush back his hair as he stood, he brushed bare skin; the domino mask had been ripped off in the wind. It wasn't as if Chibi-Usa didn't know who he was, he didn't really need it, but in his tuxedo and cape he felt a bit naked with the mask to complete the image.

Taking hold of the rod again, he touched his lips to the ornamental orb. "Usako…please, lend me your spirit and strength. If you can hear me, Usako, send me your love!"

But that was a foolish gesture. The weapon stayed cold, lifeless. Nevertheless he gripped it tightly, running on.

"Usako…please, lend me your spirit and strength."

In Demand's arms, she heard her prince's voice.

"If you can hear me, Usako…"

"Mamo-chan…!"

"…send me your love!"

She stirred, fighting the hold someone had on her body. Opening her eyes she saw Demand as he carried her, presumably back to his room. He looked down at her, and his expression was fierce. "Let me go, Demand! Release me!"

"It doesn't matter, Serenity," he said in return, tightening his arms around her. "Your will is weak against the power of the _Jakokusuishou_. Give in. Forget your aloof prince."

That did it. She began furiously struggling, kicking her legs and beating her fists against his chest. "_Iie_! Don't touch me! You've imprisoned my friends, and I won't allow it any longer!" Twisting in his arms, she saw that they were entering that giant room again with its four doorways, walking in from the hallway next to the one she had wandered from.

Finally he did drop her, and she staggered onto her feet, just barely retaining her balance. "Your pride does you well, Neo Queen Serenity, but it will kill you in the end!" he hissed, snapping his cape back, smoothing down the wrinkles in his clothes. She stared at him in utter loathing, though it was a disgusted emotion, empty of anger. All she had for him now was disgust, and disdain. There was no hatred for their crystal to latch onto.

"The Room of Darkness, where is it?" She didn't expect an answer, but she waited for him to say something. Anything. Instead he ignored her, attending still to his clothing, his pride chafed by her refusal of him. "Where are my friends!"

With a gesture of dismissal, he turned his back on her. "Dead."

The fear that swept her body was all encompassing, but it was soothed just as quickly by the knowledge that if her friends truly were dead, they wouldn't even be here talking. Time would have changed. She merely shook her head, turning to look down the last corridor. "They're alive. I'll find them, and we'll escape his planet of death together!" Gathering her skirts again, she left Demand at a run, secretly amazed she hadn't tired yet. As Usagi, she had almost no stamina, and yet she was still running at top speed.

In front of her the hallway curved away, leading deeper within the castle, to its center though she didn't know it. No other doors opened into the corridor, as it led directly into an immense gymnasium of a room at its end, flooded with an ominous light. She ran despite herself, slowing as she passed through two pillars flanking the doorway to find herself in what seemed to be a ceiling-less auditorium decorated like a Roman coliseum. A ring of pillars and crossbeams in the middle looked like a simple Stonehenge replica, with a thick beam of black light in its center rising up into what seemed to be oblivion. The pain assaulting her now was intense, like needles in her skin; the _Ginzuishou_ was helpless under the suddenly strengthened onslaught.

And standing in front of it was Saphir.

Around him hovered two amorphous shapes, twin ghosts with long hair. "Veneti," Saphir said as he raised an arm, one of the ghosts curling around his sleeve. "Aquatiki. I came to congratulate you, as always. Your droids are magnificent."

"Saphir-sama, we are honored," Aquatiki, presumably, said. It was a masculine voice, but wavery, as though it was coming through on a weak radio signal. "We've merely followed your example."

They spun around him like living clothing as he turned, giving a stunned Usagi a cold, pale imitation of a smile. "_Hajimemashite_, Neo Queen Serenity no Sailor Moon. Such a lovely girl you truly are. Surely you would have grown into a woman of beauty." Gesturing with one gloved hand, he looked back at the rising beam of light. "Welcome to the reactor of the _Jakokusuishou_. The center of Nemesis, the dead planet."

She stared in horror at the light, touching her hand to her mouth. "_Kami-sama_…such evil power, coming from the planet itself…!?"

"Of course. None of us could wield it in its entirety. It's buried deep within the planet's core, suffusing this entire planet with death and decay. This is the only release of that power. We mine pieces of the crystal occasionally for our use, to channel its power personally." Saphir slowly walked around the outside of the circle, followed by his ghosts. "A violent power. We used them to rip open holes in time, to go back to the past. The time warp is useless to us. We had no need for it."

Usagi felt nauseous. Such a horrible misuse of power. And Pluto, obviously, had not been able to stop it.

Saphir gestured to include the entire thing, laughing shortly. "Wonderful, isn't it? A breathtaking display of power. The power of the _Jakokusuishou_, which absorbs everything. A crystal of death and decay, and we alone control it as it distorts space and time." Stroking his hand along a pillar, he then frowned. "But something else controls it as well. It's growing even now, taking over the core of the planet. And yet, it should be straining, shrinking perhaps, from our misuse of it. Time travelling, and creating our droids, and our collective powers…bit by bit, we've taken too much. Even with a second crystal receptor in Crystal Tokyo, siphoning power from the dead Earth, we're using too much."

"Dead Earth….the black crystal monolith has done that?" the _odango_-haired blonde gasped.

"We didn't plan to," Saphir replied dryly. "But my brother's plans are rarely fruitful. Like this planet, they are ruinous, flawed, destined to destroy. We only wanted to rid Earth of your kind, not destroy our nurturing mother planet. The monolith spread rot."

She could only imagine what circumstances had led up to Demand burying the black crystal monolith within the earth. But the effects were obvious, and far-reaching; she suddenly wondered what condition the king's body was in, asleep in his bed. Surely, for the Earth to be decaying, the prince of the planet would be too…! "Mamo-chan!"

He stared at her, frowning. With a wave of his hand, he sent his ghosts free to hover at his shoulders, looking at Usagi as he furrowed his brow in thought. "My brother was corrupted by our crystal as surely as this planet," he said finally. "He believes our path is righteous, and he will not be swayed. And most likely, he is right. Even though it may mean all of our deaths, we will continue with our Replay operation. In the 21st century, everything will change."

"You can't do this!" Usagi stepped forward, clutching her brooch in reassurance. "Surely this future is not so terrible that you would do destroy it! No matter what, there's always hope…"

"This future is a stagnation for human kind. There is no hope for a race that breeds laziness and comfort." He pointed towards her, his voice hitting her like a slap in the face. "You and your crystal are the result of this operation! Everything done in spite and greed is because of that crystal that wields such magnificent power! Desire for that power is what motivates my brother, what drives us into the past to kill ourselves, because of you! And when we kill every last one of you, when we destroy that unnatural power, humanity will be freed from that yoke!

"Veneti, Aquatiki!"

With a shock, she realized the ghosts were right above her. Leering at her, they suddenly slammed her back onto the ground with a physical force such spirits should not have had. She screamed shortly, unable to pull herself free, and she lay on the cold stone helplessly as Saphir appeared above her. "Why are you doing this?" she pleaded. "All I've ever done is try to live, as a normal girl…!"

She gasped as he grabbed her throat, closing off her air supply. "It doesn't matter. Because of you, the Earth is a rotted corpse. Throughout time, you and your crystal will be the source of destruction as every enemy seeks to steal it." He tightened his grip, rubbing his thumb over her voice box, intending to crush it. "It may not be your fault, but it's your curse, and I'll end it right now!"

Beneath him she writhed, choking.

He blamed her for his brother's greed and lust for power. But it wasn't her responsibility. She recalled her mother, Queen Serenity, telling her this; many would seek to gain its power. But it was the spirit of the wielder that gave it such power, and it had been Usagi's belief in herself that had given it life. And then, even the _Jakokusuishou_ was powerless against it.

Her future self had the confidence to protect her planet. Neo Queen Serenity in her crystal coffin had defended Earth against all invaders until the Black Moon. And now that was her mission, to repel the invaders from her world. Her home.

She could see Serenity as if in a dream, reaching out to her, resplendent in her tight gown. They hugged, and it was warm, as though they were truly together. Serenity kissed her cheek. "Don't give up."

In her hand, the brooch exploded with light.

The pressure on her arms disappeared as Aquatiki and Veneti exploded, screaming. Saphir stumbled back, covering his eyes as Usagi slowly stood on strong legs. "That's impossible!" he cried. "The light…the light of the _Ginzuishou_ so close to the reactor!?"

"I don't understand how it's possible, but now! I'll transform and find my friends! Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Disbelieving, Saphir stared as the _odango_-haired blonde disappeared, replaced by a sailor soldier. "Sailor Moon…_masaka_! You couldn't possibly transform in this center!"

In the doorway, Demand and Rubeus appeared, looking just as stunned. She had been so weak further away from the _Jakokusuishou_, and yet within the very room of the reactor itself, she had transformed. And she did not look particularly happy. "Saphir, Rubeus, attack her before she escapes!" Demand ordered, making no move towards her.

Sailor Moon ignored them all. "I felt your power once: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter. Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, tell me where you are!" She touched the floor, searching through rock and dirt, finding level upon level buried beneath the castle. And then, as Saphir moved towards her, mirrored by Rubeus, she found them.

Her power tickled each of them as they huddled in the dark, having long ago given up conversation. "Sailor Moon?" Rei said first, slowly standing.

"Is it possible? Here, in this horrid place?" Ami murmured, on her knees.

"In this time! Sailor Moon! Lend us power!" Makoto said fiercely, getting to her feet as well.

They could feel the entire castle shake above them as the ground ripped open at Sailor Moon's feet, tearing apart layers of earth. Her power was like a perfume, slowly filling the room with its energy and strength. "Transform!"

Even in the darkness, their pens glowed again, green and red and blue. Warm and living in their hands, they lifted them high. "Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"

"Mercury Star Power, Make Up!"

"Mars Star Power, Make Up!"

Sailor Moon held out her arms.

The three men cringed back as the soldiers exploded out of the ground, blasting their way free – or, rather, blasted free by their princess. After such darkness, even the light of the _Jakokusuishou_ hurt, but even though they covered their eyes, they instinctively ran to Sailor Moon. "Mars, Mercury, Jupiter!" she cried, laughing with joy.

"How the hell did she accomplish this!?" Saphir exploded in a very uncharacteristic display of anger, wielding a rough knife of black crystal. The girls turned towards his voice, all but Sailor Moon staring through pained, slitted eyes.

"Wiseman!" Demand shouted, clenching his fists. "Stop them! With such power, they can't be allowed to escape!"

Instinctively, the three soldiers formed a guard around Sailor Moon, calling power to their hands, as the robed seer appeared to their right, floating alone. Lightning snapped around Jupiter, fire burned between Mars' hands, water spun in Mercury's palm. They had no intention of allowing Wiseman to get past them, not this time.

But that didn't seem to be his plan. He didn't even make a move towards them. Demand, angry, repeated his order, stomping his foot like an impatient child. Wiseman merely laughed at that, his laughter continuing as the shadow he cast upon the wall began to grow, cancerous, around him. It was a demonstration even their white-haired prince had never seen, and he took an unconscious step back.

"I can feel it; the power of the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_," Wiseman finally spoke. "An amazing power. When I take it, I'll use it to amplify the power of the _Jakokusuishou_, and free it from its imprisonment on this rock."

Rubeus and Saphir stared intently at the robed seer, wondering at his choice of words. But Demand seemed oblivious, suddenly laughing. "Does everyone desire your holy stone, Serenity? That must cause much hatred and confusion. As a matter of fact, it caused the replay of Earth all those centuries ago. Now it does so again."

"_Iie_!" she countered, protected by her guardian soldiers. There was no mistaking the fierceness in her expression as she stepped forward. "Hatred is caused by greed, which is solved by love and understanding. I bear nothing but a want for peace, and protection of that love! It's all of you who cause so much suffering and hate, and I won't stand for it any longer!" Her forehead was hot, and only she was oblivious to the sigil of the moon on her skin shining brightly. "I have a duty to protect that love and understanding! Everything evil in your heart is a result of misunderstanding; wake up to the truth!"

"Lies and fantasies!" Demand shot back, grinning. "Your crystal is the source of such delusions. You think that we can't understand, being lesser beings that you of the Silver Millennium. That arrogance is the root of such misfortune!"

Wiseman's amoebic eyes were glowing beneath his hood. His shadow was overtaking everything, shaking the walls like cheap plastic toys. Bringing the entire building down atop them all would be a minor annoyance, but it would trap – perhaps kill – the sailor soldiers. And he could then pluck the crystal from those lifeless hands. "It doesn't matter. I won't be misled by such honeyed words. Already the plan has been set into action. Prince! Command your men to kill them all!"

"Try it!" Jupiter said for all of them.

Chunks of stone were falling from the walls; a pillar fell, then another. Behind them, the light from the reactor was pulsating thickly, as if it were contained within too small of a space. Saphir cursed, running towards a control panel at the base of the light. But by the way the light throbbed, it was already too late, though Saphir seemed to be trying his honest best to control it. Even as a pillar fell inches at his back, he kept up the pace.

Rubeus, on the other hand, made a disgruntled noise, and turned on his heel. "Fuck this," he stated rudely, "I'm not going to die like a dog." Demand took no notice of him as he fled back down the hallway, running unevenly as the floor shook. He had no intention of being flattened like a pancake under stone. He planned to die under his terms, which had included, at some point in his life, ten girls in a hot tub back when they existed.

Near the end of the corridor, the shadows completely blocked the exit.

Wiseman's eyes loomed above him, far larger than the reality. Despite himself, Rubeus backed up, suddenly truly afraid for the first time in his entire life. Then it washed out in a deluge of anger. "Get out of my way!"

"Cowardly Rubeus. Out of you all, the worst weakling. You deserved an early death at the hands of the silver queen, not Esmeraud; but I never expected any of you to survive."

"Weakling!?" he shouted. "How dare you! You and your sniveling ways, always content to be out harm's way whispering your tired old song."

  
Impossibly, a girl's laughter weaved its way out of the shadows. It sounded almost familiar…no. Not familiar, but recognizable. As if he'd heard something similar to it. "What better way for the wolf to capture its prey but by donning the sheepskin?" the voice mocked. "All of you are pathetic dreamers with your weak plans. This is a new world we shall send into ruin for the sake of our revenge."

A hand reached out to cup his cheek. Shocked into silence, he watched as a leg, long, shapely, pale, followed, shod in a black heel. As if teasing him, she slid slowly out of the shadows to cuddle close to his chest, smiling with the arch of a viper as the recognition filled his eyes. "Poor, Rubeus. Where you've failed, we shall prevail."

"Y-you….but, that's impossible…!" he stammered.

She kissed him, fingers sliding up into his hair. He barely felt the pain as she snapped his neck, releasing him as he burst into flame. Laughing, she turned away to sway back into the shadows, swallowed up as the corpse became nothing but ash and chunks of larger substance in a pool of cooling, congealing grease. Humans never did burn neatly.

Demand frowned as he felt the death of his last ally; now, it was merely he and his brother. It disturbed him to lose Rubeus, even if the man had been an arrogant prick. But he shoved the thought from his mind as he stared at the object of his desire, seemingly safe within her ring of guardians, even as the building shook and rumbled. "You can't escape, Sailor Moon," he announced over the noise. "This is the growing power of the _Jakokusuishou_."

"It doesn't matter!" she retorted, touching her heart. She could feel the residue of time-space on her, connecting her to Chibi-Usa's key. The question was if it would work as she was about to attempt.

Concentrating, she reached out to take Mercury and Jupiter's free hands. Startled but compliant, they released their power to take each of Mars's hands, and the circle was complete. Energy, and in the amount they needed, rushed through them all. "Cronos! We call on your power to guide us to the key!"

"No!" Demand shouted, rushing forward.

The connection snapped them back like a rubber band, pulling the four soldiers away from Nemesis towards the key. Demand swung his arm to try and grab onto the closest – Mercury – but his hands passed through empty air. He stumbled onto his knees, disbelieving his luck, when the floor heaved. Saphir was calling out his name in terror, and he realized that they were going to die together as the castle collapsed on top of them both.

  
Wiseman held up his sphere, showing the image of the dark-haired prince still between time, running. The woman stroked the glass, mesmerized by the sight of the lost prince as he called out "Chibi-Usa! Chibi-Usa!"

"Is he what you desire, my child?" Wiseman asked.

"More than anything, Wiseman," she purred. "A suitable revenge and a perfect bait. Mamo-chan will be all mine, at last, and we will have the _Ginzuishou_ in our hands."

And now, the dark-haired prince was pausing, catching his breath. He looked again at the rod in his hand, still wishing against hope that the faintest light animated it finally, gave it warmth to let him know his princess was all right. But it remained cold and dead. "Usako…I believe in you. Please, let me know you're safe!"

He was cold, and tired. The temptation to sit down and rest was strong, but he remained stubbornly on his feet. "Chibi-Usa?" he called out. "Chibi-Usa, can you hear me?"

"_Hai_, Mamo-chan! This way….I'm over here, Mamo-chan!"

"Chibi-Usa?" Relief flooded his veins. He walked towards the voice, almost staggering he was so tired, relaxing as she continued to call out to him. Lulled by her voice into a hypnotic calm, he never noticed that the upside down sigil of the Black Moon glowing like a beacon out of the darkness.

Pluto watched the storm finally die down, spinning off into oblivion. She sagged against the gate with a weary exhaustion, pushing open the doorway to see the Crystal Guardian, Venus, the felines, and a faint Endymion standing there waiting. "The storm is over," she said with a sigh. "And finally, too. I fear it was doing more harm than good."

"Is it safe to go looking for Tuxedo Kamen?" Venus asked.

Four beings of light took shape behind Pluto before she could answer, and she slammed the door shut again as she leapt into a defensive position. But to her shock she watched as each body gained detail and features, and she straightened up slowly to say, "Sailor Moon. Mercury, Mars…Jupiter! How?"

"Pluto!" the _odango_-haired blonde cried, releasing her friend's hands. "I asked Cronos to return us to Chibi-Usa-chan's key. It worked!"

The black-clad soldier allowed the door to open again, stepping back as everyone stared across. Mars in particular looked stunned, as not only were Endymion and Pluto unknowns, but the tall red-head next to Venus was entirely alien. They crossed over into time-space, and Venus wasted no time in flinging herself at them, managing to hug all four soldiers at once as she cried, "_Minna_! You're all safe!"

"Once again, our faith in Sailor Moon proves true," the Guardian remarked, and for once, it seemed devoid of sarcasm.

"_Mochiron_," Sailor Moon warbled, buried beneath her friends. "But, where's Mamo-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan? Was he badly hurt?" she added, recalling the blast he had taken to the chest.

"He was, but he's healed," the tall red-head said slowly. "Chibi-Usa…she disappeared into a time storm."

The _odango_-haired blonde looked stunned, taking a step back. Even she could understand the gravity of the situation, though she had never been told of such a storm existing. "Mamo-chan went after her," she deduced softly.

"_Hai_," Pluto replied, just as softly. "And neither of them has a key. They could be lost in space-time, wandering forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book Usagi finds is Endymion by Dan Simmons, the general theme of which is pretty much what I based the Black Moon arc on. Find the whole series; it's excellent.


	21. Act 21 : Worlds Apart - Fukutsui

##### 

"Lost forever?" Sailor Moon sounded faint, not a particularly inspiring emotion considering her position as not only their princess, but also their moral support. "Mamo-chan…"  
  
  
  
The _odango_-haired blonde stared out past them all into the darkness of space-time, eyes aching for just the faintest sight of her prince. To have rescued her friends and freed them all from the rot of Nemesis, only to now have lost Mamoru as he did her…this back and forth motion seemed relentless, never ending. It seemed like that in the past months all they did was lose one another to forces they couldn't control, with hardly the time to themselves.  
  
  
  
This coming summer vacation she was going to drag him to some out of the way resort and spend some quality time with him, come hell or high water.  
  
  
  
Of course, that meant surviving this mission.   
  
  
  
She realized she had been silent for a little too long; all of them were inching closer, most likely afraid she'd gone into terminal shell shock. The fact that her limbs felt watery, tired from her recent surge of power and the effects of Demand's dead planet, must have made her look like a cripple learning to walk again. She felt as though someone had been kicking her stomach, twisting as it was with what she recognized as hunger. All she honestly wanted right now was a warm bed to sink into, snuggled up with her prince – "I'm going after him," she said suddenly, holding a hand out for a key without even asking for one.   
  
  
  
When one didn't fall into her palm, she looked questioningly at Pluto. The black-clad soldier was staring at her somberly, her rod draped loosely across her arms at rest. It wasn't immediately obvious to anyone but Endymion and the tall red-head – both experienced – to recognize that her deceptively casual stance was in fact to protect her belt of keys. Sailor Moon was not a violent person by nature, nor necessarily greedy, but her concern for her prince could have very well pushed her to simply try and take one of the lavender duplicates. "Sailor Moon, you've been through a great deal. Travelling through space-time for a long distance is disorienting, enough to drive you mad. I have the power to protect myself, but you are not the Guardian of Time, you do not carry the blood of Cronos. Endymion-sama is most likely dirtied with enough time refuse from the storm to shield him. You could search for him now, or years from now, and the possibility of finding him remains the same.  
  
  
  
"Please, Serenity. My princess, my queen, our shining star. Don't go into this hastily. Rest your body before you come back to me, needing my aid."  
  
  
  
For the emerald-haired guardian, this was a monumental speech. And Sailor Moon seemed to understand this, because she literally took a step back, hugging herself from shoulder to shoulder. She felt the hands of her fellow sailor soldiers, her friends, come to touch her in support; her four guardians again.  
  
  
  
It was good that they were so close to her, sharing warmth and care. When she finally fainted, giving in to her exhaustion and bone-throbbing weariness, not to mention her pains, there were eight hands to pillow her sudden fall. If only it had been the certain strength of his arms, smelling always of a faint, subtle cologne….  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
But when she woke up, there were only three faces to greet her. None looked happy, though at seeing her awake, there was a sudden effort made for them all to smile. "O-ha-yo, Usagi-chan," Ami greeted her. But it was such a shy intonation that it smacked eerily of her first days in Usagi's presence, so soft and withdrawn as to make herself nearly invisible. She had made so many changes to her personality since then that it was a shock to see it again.  
  
  
  
"_Ohayo_, Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Minako-chan," she responded in turn, making an effort to infuse her words with a cheer she didn't feel. Her body simply ached all over as though she'd been beaten with rods, especially in her lower back and stomach, a deep throbbing pain. Cramps from hunger no doubt, and she sat up with a noticeable wince. "I feel terrible. Where's Mako-chan? Luna?"  
  
  
  
"Luna and Artemis are with Diana, keeping her company," Minako said first, rocking on her heels. "Diana is blaming herself for Chibi-Usa's disappearance."  
  
  
  
She grunted faintly as Rei pinched her arm, most likely chastising her for her lack of subtlety. The dark-haired shrine girl then said, "Mako-chan is in the kitchen making dinner for us, along with Aleku-su-san." She was having a bit of a problem pronouncing the ‘x' properly.  
  
  
  
Usagi nodded slowly, crystal blue eyes flicking up and down Ami and Rei's bodies. The blue-haired genius wore a somewhat shapeless baby doll dress, a few sizes too big for her and the pinkest sugar candy colour the dye could produce. It seemed ridiculously incongruous on the poor girl, whose taste ran more to understated warm blues and neutral tones.  
  
  
  
Rei had on a pair of yellow overalls and a black T-shirt, both of which were also large on her petite frame. The crotch of the overalls hit her at about mid-thigh, even though she had cinched the shoulder straps as tight as possible, and the T-shirt billowed loose and long enough to be a nightgown. To say they both looked as though they had lost a bet was an understatement. "Why are you dressed like that?" Usagi finally asked, her face turning almost comically quizzical. "Why aren't you sailor soldiers?"  
  
  
  
Both girls shifted uncomfortably, rubbing opposite shoulders in a simultaneous gesture of bruising pain. "We can't," Rei finally murmured. "Your power, Usagi-chan, gave us power to resist Nemesis and transform, but we were already so weak…"  
  
  
  
"We lost our power again, after you collapsed," Ami finished for her. "Ma…Endymion-sama says all we need is rest, we pushed our human bodies too hard." She picked at the hem of her dress, a furious crimson blush rising into her face. "Our clothes needed washing and mending."  
  
  
  
Minako, looking fantastically normal next to them in her school uniform, piped in: "We had to ransack a clothing store the city had rescued from the ice, but most of the clothes were destroyed in the blast. It used to be an expensive American clothing store in Omotesando."  
  
  
  
Well, that definitely explained the sizes.   
  
  
  
Speaking of clothes, what was she wearing? Lifting up the blanket to peek, she found herself in a hospital gown of the open-backed variety, tied loosely shut. Her civilian clothes, a rather favoured outfit, were lost to her on Nemesis, and most likely destroyed. "Where's the dress I was wearing?"  
  
  
  
"We burned it." Minako stared at her fiercely, crossing her arms. "We took it and burned it in the courtyard."  
  
  
  
The _odango_-haired blonde shrugged finally, scratching her cheek. It had, granted, been a lovely dress, but for her adult body; and she had been Demand's idealistic doll to be coiffed and molded into it. Maybe it was better off as ash.   
  
  
  
Ami reached over to touch her forehead, as if for fever. Somewhat amused, Usagi watched her putter around the room, totally at ease amongst the equipment, and produced a thermometer. She held still as Ami took her temperature, though she said, "I'm fine, Ami-chan, really! All I did was faint…"  
  
  
  
The three girls seemed fidgety again, though Ami could cover it up with her suddenly professional attitude. She peered at the thermometer, nodding her head at the number, and said, "Usagi-chan, you were in terrible shape. The constant pressure of Nemesis on you – on all of us there – forced our bodies into survival mode. We all lost several pounds, dehydrated to the point of collapse, and not to mention the festering of our injuries. Mako-chan's ribs are broken, and they might not heal properly. You, being awake and the focus of their power…were rapidly accelerated in your condition. If we hadn't escaped, you could have died."  
  
  
  
Usagi stilled beneath the weight of their gazes, her hands gripping tightly at her meager sheet. She stared slowly between them all, seeing the horror lurking just behind their eyes – that they had almost lost her, that they had been unable to help her. So she changed the subject. "My tummy hurts," she said. "I'm so hungry. When will dinner be ready?"   
  
  
  
There it was again! That tiny flinch, that tightening around their eyes. Rei laughed, and it sounded hollow in the sterile whiteness of the room, almost desperate. "Usagi, always thinking about food."  
  
  
  
Minako was smoothing the sheet around her legs like a fussy nurse. Ami was shaking her head in denial, tapping the thermometer against her palm like a teacher with her pencil. "You can't eat too much, Usagi-chan. All of us have to ingest solids slowly. We'll make up a plate for you with what you can eat."  
  
  
  
She was ready to start whining – withholding food? That was criminal! – but of course, they were only concerned for her safety. So she contented herself with pouting, looking around the room as Minako tugged the sheet up onto her lap. Next to her pillow was her brooch, and she could feel its comforting power even though it didn't touch her body. But it was puzzling to know that it couldn't heal her injuries; or, even, that it had done its best, and she had still come near death. Perhaps the thing wasn't infallible after all. Or maybe, she simply wasn't as spiritually capable as she needed to be.  
  
  
  
The door opened, and she looked up to see Makoto dressed in a spring green pant suit, an outfit that fit her far better than her two unfortunate friends had been stuck with. And it was in a tone of her favourite colour, too; double lucky. The only thing wrong was the way she held herself, so stiff in her walk and stance, no doubt from her ribs. In the heat of battle and the rush of power, she had not shown such hurt, but adrenaline was a marvelous painkiller. "Usagi-chan, you're awake!" she cried, moving forward to hug her. Usagi, aware of her injuries, held her high on her shoulders.  
  
  
  
Behind her in the doorway stood the tall red-head, leaning an arm against the frame in a relaxed pose. Endymion was a wavering mirage next to her, shifting like a TV with a bad case of static. The king's power was obviously waning, and severely. "How do you feel, Sailor Moon?"  
  
  
  
"Icky," she answered with a pout. "And I'm not Sailor Moon. I'm Usagi."  
  
  
  
The king flickered as he shook his head, fiddling with his cuff. She knew Mamoru well enough by now to recognize the signs of his discomfort; he always played with his sleeve when he was in such a state. "I think it would be…better…if I referred to you as Sailor Moon."  
  
  
  
Meaning her soldier identity was neutral to him, but Usagi and Serenity were not. It would have been something akin to a knife twisting in his gut to refer to her as either name, with his wife so close to him, yet completely out of reach. And yet, she recalled hearing him call her Serenity when Demand attacked. But she couldn't blame him for that slip; it must have been the nightmare all over again.  
  
  
  
So she nodded, folding her hands in her lap as Makoto pulled back to stand with her fellow sailor soldiers. She felt a moment's irritation as they stood there like obedient dogs, as though waiting for her to command them to sit, stand, or lie down. But she knew they didn't mean it like that. Why was she feeling so irrationally upset?   
  
  
  
"Food's ready," Alex said suddenly, bluntly. "I need to talk to Usagi alone. Ami, can you go with them? Or does your patient need you to hold her hand?"  
  
  
  
"_H-hai_, Alex-san, I can go with them," the blue-haired genius mumbled, suddenly very interested in her thermometer. She wouldn't meet Usagi's questioning eyes.  
  
  
  
Neither, for that matter, would the others. They murmured their leave, all but dragging themselves out the door as if they didn't want to take a single step. Minako flashed her the victory sign before she closed the door, but she couldn't quite hold her smiling expression. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa's disappearance shouldn't have had them treating her so delicately; something was up.  
  
  
  
But she did have to admit that in the past day she had spent a lot of time thinking. Her confusion and pain every time she saw the tall red-head, the grown-up woman her friend had not lived to mature into, had diffused into a quiet contemplation ever since Mamoru had chided her. She had been rewinding the weeks since they had met Alex, seeing Moriya in her seemingly careless gestures, her charming smile – now far more self-assured – and her casual attitude. The way she laughed, the way she stood even now in the doorway, and the unspoken wall she seemed to possess around her, the shield that had kept even her closest friends at bay. And that was what she had realized. Why had she ever made it so complicated?  
  
  
  
"I don't even have a cast for everyone to sign this time," she said weakly, though she deviously watched the tall red-head as she walked between the beds. As she leaned back, butt against the lip of the bed next to Usagi, she regarded the _odango_-haired blonde with barely repressed surprise. "But even falling out of the tree didn't hurt so much."  
  
  
  
"Too bad you didn't fall out of a tree; it would have been a lot less traumatic."  
  
  
  
Usagi smiled brightly, tipping her head like an inquisitive kitten in an oblique gesture to egg her on.  
  
  
  
"You just had to get the kite out of that damned tree, that's why, couldn't wait for your father to get a ladder. Nearly gave your mother a heart attack," Alex recalled slowly, staring at Usagi with the same tilt of head that, this time, was confused instead of interested.  
  
  
  
That was the answer the _odango_-haired blonde needed, and her telling smile was proof of it. But she didn't say anything else on the topic, instead pressing a hand to the sudden twinge in her belly. It was a deeper pain, one that smacked of rumbling muscles. "Itaaii. My tummy hurts so much, I must need food."  
  
  
  
She peeked at the tall red-head, but the woman was expressionless now, staring back at her with a bland face that could have meant anything. Where her friends would have given at least something away, with a flinch or a look, Alex appeared to be adept at hiding everything unless she felt the need – or freedom – to show her emotion as she had a minute ago. It was a trick Moriya had not quite perfected by her death, though she had had her moments. But it was still a hint to the seriousness of this entire visit. "Your tummy hurts? How?"  
  
  
  
"Like hunger. Cramps," Usagi described thoughtfully. "I'm hungry, of course."  
  
  
  
Alex shifted, adjusting her lean against the bed. "I realize that. But, I need to ask you something rather private, and I doubt you would have wanted the others to hear it." When Usagi didn't answer, merely leaning back a bit, she said, bluntly, "When's the last time you and Mamoru had sex?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Usagi shrieked, nearly falling off the bed. She clapped a hand over her mouth as the sound echoed, partly in guilt, partly in mortification. Had she heard her right? "_N-n-nani_?! That's personal!"  
  
  
  
The tall red-head pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "I said it was private, didn't I? And I have to know this, Usagi, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, for gods' sakes."  
  
  
  
"I…we…I mean, we haven't…"  
  
  
  
"You have."  
  
  
  
"But it wasn't…"  
  
  
  
"It was."  
  
  
  
"We haven't had…had sex," Usagi finally whimpered, pulling the sheets up to her chin. "Mamo-chan says it's too soon for such a thing." She could not be any apple-cheeked; her face must have looked like an overripe tomato. This entire line of questioning was delving far too deeply into her personal affairs, even if she had been reassured that it was in good cause. It was a far different cry from the teasing of a day ago, or even that of Chibi-Usa's possible conception.  
  
  
  
Alex actually seemed a bit perplexed by the answer. "That's not possible. If you haven't had intercourse, have you two…" She waved her hand vaguely in the air. "…fooled around?"  
  
  
  
Usagi was positive she was going to die of embarrassment. She pulled the sheet entirely over her head, as if hiding would solve the problem. "…._hai_."   
  
  
  
"Probably had it on his hands when it happened," she heard, muttered, beneath Alex's breath, most likely to herself. "That would explain it. Usagi, will you come out of there?"  
  
  
  
When she didn't answer, the tall red-head firmly but gently pulled the sheet down, peering directly into her eyes. "I'm sorry, _tsukimidango_. I'm not exactly enjoying this either." She released the sheet, leaning back as Usagi slumped, hugging the sheet to her chest. Another spasm of pain twisted her stomach, and she moaned, closing her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Isn't it bad enough that Mamo-chan, Chibi-Usa-chan…they could be lost forever in the storm….and you ask me these questions?"  
  
  
  
The tall red-head looked upwards to heaven, shaking her head. "Am I the only one with enough common sense to recognize the impossibility of him being dead? If he were dead, this entire place wouldn't exist, or would be dramatically different. He's lost, maybe horribly so, but he's obviously going to be found by us at some point because this is all still here. Stop thinking like a lovesick heroine and start thinking like an intelligent girl." She pointed at Usagi's stomach as the _odango_-haired blonde blinked, slowly digesting the meaning of her words. "This is more important right now, Usagi. You want to know why your stomach hurts? It's because it isn't your stomach, it's your womb. You were pregnant, _tsukimidango_, and you lost it."  
  
  
  
Usagi paled, no mean feat considering that she had already been ghostly upon awakening. She touched her hands to her stomach, her entire body beginning to shake with the entirety of what Alex had said, and realizing, intimately, that she had known all along. Little clues that had eluded her understanding suddenly became clear signs of her condition; the sudden grinding pain in her womb she had felt just as she had collapsed. But it couldn't have been too far along; it was impossible. "How? I don't understand…Mamo-chan and I…that is, we never...."  
  
  
  
"But you two must have at least experimented with one another, fondled or touched. All it could have taken was him touching himself, getting a little on his fingers, and not thinking when he slipped one in you." The tone of Alex's voice now had taken on a bit more weight, a bit more soothing as she said what was, to Usagi's mind, rather outrageously taboo. (Ah, to be such an innocent.) It seemed as though everything was fine, and in fact, Usagi was feeling almost relaxed; calm washed over her entire body. "It was obviously a mistake. And it couldn't have happened too long ago, the fetus was barely even bean sized."  
  
  
  
"Why did I lose it?" the _odango_-haired blonde asked softly, hugging her stomach. "Was it supposed to be Chibi-Usa? Did everything change?"  
  
  
  
Alex shook her head, brushing copper hair out of her eyes with an impatient flick of her hand. "She was born after you became queen. It's impossible to assume that was supposed to be her, it's too soon. And besides, the reason Chibi-Usa was even born is obvious; you gave up being a sailor soldier. You couldn't carry a child to term as Sailor Moon; the trauma to the fetus would have been – was – fatal. Transforming, fighting, putting your body through all of these changes…as a human, you simply aren't equipped for it." She slid up to sit completely on the bed, bending her knees to brace both boots squarely against the vertical support.   
  
  
  
"If you gave up Tsukino Usagi to truly become Sailor Moon, then you would change completely into a sailor soldier, and your body would think nothing of carrying a baby whilst performing magic. If you gave up Tsukino Usagi and Sailor Moon both to become Neo Queen Serenity, then you would change completely into a Silver Millennium being, and your body would be equipped to carry only one child. But you cannot be Tsukino Usagi and Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity and expect to ever become pregnant and bear a child. You have to chose one, and you haven't chosen yet, and the stress of Nemesis only accelerated what would have happened in perhaps another month."  
  
  
  
They stared at one another. Crystal blue eyes seemed on the verge of crying as Usagi finally looked away, though she wasn't quite sure what she felt now. On one hand, she was relieved that within the span of a conversation she had been told she was pregnant, yet it was solved. She was too young to have a child, being hardly older than a child herself, and it would have been ludicrous to assume she could handle such a responsibility or physical abuse. But at the same time she felt that creeping hand of fate tickling her spine again, reminding her of her slowly depleting time as Tsukino Usagi, that she wouldn't enjoy this anonymity for any more than perhaps six years. She had no more realistic dreams to look forward to, only the certain promise of motherhood and royalty.  
  
  
  
In a slightly morbid sense, it was at least nice to know what the future held.  
  
  
  
Sighing, she realized by the silence behind her that Alex was either waiting for her to accept her condition gracefully, or regress into the screaming crybaby unwilling to change. The kami knew she'd been the latter enough times, though the soldier of justice, the future queen of a kingdom, should have been stronger. Now was a good time to begin.  
  
  
  
So she said, "Can I go eat now? A strong soldier needs proper nourishment to continue the fight."  
  
  
  
"Don't you think of anything else but food?" Alex retorted, though there was warmth to the statement. Sliding from the bed, she waved her hand to gesture at the heap of cloth behind her on the third bed. "Yes, you can go eat. Your clothes are the only ones that we found in any exact size, so be grateful for small favours."  
  
  
  
Usagi toddled over, picking up the bundle to find it to be a white linen shirt and a simple black skirt to her knees, with a modest slit at the leg, along with simple flats. She began stripping out of the hospital gown, looking over her shoulder as Alex opened the door to go and said, "_Arigatou, kochou-chan_."  
  
  
  
The name stopped the tall red-head in her tracks, and though she stared at Usagi, the _odango_-haired blonde continued to dress as though nothing were wrong. So much unspoken hung in the air between them that perhaps there really wasn't anything that could be said. But she cleared her throat anyway, adding quietly, "They don't know. Ami thinks Demand physically abused you, because I realized your condition first, and burned the evidence. Maybe it's a half-truth, but it's the only one they've been told." The door closed with a barely audible sound.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Death was a mild disappointment, but Demand wasn't about to argue about it. In fact, it was disappointing only because there was nothing to it, no final judgement, no licking flames. Just the weight that pressed upon the senses from the lack of light, and the stone floor beneath his cheek where he lay. Felt a lot like his single drunken stupor, or more accurately the morning after, when he had woken up to find himself in a room he didn't recognize, with one of the farm girls he did recognize and wholeheartedly despised. Maybe hell really did know how to subtly torture you.  
  
  
  
But then Saphir moaned next to him and broke the illusion. "I'm not dead….?"  
  
  
  
"Together, in hell? It would hardly surprise me," Demand sluggishly responded, rolling his head against the stone. Now he was beginning to feel the bruises growing all over his body, copulating and creating more and more hurt. One of his calf muscles was twisted in the agony of a charley horse, and he began to painfully stretch his leg to relieve it.  
  
  
  
"But we should be dead," his brother doggedly continued. "The castle collapsed atop us."  
  
  
  
"I would like for you to shut up about being dead, Saphir."  
  
  
  
He heard his brother move, mostly by the series of grunts and groans he let loose, presumably about his own injured body. Neither of them could have escaped such devastation unhurt, and they really shouldn't have been alive, but Demand could cope with that. It meant revenge would be that much easier. Easing his leg free of the cramp, he sat up as well to see that the darkness really wasn't as total as he had thought.  
  
  
  
"But it's just that we really should be crushed under the castle." Saphir was nothing if not persistent ‘til the end, constantly aggrieved by not knowing the answer. "It's not a bad circumstance to wake up alive, but death was supposed to occur. There's no way we should have survived."  
  
  
  
"And now is the time," Demand growled rather ferociously, "that I would like you to shut up about it."  
  
  
  
His brother made some more grumbles and general pissing about that only the minimally injured could make, scuffing his shoes on the ground as he stood up. "Fine. I know it is, on the scale of things that matter to you, _nii-san_, rather unimportant. But it's odd, to wake up alive instead of dead."  
  
  
  
Demand pursued the idea of simply making his brother's wish come true and snapping his neck, but it would only leave him with one less human shield. They were useful for his survival, and for it to be his brother – his only family – would perhaps double his willingness to take the proverbial bullet for him. It was most likely a worthless endeavor, considering their predicament, but until his breathed his last he would continue to scheme. Everyone needed a hobby.  
  
  
  
Instead, he asked, "Can you figure out where we are, Saphir?"  
  
  
  
He could hear his brother shuffle around, investigating what was their prison. "I feel rock walls, like that of the underground prison. But we're in a smaller space, almost a quarter of the size…it can't be the noxious room of death we used so frivolously."  
  
  
  
The white-haired prince thought on that as he steepled his fingers, frowning. When they had found the underground room – or more accurately, Wiseman had shown it to them – it had been an enormous cavern in the rock, so large as to completely torment the helpless prisoners tossed inside. It had been Saphir who had put the door leading into it, in the very early days of their banishment when their magic had been weak and insufficient for such teleportation. Otherwise, it had been an exit-less chamber, designed to be forgotten until needed again; an oubliette of a twisted race.  
  
  
  
And it was, to his realization, also hot as an oven. Sweat clung to his body, beading at the hollows of his joints and bones. His clothing was light in defiance to the cold of Nemesis, but here it felt like the heaviest fabric in the height of summer. What kind of rocky prison would be so blasted hot, and yet, not scorching in its torment? This was a natural temperature, as though the sun had continually warmed the stone. "And then, where could we be? It's impossible to think we could be on the surface of the planet."  
  
  
  
Someone was laughing, a sweet soprano that was somehow lightly malicious despite its honey. It was a deceiving laugh, the kind that could lure you with false joy to your doom, so unlike Esmeraud's brittle, annoying screech. "You were taken from the surface to escape the danger of the reactor. Because of the annoying power of the _Ginzuishou_, the reactor sped towards meltdown in an unusual way, de-stabilizing the surface with explosions and fires. Your cobbled outpost in the wilderness had toppled."  
  
  
  
"And so where are we then, if not on the surface?" Demand snapped imperiously, standing tall despite the oppressive heat.  
  
  
  
A flickering light, like a will o' wisp, appeared roughly to his left. Against his better judgement, Demand strode forward to follow it, noting that Saphir fell into step behind him immediately. Like children at play, they tromped at a steady pace out of the cramped room and through a similar stone hall that had the look of natural erosion to it; they had to crawl and struggle through the openings, forcing their thankfully slim bodies through crevices barely large enough to fit them.   
  
  
  
At the end, there was a brighter light, but it was the blackness they were familiar with that came from the reactor, fed at its core by the _Jakokusuishou_. Undoubtedly, they had been dumped near its base, within a maze of catacombs created eons ago when the planet had been tectonically alive. No wonder they were so hot; most likely the power given off by the crystal, this close to its origin, had long ago thrown the molecules of the air into a tizzy.  
  
  
  
Framed by the light was a slender waif of a woman as she stood at the very edge of the jagged monolith of crystal. Above, they had seen only the tips of its facets jutting up, and it was from these reachable chunks they had mined their personal talismans, building the reactor around them. Here it was obvious that the crystal was in its entirety immense, its veins reaching into the stone as though there was more to be found and discovered. How much had Wiseman not told them about this planet? "Prince Demand, Saphir. How proud are you of your accomplishments? Because of your greed, the _Jakokusuishou_ has reached critical mass, spreading like rot into the skin of the planet. Nemesis is now the embodiment of death and decay, unmatched within the galaxy."  
  
  
  
"Spreading…you mean, the crystal is no longer confined to this monolith?" Saphir choked, unable to conceal his shock.   
  
  
  
"_Hai_. Now, the planet has crystallized. It has become unstoppable," the woman purred, touching a fingernail to her lips in a coy gesture that was instead seductive.   
  
  
  
She turned within the light for them to see her, throwing them a ‘come hither' look over her shoulder that, if Demand hadn't been so intent on survival instead of sex, he might have returned. As it was, he simply stared at the soft rounded curves of her body, sheathed in a long dress that was the colour of rubies stained by age, black with red highlights, the colour of purple arterial blood for the lining. It had been coupled with a peach see-through blouse beneath it, cinched at the neck and wrists with black jeweled cuffs that should have looked ridiculous, but seemed fitting. Her shoes made the sharp clack only high heels could make, most likely in the same aged ruby colour as her dress, and she had a silken wrap twined around her back and arms to match the purple lining.  
  
  
  
But it was her hair, a pink spun sugar confection that fell loose in two long ponytails to the floor, cinched up by two conical balls of that same hair, curled into corkscrews at each ear, that completed the outfit. Hair that colour belonged on an innocent, not a woman who seemed at ease with the thought of killing either of them, her expression sweet except for the sharp downward slope of both fine eyebrows. Ruby lips curled in the smile of the cat who had eaten the canary, and it seemed no surprise that the black sigil Demand and his allies had all shared graced her brow. "Who are you? And why do you wear the mark of the Black Moon?" Demand finally asked, moving a step back to put himself closer to his brother; the unschooled would have thought him wanting to be near his beloved sibling.   
  
  
  
The smile curved up amazingly sweeter, though her devious expression never changed. With a foppish flick of her wrist she set the heavy black crystal piercing her ear to swinging, sending tiny shards of light into their eyes. "Ara ara, so impatient, my prince! All will be answered by my master. You merely need to take my hand."  
  
  
  
Her hand curved out like a queen awaiting her courtiers to kiss the back of it; unsurprisingly, her fingernails were that aged ruby colour again, long and undoubtedly strong enough to scratch their eyes out.  
  
  
  
But what else did they have left? She had saved them, or the nameless master she spoke of had done so. Trusting her was obviously out of the question, but finding some answers was also a priority for their survival. (Besides, how could they escape?)  
  
  
  
It was then that both brothers recognized what was in the shape of an anthropomorphic body slumped against the very crystal itself, as if tossed there by a giant hand. The tiniest gleam of a pale hand gave it away, for the clothes it wore were of the same fathomless black as its surroundings. Every now and again it groaned, a sound they had mistaken for the working of the reactor, a plaintive noise that was most likely a name. However hot the air and the remaining stone, the crystal itself must have been cool to the touch for a living being so close. "Who is that?" Saphir finally asked, beating his brother to it.  
  
  
  
"My gift, from my master. When the world is laid to waste, my prince and I will ruin the nether regions. Endymion, come to me," she commanded, though she never once bothered to look and see if he moved at her summons. She simply assumed.  
  
  
  
And he did move, though it was a halting, hesitant jerk of limbs. He came to stand at her back, a tall, dark-haired man with eyes a solid ocean blue, pupil-less as a cartoon. Like a dancer she pressed against him, sliding around his body as she curled her arms up around his neck. Possessive of her prince, she came to a rest clamped against his side provocatively, one long leg drawn up against his hip, her cheek against his arm. "My beautiful Endymion. He came to me, like a lost puppy. The one I will love until the end of our days."  
  
  
  
"Endymion…" Demand stared into eyes that held no recognition, a negative copy of himself. Ironically, the dark prince to his white, though their associations and passions were a far cry from their colours. "Of course. The king's younger self. Serenity's husband, King Endymion."  
  
  
  
"No longer her king, but my prince!" the woman countered, writhing against him in a fantastically erotic motion.   
  
  
  
Saphir was making a throaty noise beside him of irritation, not arousal. As usual, the cold-blooded scientist, never a passionate man, he was getting impatient with all of this grandstanding. Demand frankly had to wonder sometimes if they were truly related at all. "As interesting as this is, were you not going to lead us to your master before you showed us your…toy?"  
  
  
  
"_Hai_," she sighed, holding out her hand again. Her other arm remained securely around the waist of her prince, fingers playing in that forbidden zone between his belt and his stomach.  
  
  
  
The white-haired prince looked at his younger brother, tilting his head ever so slightly. Saphir, as always obedient – except when he was insolent – moved forward first to take her hand. Demand held his shoulder, exhaling sharply as the room suddenly fell away from them, dropping them down into a darkness so total it made everything he had ever experienced laughable in comparison. This was a place where light would never reach, the depth of a planetary core.   
  
  
  
And it was cold.  
  
  
  
Temperatures dropped so suddenly that his limbs trembled with shock, frantic to compensate for the loss of heat. Everything was quiet; not even the air rushing past them made so much as a whistle in his ears. "Where are we going? Surely we're no longer on Nemesis!"  
  
  
  
The woman's laugh was startling in the lack of natural noise. "Nemesis was merely the doorway. Long ago, it was once a vibrant planet; now, its core is no longer a functioning axis, but a collision of negative energy by the _Jakokusuishou_. Warping time and space, it is the realm from which my master rules."  
  
  
  
Light pricked their eyes. Suddenly their descent had meaning as a structure of crystal appeared before them, a focus for their attention. They passed right through its walls like ghosts, barely having the time to marvel at the architecture, and both Demand and Saphir landed roughly. Their bodies, however buffered by their magic, were still susceptible to fatigue, and neither of them was feeling very well. But as the woman walked around them as though they were no longer interesting to her, leading Endymion by the hand, Demand caught sight of her master. It was enough to push him onto his feet despite his nausea.  
  
  
  
"My prince, how well of you to survive the catastrophe," Wiseman mused, diaphanous fingers folding above his crystal sphere. At his side the woman stopped like a loyal dog, head tilting in a curious fashion as though this was all so very fascinating. "Saphir, you have proven yourself to be stronger than I anticipated. Welcome to my castle at the end of space-time."  
  
  
  
Demand didn't like the contemptuous tone Wiseman's words all but dripped with. Who was the leader of their operation, after all? He, or a robed, sickly sage? "Strength runs in our family," he acidly replied, lifting his chin. "And you, Wiseman, are proving to be a force to be reckoned with as well. Glad I am to see a falling stone did not crush your body."  
  
  
  
The woman hid her mouth with the back of her hand, a lady covering up her laugh. But it was directed at the white-haired prince, not with him; and he was insulted. "And who is your pretty doll, Wiseman? She bears the mark of the Black Moon, yet she is not one of us."  
  
  
  
He watched her eyes flash at the remark, though she remained wisely silent. "Have you not been introduced, my prince?" Now it was a mocking tone that the Wiseman used, his hands unfolding for one to curl, possessive, against her cheek. "My lovely rabbit. The black lady of whom has brought her line to ruin. Chosen by her will to become the instrument."  
  
  
  
Saphir muttered an oath of shock, though it was Demand who had gone rigid with a cold sensation. He had called Sailor Moon that very name, pronounced her to be his ‘black lady' once the _Jakokusuishou_ infected her body… This couldn't be coincidence. "How is this possible? That body is of a woman!" he finally choked out.   
  
  
  
"I was given my true desire by the Wiseman's power. Now, this body possesses only revenge and a will for ruin against the decadent light of the Silver Millennium. I've chosen the right path in this lifetime," she somewhat snidely replied, cupping her breasts. And to a degree, it was true; her desire had been to become a lady like her mother, which inferred growing up into adulthood. Wiseman had simply taken a few liberties.  
  
  
  
"And what does all of this mean?" Saphir demanded. "To create such a form for the rabbit…the daughter of Neo Queen Serenity! Do you have some ulterior plan you've never revealed to us, Wiseman? What possible reason could there be for this?"  
  
  
  
Wiseman said nothing, not immediately. Both brothers received the chilling sensation of being regarded like a meal for the snake, sized up like delectable snacks. Saphir moved closer to Demand protectively, though in truth his brother needed no such protection.   
  
  
  
And then the pain ripped through their skulls like white-hot needles stabbed into soft tissue, bending them both forward as they screamed. In the work of a second, Wiseman thrust his will into them, shoving theirs aside into a door-less quarantine. They collapsed atop one another like puppets with their strings cut, drooling like idiots as their higher brain functions scrambled to compute everything. Only a miracle now could rescue the unique personalities of Saphir and Demand from deep within their brains; they would exist as puppets at the behest of their new master.  
  
  
  
The woman strayed over to nudge at them with her toe. Neither of them moved. "I wish you would let me kill them," she sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "We no longer require their bodies. The mission can be accomplished with my power alone."  
  
  
  
"But you are the final piece. The _Ginzuishou_ of the present you've given me is cold, powerless in my hand. To retrieve the past _Ginzuishou_ is our goal now. These two will be nothing more than pawns, as they were always intended to be. Trust in me, my rabbit."  
  
  
  
"Unconditionally, my master. Already, the last operation is underway." She laughed, holding up the dull _Ginzuishou_ in her hand, tickling its facets with her nails. "Though only Neo Queen Serenity can wield it, the combined power can easily be fed to the _Jakokusuishou_. Then, it will be a power unequaled throughout the galaxy. I will make the queen bow to me; I will have her afraid and begging for mercy before I wipe the board clean. Wiseman! Trust in me."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was strange to sleep in a palace like a couple of girls at a sleepover. But none of them wanted to be alone in a room, even though Endymion had suggested they take the servants' quarters upstairs for themselves. If anything so terrible happened, they wanted to face it together.  
  
  
  
So they had brought down futons and pillows and blankets from the storage, spreading them out in the dining room in a rough circle. It was no surprise that Usagi found herself farthest away from the doors, the girls surrounding her like a protective shield of bodies. Though it looked to be an uncomfortable night; only Rei and Makoto frequently slept on a traditional futon, instead of the raised American beds the others were used to. Only they and Alex seemed at ease on the thin mats, though the tall red-head had assumed a pose on her back, hands clasped at her chest, which seemed more meditative than restful.  
  
  
  
They also had the weight of fatigue wearing them down, a soreness of muscles and bones that continued to torment them. After Usagi had finished her portion of dinner – a simple spread of Chinese beef and broccoli with rehydrated vegetables, rice, and chicken dumplings – they had been led down into the underground training room. It had been an interesting spar session to say the least, considering not just their conditions, but their intuitive knowledge of form and fighting carried over from their soldiers' identities; rather nihil.   
  
  
  
Makoto and Rei were the only two with any real fighting ability, though the dark-haired shrine girl disdained such physical combat. She was adept at knife strikes and powerful kicks that could knock a man down in own blow, even kill if need be, but of real tussling or hand to hand she was untrained. Her training had come from her grandfather, in case she had to defend herself from any attackers, knowing that no amount of martial art skill could really fight off an assailant. That was silly. People fighting on instinct and raw emotion were infinitely more dangerous and anathema to the rigid stances of anything he could have taught her, and no amount of skill could have overcome her size. The joking adage was true: size does matter, especially if caught in a corner by a horny man with several centimeters and fifty kilos on her.  
  
  
  
The tall brunette, of course, had the advantage in both size and intimidation. Girls her age simply did not grow to such a height, though they no doubt were rampant in America from looking at Alex. Hell, most Japanese women, period, didn't grow much taller than her at maturity, and she still had several years to go! It was a curse, but it was also an effective shield when she had been alone in the city, especially in the increasingly dangerous sections of Shibuya. She had a fierce stare and quick reflexes to match; whoever tried anything was usually gifted with a knee to the balls, or a punch to the solar plexus. The second time, they usually had to crawl away; knees had a bad habit of being kicked out of joint. Her martial arts skills, cultivated early in life by a few lessons for the same reasons as Rei's training, she had cajoled and scraped to receive more after her parents had died. In the span of a year, her pacifism had been sacrificed on the altar of survival, and she had adapted.  
  
  
  
Minako had not the slightest training in any martial art, but her proclivity for sports, especially volleyball, had hammered her into a quick, limber athlete, with muscles strong for rapid punches and kicks. With lessons she could have given anyone trouble on the mat. But she had always been such a free-spirited, joyous girl, even if a bit too tomboyish for her mother's taste, and even now she found it distasteful to learn how to better hurt people. She had simply relied on her identity as Sailor V, and Venus, to let loose with that frightful urge, keeping it separate from her identity as Aino Minako. Even in civilian clothes she made the distinction.  
  
  
  
Not surprisingly, the blue-haired genius was completely inept at physical combat. She had the speed, though not so much muscle, for simple hand to hand, and could have gained both with experience. But she was just too damn meek to actually learn, or so she seemed during her time; she kept apologizing to the mannequin as she hit it. Half the time she barely dented the cloth with her fist, and had she been a harder hitter she could have broken her thumb as she kept forgetting and folding it outside of her hand instead of in. Alex finally released her from the torture, suggesting that she read up on the subject. It would be of no surprise that Ami could learn easier from a book than a live session.  
  
  
  
Usagi was also, predictably, utterly clueless, though her rapid slapping could have wrung tears from anyone's face. Somewhat like Minako, she was just too much of a bleeding heart softie to actually go out and hit anyone, let alone learn the art of it. Her body, though amazingly slim despite her appetite – Alex was convinced she had some gastronomic disorder, had for years; there was no way she could gorge so much and gain almost no weight – was nothing but skin and bone. The entirety of her musculature could have modeled with toothpicks and dental floss. She also had a decided lack of aim, and in fact missed the mannequin twice while standing dead center in front of it. Whatever her fighting skills, she simply did not possess them as Tsukino Usagi.  
  
  
  
Finally, the tall red-head had released them from the practice, threatening – or at least they had assumed it a threat, from the way she said it — to ship them all off to New York and have them trained properly. Then she had corrected that, promising to train them herself once they got back home, and that scared them worse than the New York comment. It sounded like a very dire promise.  
  
  
  
Endymion was no doubt laughing at the entire thing, though they couldn't tell if he even made the effort to show his amusement, considering that his image was getting weaker. None of them had to ask to figure out why; it was most likely amazing that the king had managed to sustain it for this long in the first place, considering his injuries.  
  
  
  
So they set up their beds for the night, though with all of the talking going around the circle, it was doubtful any of them would sleep a wink. Makoto had been rapidly debating the merits of male bodies with Minako – the tall brunette preferred slightly muscular, tall men, and the long-haired blonde preferred slim, athletic types – with Rei somewhat forcibly ejected early on when she offered her own critical analysis of all men entirely. Ami had refused to comment at all, claiming no interest in the opposite sex (or more accurately no time for interest while studying for high school and college), while Usagi had simply waxed poetic on the love of her life.  
  
  
  
"But now, I've found the perfect man," Makoto said, clasping her hands to her heart. "He's wonderful for me! Sommers-san…"  
  
  
  
"Ne, ne, tell us!" Usagi burbled, all but bouncing in her bed. If any of them had harbored concern over her beating at Demand's hands, her constant chirpy demeanor had assured them she was otherwise fine. And her predicament at the training session had sent them into spasms of laughter, after which they decided she couldn't possibly have been so badly hurt.  
  
  
  
Alex eyed them all through half-closed eyes, her gaze sharp despite her sleepy attitude. Though she seemed completely amused by their conversations, she had yet to add even a single word to them, more at ease with listening than talking. She did, however, smile wryly as Makoto turned a beet red, mumbling, "Ano…"  
  
  
  
"Would that be the instructor you so eloquently sang the praises of, at that martial art class?" Alex finally commented, turning her head.  
  
  
  
"I didn't….!"  
  
  
  
"Come on, Makoto, you gushed so much over the class itself that it couldn't just be his sense of defensive timing you admired."  
  
  
  
"But I…!"  
  
  
  
"Mako-chan found true love?" Minako giggled. She received a pillow, however soft and downy, for her comment, and she went down still laughing at her own hilarity.   
  
  
  
The tall brunette hugged that very pillow back to her chest, huffing. Ami, sitting next to her almost primly with legs folded carefully, was reading from a thick textbook she had found in the royal library (actually the salvaged Hana High School library), which she had discovered in another building adjacent to the main palace. She rolled her eyes at their childishness, squinting as she continued to read the rather pale text without the aid of her glasses. Minako razzed her silently.  
  
  
  
Sitting on her back, the _odango_-haired blonde had a rather interesting view of the circle as she craned her head. Her bare feet danced atop the futon to a tune only she knew, mildly irritating Rei next to her, and her fingers joined in. "Alex-chaan! What about your perfect man?" The question gained her four astonished stares, and, not unsurprisingly, one rather bemused smile. "Moriya-chan always said she liked dark-haired men with hidden strength."  
  
  
  
"Well, yes," the tall red-head drawled, closing her eyes. "I suppose it's an ethnic thing; you grow up surrounded by all sorts of perfect white male specimens, and you'd want a different dish. Though blonde and blue-eyed was never bad, with the rebellious type."  
  
  
  
"Where did you grow up, _sensei_?" Minako asked next, tilting her head. "Isn't America also full of all types of people?"  
  
  
  
The question was more interesting and important than the previous conversation, and even Ami was lowering her book in attentiveness. It wasn't that they knew very much about one another's lives before becoming sailor soldiers; they were all in fact still mysteries to each other. But they were native to the island, accustomed to the same habitat of the Tokyo jungle as it were, and Alex obviously was as foreign as they came, in many ways.   
  
  
  
She opened an eye, that deep circle of lapis lazuli seeming to roll and fix each one of them with a stare all at once. "It is, actually. But isn't Japan also full of all types of people as well?"  
  
  
  
Rei played with a strand of her hair as if to emphasis the statement, remarking, "Of course. But when one thinks of Japan, one thinks of dark hair and dark eyes and mellow skin."  
  
  
  
"Even though none of us but Rei-chan really look like that," Makoto intercepted, lifting up her unbound mass of brown hair away from her neck.  
  
  
  
Alex rolled abruptly onto her side, propping her chin up. It was a smooth motion, but nonetheless a bit unexpected, and Minako, next to her, yelped. "Of course not, but it's an enduring stereotype: Japanese people have black hair, and yellow skin and brown or black eyes. Nevermind that intercontinental breeding has produced all of these contrasts," she said, motioning with her free hand at the girls, omitting Rei. "And what do you think when you think of Americans?"  
  
  
  
"Blond hair and blue eyes and white skin?" Usagi offered helpfully, somewhat wryly looking up at her own blonde bangs with eyes blue as a cut crystal.  
  
  
  
"Mmmhmm. Even though the ancestors of all those lily-white-assed citizens weren't even native to the region, they had rather crudely wiped out the real natives, and even those dark-skinned people weren't even native, but had emigrated a couple million years ago from Siberia. The racial stereotype of America is of a majority dwindling into a minority, of the Europeans that are being eclipsed by the Africans and the Mexicans, to lay it out neatly. But even in America the stereotype persists, and you can't help but think of anyone who isn't a pale-skinned ghost to be some ethnic aberration." She shrugged, smoothing a hand over the cloth of her futon. "And I happen to be white; I was born white, it can't exactly be changed or helped. I was raised by white parents, I escaped the den of homogeneous to mature in the cave of Sisyphus."  
  
  
  
It was rather hard for them to follow her somewhat lengthy diatribe, especially when she started to sound like a random word-of-the-day calendar, though Ami and Rei managed to keep pace. At the sight of three somewhat blank faces, the tall red-head laughed. "Sorry. Am I using big words?"  
  
  
  
"….yes, actually," Minako muttered.  
  
  
  
"You asked." The smile Alex had was not unlike a contented cat, eyeing the bowl of cream after it had just eaten a plump jaybird. "I was born in the south, but my parents moved to Australia when I was about three, and Aborigines didn't send their children to the schools I was forced to learn at. Consequently, I tend to think of ‘ethnic' as being dark-skinned, thoughtful progressive libertarian that I am."  
  
  
  
"So tell us!" The _odango_-haired blonde was leaning dangerously forward, having crawled onto her knees. Minako seconded the statement, leaning in a rather uncanny mimic of her princess.  
  
  
  
Ami lifted her book again, as if intently reading, though she had, despite herself, one ear trained on whatever impending conversation there could be. She would never admit it, but she was just as curious as anyone, though she wouldn't dare pry. It went against her deep-rooted ethics to do something so offensive. It went against Rei's Catholic school discipline as well in the same vein, but she was more than willing to subvert it. Anything to remain knowledgeable. She had no trouble in showing her interest.  
  
  
  
The tall red-head sat up, holding her hands out as if to ward off a blow. "Wait a minute here; first, you guys want nothing to do with me, now you want me to regurgitate my life's story for you like a fairy tale before bedtime? You probably know less about one another than I would say is safe."  
  
  
  
"_Hai_, but this is so much more interesting!" Makoto said rather slyly, lying now on her stomach, chin in hands. "We can always tell each other about our lives, but would you ever do it voluntarily?"  
  
  
  
Alex grunted, affirming the question. "I didn't even have a life. And I've already told you too much already."  
  
  
  
"Not enough!" the long-haired blonde crowed. "Tell us!"  
  
  
  
"_Hai_," Rei echoed, though she sounded slightly more malicious than Minako had been. In her lived the tested soul of a true pessimist. "Tell us."  
  
  
  
"What am I supposed to tell you?" Alex finally said, resting her arms on her folded knees. "Where I was born? What my life was like before the Silver Millenium? I'm twenty-two years old going on twenty-three this year, and I've lived almost twentyfold that."  
  
  
  
Usagi reared back slightly, her face drawing into a frown. "Twenty-two?"  
  
  
  
The tall red-head nodded, drumming her fingers against her jeaned leg. All of them were forced by circumstance to sleep in their clothes, and she looked to be up for an uncomfortable night in the thickly seamed denim. "I was taken into the past a few months after I turned twenty-one, and when Moriya died, I was able to become solid because my previous body no longer existed in this time. This August I'll be twenty-three." She dipped her head in a strange movement that made her seem to be looking up at them despite her height. They saw her eyes through a veil of copper hair. "I'm physically eighteen, numerically twenty-two, and mentally about perhaps a baker's dozen centuries. I don't even remember how many years exactly I lived on the Moon; shit, they didn't even use years, they used some system that worked off the phases and position of the Earth."  
  
  
  
She waited as she watched them digest the information, though it was no more than a slightly more detailed rehash of her description the first night they had met her. But this time it seemed more real for her to tell them, for them to look at her again and realize that what looked to be a girl of perhaps a mature twenty was in fact nearing a century of physical life. More clearly than ever now, they could perhaps imagine the weariness that could come with such a burden. "But I was born here, on Earth," Alex said, continuing on as though she had never in fact stopped talking, "in New Orleans, to parents of whom one wasn't even old enough to legally smoke, and the other married to someone else. You didn't get pregnant in a Catholic family back then without a marriage to the poor bastard who knocked you up, but my momma was clever; she'd already found someone to pin the blame on."  
  
  
  
It seemed somewhat incongruous for her to say ‘momma,' a departure from her usual, rather formal speech. Not ‘mother,' not ‘mom,' but ‘momma.' "She was nineteen when I was born, and my birth father was just fifteen. Strange as it was, she had loved him; he was, apparently, rather precocious at that tender age. But he was betrothed to another, another precocious little tot who was also her friend and his elder by a year and a half, and so she hid the pregnancy by making merry with the first man she could find that she could tolerate." The wry smile that followed seemed more bitter than ironic. "The families were a bit upset to say the least. You just didn't marry an outsider so easily, but she did it anyway. And so the man listed as my biological father on my birth certificate is not, in fact, mine, and he never knew. But he'd made a boy with my momma a year later, my little brother, so I supposed it worked out."  
  
  
  
"You have a brother?" Rei asked slowly, apparently stupefied at the thought of two of these crazed red-headed yokels running around in the world.  
  
  
  
"I did."   
  
  
  
The statement was not curt, nor dismissive, but it had an air of finality to it nonetheless. And it made them feel all the more embarrassed for Rei's question, even though none of them anticipated such an outcome. But it fed the flames of curiousity higher than before, hardly quenching it. "Then…perhaps, one day…we'll meet your mama and papa?" Usagi burbled, her question more than just a little bit innocent: after all, when the tall red-head had lived life as Chouno Moriyakumi, she had never had a father and a mother to introduce her best friend to. The thought of having such a meeting was strangely thrilling.  
  
  
  
Alex had a curious expression on her face. She looked away, her fingers playing against one another in an odd fidget. "My mother and step-father are dead, Usagi. My father…isn't usually within reach of a phone, and he doesn't…he doesn't know I'm alive."  
  
  
  
"He thinks you're dead?" Ami ventured softly, her book closed in her lap. She had the page marked with her finger; though her sudden concern for the tall red-head had forced a halt to her studying, she had no intentions of losing her place.  
  
  
  
"Most likely." Not that she looked entirely happy about it, either. "We had an…argument. Or a knock-down, drag-out fight, I guess," she laughed flatly, continuing to fidget with her hands. What she wouldn't give for a deck of playing cards to shuffle and play with. "I left. I packed up my stuff and left. And I found out later that the house had been destroyed, and since I hadn't told him I was leaving, he most likely thought I was there when it happened."  
  
  
  
The girls exchanged a series of rather identical looks. For someone who said she hadn't had a life, having one's house destroyed sounded quite exciting. And if it had been a fire or an earthquake or something normal, she would have specified; ‘destroyed' spoke of something more violent and intentional. "What did you fight about, _sensei_?" the long-haired blonde asked, finally.  
  
  
  
The anger that lit up both those lapis blue eyes suddenly was entirely frightening. "Past incidents that I never plan on speaking of."  
  
  
  
She did seem to have a way of killing their lines of questioning cold.   
  
  
  
But then her face changed again, relaxing into the casual lines and curves that was nothing more than a generic, placid expression. She tilted her head, an elbow on her knee as she ran that hand back into her hair. "Does that satisfy your deviant little curiosities for now?"  
  
  
  
"Only because your life is sooo boring it's putting us to sleep," the long-haired blonde replied in a purring coo, fluttering her eyelashes. Makoto snorted at the remark, though it was true; all of their eyes were growing quite heavy. It simply happened to coincide with Alex's vignette, of all the rotten luck.  
  
  
  
Indeed, Usagi looked to be nearly asleep, bent over on her knees like a narcoleptic in the act of kow-tow. She shook her head as if sensing everyone's eyes on her – and maybe she had – looking up with a jaw-splitting yawn. Her hands rubbed at her eyes as she murmured sleepily, "Did I miss anything?"  
  
  
  
"Godzilla," the tall brunette offered.  
  
  
  
Usagi frowned, though it was more of a perplexed pout due to the sleepiness having taken her entire face captive. "Mako-chan…"  
  
  
  
It didn't take much longer for them to all drift off then, despite the hard, flat surface of the futons, and the discomfort and strangeness of their surroundings. Even Ami gave in to sleep finally, her cheek partially pillowed by her book; no doubt she'd wake up with a deep crease in her skin come morning. When it was gently removed from her hand, her head allowed to rest fully on her pillow, she simply rolled onto her other side.  
  
  
  
Knowing Usagi constantly took her hair out of their buns before sleep, and just as often forgot to do so, they were unbound for her, the pins and bands set in a neat pile atop a nearby table. Makoto's ponytail was also undone with less effort, the spherical holders placed on the table as well. The red bow that decorated Minako's hair was carefully untied.  
  
  
  
As Alex did this last task, Endymion shimmered into existence next to her, though his image was so faint and ghostly it seemed a wasteful effort. "How long can you maintain this figure?" the tall red-head asked, apparently as unsurprised at his arrival as anything else.   
  
  
  
"If I continually appear to you, perhaps half a day. But even if I relinquish the image and rest for periods, I would gain no more than another day past that. Without Serenity, my spirit is weak; my body is no more willing." As usual, he spoke this as though he were discussing the weather; mild, patient inflection, with no hint of powerful emotion. But it was obvious he was disturbed by it, angry that his wife wouldn't – couldn't – awaken to save them all, angry at himself for thinking such a thing, for not being strong enough. Or perhaps it was only obvious to someone who knew what the man would probably feel in these moments.  
  
  
  
"Then why don't you rest? There's nothing more you can do." She stared at him as she returned his mild tone. "The Black Moon will carry the battle to us, no doubt. Even at your strongest, an illusion can do nothing. And you know this."  
  
  
  
"Perhaps I simply wish I could be here for her, again," he replied, his eyes drifting downward, towards the floor, the spill of golden hair still wavy from being bound up. "Wherever the me of before is now, he would want me to do this for her. Protect her. My beloved Usako….my beautiful, precious Serenity."   
  
  
  
The tall red-head reached forward, her hand hovering above the transparency of his shoulder, slightly curving to seemingly clasp what wasn't solid. "You know they'd die for her."  
  
  
  
"I know you would as well." His hand rested over hers, and yet she couldn't feel it, anymore than he could feel hers. "But is it rude to say that I trust only myself to protect her?"  
  
  
  
"Of course not. That's what love does to you; it turns you into a selfish bastard," she said ruefully, dropping her hand as he nodded.  
  
  
  
She watched him fall onto his knees, touching the air next to Usagi's cheek. How eloquently in microcosm it reflected the problems throughout their lifetimes, down to her inability to even feel him kneeling there. He faded out in that fashion, his hand moving in an up and down stroke along her hair, bent over her as the lonely, fearful lover instead of the competent king.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Despite the fog, the morning sun was valiantly trying to warm the ground. She stared at the light in disgust, pink eyes narrowed against the sharp pain. The light was deceptive, showing a city still sparkling despite its bloody tarnish, eager and able to rebound from the tragedy. That was why she hated such pure illumination; it always made everything look so much happier, as though the evil of the world had gone away with the night.   
  
  
  
Lies, lies, lies.   
  
  
  
Well, she was done with those cunning words.  
  
  
  
Holding her arms aloft, she summoned the power from the heavy crystals hanging from each earlobe, feeling it course through her body like burning acid in her blood. Of course, Wiseman had told her she would feel discomfort; she was quits with the purity of her mother and that shining kingdom, but no amount of loyalty to her new lord would rinse her of the shame of her birth. Her body simply was not a proper vessel for the power despite her change, but she welcomed the pain as a sign of rapture, knowing she had chosen the proper path.  
  
  
  
"Nemesis! Across the stars I call upon your power; that of ruin, of collision, of death and proper decay. For this planet is ripe for the belly of our master, and I have been chosen to led it towards this new destiny! Nemesis!" She pulled an earring free, barely wincing as she ripped it a bit too hard from her lobe, the warm trickle of blood nearly scalding hot against her cold skin. It fell from her hand to strike the frozen earth, incongruous amidst dead plants and the crumbled soil.   
  
  
  
For a second, nothing happened. There was, after all, the consideration of distance from Nemesis to Earth, and though it was rapidly shrinking, light speed was not instantaneous yet.  
  
  
  
Then she was blasted with the power that simply erupted, her arms held out wide as she grinned, rictus, into the force of the energy as the crystal began to grow. It expanded exponentially, shooting up into the sky amidst black, jagged lightning, blotting out the sunlight in her eyes. And she positively screamed with laughter as the twin monolith that sandwiched her from either side of the city released their power across the planet, which shook and rumbled even the most inconsequential year in Time; negative space collided and twisted.  
  
  
  
Tokyo in the 21st century was ripped apart.  
  
  
  
In the midst of philosophy class, the entire room became a hellish mirage, warping around the students as their teacher froze in the act of writing on the chalkboard. Most of the class began to scream, getting up from their seats as the windows showed an entire city seemingly melting in the same fashion, in a manner that cities simply did not do. The events of the past months seemed ridiculously tame next to this.  
  
  
  
Curiously, the teacher seemed more surprised than fearful. As her students cried, everything seemed to straighten out, become reasonable again; and it was as if nothing ever happened. Arimura Yuuko set down her chalk, removing herself from the room in a rushed silence, unnoticed but by two students who were, just as curiously, intent on watching her. "This can't be the work of the master…it's too soon! The time of ruin…we've only just begun our mission in this city!" she muttered, disappearing into the elevator.  
  
  
  
"Even the enemy seems to be surprised," one of the students remarked quietly, blocking the doorway as he and his classmate looked down the hallway.  
  
  
  
The girl nodded, saying, "Perhaps there are forces at work that we cannot guess at. Surely we were not the only ones to awaken in this time."  
  
  
  
Through another window at the opposite end of the hall they could see the tallest of Tokyo's skyscrapers, looking perfectly linear. "No, I don't believe we're the only ones at all," the girl added, looking up slowly as her classmate touched her hand.  
  
  
  
"So let them fight this secondary enemy. Obviously, our mission has nothing to do with them. Put it out of your mind, Michiru."  
  
  
  
Michiru shrugged with a slow lift of shoulders that was graceful despite its casual connotations. "It doesn't matter. To prevent the Silence, we must be focused. We acted accordingly to this threat. Now," and she tilted her head as the bell rang, two hours early, releasing them from their studies in the wake of such an event, "it no longer matters."  
  
  
  
Across time, the pink-haired woman mused on the very same fact. Sweat drenched her body from the effort of creating the monolith, though the cold fog froze it on her skin almost immediately. Goosepimpled, she wrapped her flimsy stole around her arms, murmuring raspily, "No longer does it matter. Crystal Tokyo has become ill with the worms, and will be led into decay."  
  
  
  
Stepping carefully – for high heels did not travel well over frozen dirt and partial snow – she descended down into the city itself.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
From outside, the sight of the power striking the palace was not unlike lightning striking a rounded glass enclosure. Around the palace seemed to be such a shield, repelling the force of the black energy like water, refusing to allow even the most tender plant in the gardens to be wounded.  
  
  
  
Above Usagi's chest, the _Ginzuishou_ blossomed into a vision of the lotus.  
  
  
  
In the sky grew massive storm clouds, not merely grey but violent black and green, voicing their displeasure of the violation. Around the monoliths the ground looked to be infected, wounded from the crystals that cut deep into the planet, like jagged splinters that refused to be budged. It was a planet injured, and only its true avatar could tell the extent of the damage, a knowledge that stabbed ground glass into his eyes and stomped feet into his guts. Even though it was an imaginary pain, his physical body, in a sleep resembling death, twisted with the sensation. Before, during the first intrusion, he could ignore it, because it had not so actively sought to dig into his planet, ruining its life. Now, there was no possible way to remain ignorant of their intentions.  
  
  
  
But it was a premonition of disaster he failed to pass on; with a sudden terror, he realized he couldn't create an illusion. The pain was so terrible, and he was already so weak…in his mind, he screamed, spots appearing in the world of his imagination where he'd sought refuge upon collapse. Like a prisoner chained to the wall, he could see the door, but couldn't move to get out…  
  
  
  
So many floors below it didn't matter, because five girls woke up in a terror of their own.   
  
  
  
The sixth futon was empty, rumpled as though someone had slept badly, and vacated. Cold to the touch. But as the fear ceased, as the monoliths withdrew back into themselves and thrust back down into the earth proper, seeking out its core, the girls remembered where they were, and why they were there. "The enemy has already begun to attack..?!" Ami whispered, rubbing her cheek as she propped herself up on her elbow.   
  
  
  
Minako rolled up onto her socked feet, kicking away the blankets and sheets. "If that's true, we can't waste another minute talking. We have to transform and face them!"  
  
  
  
"Transform first, plan later. You should have become soldiers at the first sign of danger!" a voice scolded them from the doorway, though it was a rather tired, breathless Luna who spoke. Behind her, Artemis was a white speck running down the hall, followed by a tinier gray and lavender dot; headed for the control room, no doubt. "Usagi-chan, as leader, you should be setting an example!"  
  
  
  
No longer did the _Ginzuishou_ glow at her breast, heavy again within her brooch. Maybe it had been her dream that had given her the vision of it doing such a thing, taking the place of the 30th century holy stone and protecting them all. She stood fiercely, clutching the brooch in her hand as she nodded in agreement. "_Hai_, Luna! No matter what, we have to do our best!"   
  
  
  
In tandem they stood with her, holding their pens in their hands. The articles on the table meant nothing to them; they would be reunited with them as sailor soldiers. "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"  
  
  
  
"Mercury Star Power, Make Up!"   
  
  
  
"Mars Star Power, Make Up!"  
  
  
  
"Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"  
  
  
  
"Venus! Star! Power! Make UP!"'  
  
  
  
The room exploded with the power, a warm cocoon of colour and light that made no differentiation between the five soldiers. As they felt themselves lifted into the air, they shared their strength and devotion, re-energizing themselves through nothing more than willpower and kindred spirit. Their feet touched ground and they stood as five proud sailor soldiers, heads held high and no longer in pain or weakness.   
  
  
  
As gratifying as it was to see such a vision, Luna snapped immediately, "Hurry! Guardian-sama is waiting for us in the control room."  
  
  
  
It was a rather silly notion to hurry, seeing as the two rooms were perhaps two minutes walk from one another, but they ran anyway, heels clicking on the tiles. As the hallway curved, they could see directly into the second door that accessed the control room, and the back of the tall red-head in uniform. In front of her the screen rose with a particular vision of darkness, and as they came closer, they realized, sickeningly, that it was nothing more than the view outside of Tokyo. Something tall glinted in front of the clouds, like glass.  
  
  
  
"Is that the black crystal monolith we saw, when we arrived?" Venus asked as she took up a leaning position next to the Guardian, gloved hands gripping the console.  
  
  
  
"Unfortunately, no. This is a second one that appeared, maybe a minute before the entire city was blasted again by a dose of what I've come to call Really Bad Shit." She tapped a knuckle against the screen, and the scene pulled back to focus on an overhead view of the city, perhaps several kilometers above their heads. They could see the two monoliths jutting from the dirt obscenely, directly across from one another on the outskirts of the city. North and south. "It seems as though the blast was just a tactic to scare us; neither of them have done a thing since. Perhaps they're waiting for something."  
  
  
  
"Or someone," whispered Mercury.  
  
  
  
Another tap, and the screen became alive with charts and graphs, monitoring the amounts of energy in the city. Not surprisingly, everything was screaming a warning as to the amount of negativity, and would Neo Queen Serenity-sama care to do a cleansing? ‘User Friendly' took on a whole new meaning. "What do you intend to do?" Artemis asked from his agitated position on the console.   
  
  
  
Venus opened her mouth to reply, then snapped it shut. She looked between her princess and her commander, as if unsure who to ask permission of. Though she was, technically, the leader of the sailor soldiers, Sailor Moon was her princess and of higher rank; but also, the Crystal Guardian was her commander, and also of higher rank. Finally, she just threw up her hands, saying, "May I?"  
  
  
  
"I'd be upset if you didn't have something to say," the tall red-head answered, as the _odango_-haired blonde nodded in agreement.  
  
  
  
"_Hai, hai_." Clapping her hands together as if summoning some spirit, Venus steepled her fingers. "What can we do, Artemis? The enemy is unquestionably trying to lure us out. They can't enter the palace, no one can, because Endymion-sama called on the wards to resist anyone not of the Silver Millennium. So we could either wait and see what else the enemy is going to do to the city, or we could just go to them and get the fight over with."  
  
  
  
They all seemed to agree with her, she could tell by their murmuring. But really, what conclusion could they have come up with that would have differed? "I say, we go to the new monolith. The worst that will happen is that we will have to fight, and now, we're a team again. We have a duty to protect this planet."  
  
  
  
"And what if the enemy intends to divert you, to attack the Crystal Palace?" Diana asked from the floor, sounding almost as cynical as her mother; the sweet clarion of her voice somewhat ruined the effect.   
  
  
  
"From Endymion's story, the Black Moon refused the _Ginzuishou_'s powers. And so they aren't Silver Millennium citizens, but mere humans, and wouldn't be allowed past the barrier," the Crystal Guardian said, gesturing with a hand. "They could beat at it for the rest of their lives if they wanted; until the power infused into the very palace walls gave out, which could be eons if no living queen resided within, the shields would remain."  
  
  
  
The screen behind them gave off a klaxon of warning, asking again if Serenity-sama would please cleanse the city before the negative energy became too intense. This was merely a safety measure for the good of the population. It shut up as the tall red-head finally punched the button to turn the screen back to the overhead view. Mercury said, "So what shall we do?"  
  
  
  
"We should confront the enemy. It does us no good to hide," Mars offered firmly, folding her arms. "Already they've caused too much suffering."  
  
  
  
"Hai; so many families they've destroyed, people who only wanted to live good lives." Jupiter said this, looking just as set in her way as Mars.  
  
  
  
All of them looked then towards Moon, who seemed sad. Though the Black Moon had indeed caused such trauma and death, she still felt sorrow at the punishment they would be given by her hand, by the hands of her friends. Killing, she was beginning to realize, was the only sure solution to these problems, and her hands already were bloodied.  
  
  
  
But she nodded in slow agreement. "_Sou yo_. For justice."  
  
  
  
The three felines bid them all goodbye as they walked away, though in no hurry to exit the safety of the palace. Unconsciously they formed another half circle of protection around Sailor Moon; a crescent of bodies shielding the _odango_-haired blonde from the possibility of attacks at their front, easily changeable to protect from the back. This time, she didn't feel annoyed at their formation.  
  
  
  
With the blast of negative energy, the city looked even more decrepit than ever. Buildings, torn apart in the initial attack, were now beginning to warp and melt, twisting in the sky. Mercury made a choking sound as they came upon the first of the bodies, shredded further into nearly unrecognizable meat. Mars' hand on her arm steadied her as they continued to walk on, circling around the palace towards the newest monolith. Of course, the sheer aura of negativity in the air was almost nauseating on its own, and Mercury finally voided her stomach into the gutter. Even if she wanted to be a doctor, with all of its trauma and bloodiness implied, the sheer amount of death around them was simply horrifying.  
  
  
  
They waited for her, ghostly figures in the thickening fog. Reassured again by the hands of her friends, they reformed and continued walking.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The pink-haired woman would have laughed to know that in looking for the enemy, they had walked right past her. But it was so easy to do in this fog, so thick and clammy, like a solid white veil over the city now. And she in her high heels had not taken the straight road to the palace; she had diverted from the quickest path, strolling to view the decay and destruction already taken place in the city. She had time to dawdle, and she spent it well.  
  
  
  
As she came to the entrance of the palace gates, she paused. Though she had been prideful to the Wiseman, she was not quite as sure now that she could enter. After all, she had rejected their purity, and could the palace perhaps reject her in kind? If it were so, it would only prove again to her that she was not respected.   
  
  
  
Her heels made that sharp click against stone as she passed through. Though her body had changed, grown into a beautiful adult form, the palace still recognized her, and she was elated. She smiled wickedly, her pace becoming brisk as she strode down the path towards those big doors, appearing for her. "'Wiseman, our triumph is at hand!"  
  
  
  
Inside. There was a lovely light coming from the curtained door, a warm glow that beckoned her closer. She knew what was within that room.  
  
  
  
She was surprised to see upon entering that she wasn't alone; not that the opposition was a surprise, but it was the fact that it was a trio of cats that blocked her way in the middle of the room. Artemis, foolhardy, leapt at her, obviously meaning to drive her back out of the door, and she slapped him from the air like one would a bug. He made a rather spectacular splat into the crystalline wall as Luna arched further into position and Diana cried "_Otou-san_!"  
  
  
  
"I have no quarrel with you," the woman said breezily, fanning her hand. "But I will do the same to you if you do not remove yourselves."  
  
  
  
"Intruder!" Luna spat in reply. "You won't hurt the queen!"  
  
  
  
"Oh, but why would I? I already have what I need from Neo Queen Serenity." With a foppish flick of her wrist, a familiar crystal fell into her palm, still strung on its golden chain. She laughed to see the two felines' stark shock, though there was the quietest voice in her mind pleading with her to stop. "Now, where is the carrier of the past stone? Where is Sailor Moon?"  
  
  
  
Diana timidly put a paw forward, her bell ringing irritatingly in the woman's ears. "How did you receive that stone? Have you hurt Small Lady?"  
  
  
  
The woman stepped forward, reaching out her hands for the crystal bier, and the body that lay within. Ignoring the two felines, she ran her hand over the crystal above Serenity's face, frowning at the eyes that remained stubbornly closed. "Look at me….look at me, see me!" She slapped at the clear stone in an angry outburst. "Even now, she won't awaken! Even for me, she won't open her eyes! Look at me, mama! I've grown, and you won't look at me…"  
  
  
  
She continued slapping at the crystal in a temper tantrum. How dare Serenity not wake up to look upon her only child! It wasn't fair! Pummeling the bier, she might have then taken out her anger on the mother and her kitten if a strange noise – like that of electronic interference – had not become like a loud buzz in her ear. Pausing in her tantrum, she looked around curiously to see a vague shape walking towards her, a blurry image in motion. "Who are you, invader? How is it possible that you've entered this palace?"  
  
  
  
"King." Her expression turned sly as she leaned back from the crystal, smoothing her hands over her hips in an obvious pose. "You don't recognize me? Usagi Small-Lady Serenity was my discarded name. Your daughter."  
  
  
  
Diana made a wailing sound.  
  
  
  
"That isn't possible," Endymion replied softly, though it was amplified and distorted into some sort of interpretation of Japanese. But the gist was there. "You're an adult."  
  
  
  
"As my master has seen fit to grant me," she purred, holding out her arms to give him the full effect. "As a gift for my loyalty, I have been given this body and a new name, and a mission to fulfill."  
  
  
  
The king finally looked horrified, though his image quality turned it into something of a grimace of pain. "A mission…? Small Lady, this is your home! How could you—"  
  
  
  
"_Iie_," she said sharply, cutting him off. "I am no longer Small Lady.  
  
  
  
"I am the Black Lady. Chosen by the Wiseman, I have been reborn as the Queen of Nemesis, sovereign of its darkness. You and the purity of the Silver Millennium shall be no more in the face of this new destiny.  
  
  
  
"Finally, with such power, I've become my mother's daughter," she laughed joyously.  
  
  
  
Not surprisingly, she saw that no one else laughed with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a tip of the hat to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
> 
> The pregnancy bit was a rather pointed reminder of the fact everyone seems to assume Usagi and Mamoru are having sex, and never seem to use any kind of protection. Call it a quick lesson in sex ed. Not my best hour. Also, it was a way to explain why Usagi had Chibi-Usa after becoming Queen and giving up her soldier's powers.


	22. Act 22 : seizon kyousou - Last Man Standing

##### 

This was a prison of sorts he was not used to.

Unlike the dark, dead planet he had called his home and his purgatory for several years, this was a bright, warm place. Featureless and smooth, merely four walls to surround him and contain him, it was also mightily small. Without an exit or entrance, nor trapdoor, he fell to staring for hours – days? Quite possibly. Though time did not work the same way as it did on the outside – at who was surely a fool in those silvery panels.

Perhaps it was telling that here, he was not the aloof prince, but the coltish teenager, head in a book and mind racing. No longer the child who had lived in a happier time before the cold and ice, when information was freely available, food plentiful, people vibrant and free. He had become a curious, awkward youth, toiling alongside his father to reclaim the land after Neo Queen Serenity revived them, the owners of once-teeming rice paddies. Working like serfs in the terrible weather, his father cursed the shining queen who had opened their eyes simply to make them slaves. He had been rich, feeding the entire island with his crop. When had he ever truly worked a day in his life?

But wealth meant nothing to the queen. She had woken them for their skills, her soldiers told them, so they could prepare the city for the new generation. This meant growing greens and breeding livestock, digging wells, melting the ice and snow. Hard labor for many whom had never done anything so strenuous in their lives.

And this was the world he had truly grown up in, an alien planet for which concepts like telephones and television and automobiles was recent history. So much had been destroyed by the ice that it was senseless to fix them, only to leave the re-building of once-vital mechanics and electronics until after the major reclamation. By the time he had left on his self-imposed exile, the telegraph had been re-invented.

His father lost his mind, to be kindly, when his mother died after lingering for years, weak ultimately from the freeze, a condition many suffered. When the queen offered her subjects the chance for long life, many that had been in such a condition died soon after anyway; the crystal could not heal such internal cold. Or perhaps, as his father had ranted many a time, the queen had never even tried to make them well in the first place. Humans were meant to live normally, falling prey to sickness and disease, as was nature. Virus, bacteria; these were the predators of humankind, and they were subverted by medicine and good intentions.

"She wouldn't have died in such a manner, my sons, if that bitch hadn't interfered," his father said one night, not long after the burial. In the light of the fire, his face resembled an ancient carving of malice, twisted into sharp lines. "Saving us from such catastrophe…I would be with her in heaven now, if only Serenity had not taken it upon herself to play God."

Not long after that, his father had publicly denounced the queen, disemboweling himself at the entrance to the palace. It had surely made a statement.

There was many more who believed then, finding the son and listening to his ideas. It wasn't enough that the queen had exercised her amazing power on them against their will, but that she had offered them long life in blasphemy of God. Any god, it didn't matter – his family happened to be Christians, and so he used their words and images in his speeches – humanity simply was not meant to live such lives. Were not the first humans cast out of Paradise so they would not eat from the Tree of Life and become immortal?

But words…they meant nothing against a woman who wielded the _Ginzuishou_.

(To defeat my enemy, I must become my enemy.)

Wiseman had offered them that chance to dismantle Serenity's unholy kingdom. "On Nemesis, my young traitors, there is power," he said to them all on that last night on Earth. "Seek the _Jakokusuishou_, and you will be unstoppable."

And now, after gaining that power, after sacrificing his people and, if he admitted it, his friends…after his matchbook kingdom had burned down around him, after he found himself to be following a creature with the wrong intentions…

Had he been wrong?

Demand was unsure.

Though he realized now that what he had taken to be perhaps malicious or thoughtless actions on the part of the queen were not quite so; in his youth, so easily malleable, he had seen her as the worst kind of dictator, uncaring of her people and their plight. But in hindsight, he could recognize her attempting to make the best of their new world, a woman barely become an adult and unsure of herself. She knew how to inspire people, to bring out the best in their hearts, and perhaps his father and he had simply been too stubborn to allow it.

But she had claimed a kingdom that was not hers, deftly subduing it with her power. Who would argue with a woman who had saved them _en masse_, who commanded a quartet of powerful sailor soldiers? They had in fact saved the planet multiple times, answering a lot of questions as to the calamities and strange events that seemed to overtake the Earth every year. (Sometimes twice.) And who could resist a life span to rival that of Methuselah?

"Yes," he sighed finally, propping his chin in his hands. "I would have done it all over again."

The second monolith was, strangely, devoid of life.

This perplexed the soldiers, for more than one reason. Namely, that they had walked all the way up to the damn thing with explicit intent to beat some heads.

Seeing no enemy when they had gambled quite heavily on at least one was disappointing, to say the least. "Does anyone else find this to be strange?" Venus finally remarked, after circling the black crystal three times, well away from touching its surface.

Beneath their feet the ground throbbed like a close-up of the human body and its thick veins, only this was rendered in dirt brown and grey snow and lava red. Strangely, for all of its size and obvious power, they couldn't feel the negative energy as they should have, like a thick wall of air. It seemed to just be sitting there.

"Well, I do have to remark on the Black Moon's obvious penis obsession," the Crystal Guardian said, scratching her chin. "But what do you suppose these things are actually doing? The air should be lousy with enough negative energy to kill an elephant, but…"

"Maybe it's their way of travelling from Nemesis to Earth?" Jupiter frowned, tugging at her ponytail. "But that's ridiculous. Why would they need two?"

Mars, sitting on a chunk of dry dirt, had taken a high heel off and was massaging her heel. High heels did not travel well over this kind of terrain, she was finding out. "Surely whatever army they could possibly have was destroyed with the palace," she suggested thoughtfully, flexing her foot. "Remember, Jupiter? The palace was crumbling into disaster before we escaped. And what enemy has time to save their minions when their own hide is in danger?"

It was a good point, but it didn't, however, answer the question. Staring out at the city, Moon remarked, "I wish Mamo-chan was here."

Behind them, the blue-haired genius began her own careful trek around the monolith, turning on her goggles. The blue-tinted screen began to immediately analyze the composite of the ground at her feet, the pollution and ozone levels in the air; a picture of the molecular make-up of the crystal appeared, with markings denoting its density and structure. The very tip was dense enough to balance a spacecraft on – give or take a Daitokuji – and it was radiating what her visor simply labeled "Negative space." It outlined the path of the negative energy up and down through the crystal, deep into the ground and high into the atmosphere.

She needed more information, and at the very thought a whole new plethora of numbers appeared, tabulating the effect the energy seemed to be having on the planet as a whole. And this was no hypothesis; already, noticeable changes had occurred. She mentally directed it to estimate the next hour and what it would bring, as always amazed at how the thin flexible screen worked. Like a pair of designer sunglasses – though she called them her goggles because she had always equated eye protection with the strange English word – they were so light she always forgot they were on, and was invariably shocked to see the real world after removing them.

All it took was a thought, a mental directive, and the eyepieces would be flooded with the information. How she had ached that first night to take them apart and find out what made them work; but it would have been senseless. A 21st century mind was not capable of understanding such technology. Queen Serenity's mocking answers had told her as much later on. It had been merely comforting to know that science did have a place in this strange new world she had been thrown into, meek but terrified.

The calculations before her eyes now sent a cold shiver throughout her veins. She half-turned to see the opposing monolith past Venus and Moon, and her goggles thoughtfully outlined the sharp black crystal with a red aura. Like the one she stood next to, it too was radiating its negative energy up and down; into earth and sky.

Then a man appeared right in front of her, and she gave a little shout as she hopped back, turning her goggles off. "Endymion-sama!"

Or at least, it looked like him. Except for the shifting, shaking static that looked like bad TV reception. Early 80's cable bad. He kept changing colours like a chameleon, none of them in the outer perimeter of good taste. And when he opened his mouth to speak, it was some sort of alien language that bore only the slightest resemblance to Japanese. "Palace bzzzzt lady come," he garbled, lips moving in no relation to the words. Apparently, he'd been replaced by a dubbed kung fu movie. "We cannot zzzrance to the chamber frzzzztzzz! Bzzzzzt quickly!"

And Mercury wasn't alone in seeing him. Her allies were staring at him in a mix of surprise, horror, and puzzlement as he turned chartreuse and blue. "The enemy has infiltrated the palace?" Mars finally deduced slowly, hopping on one foot as she jammed her other foot into her shoe. Time and tide wait not for fashion.

"But how is it possible? With the shield, no one could get in without the mark of the Silver Millennium on them," Jupiter said, echoing their earlier conversation.

Endymion was waving his hands at them, lips moving in speech. The only problem being that sound had apparently been turned off on his end, because they heard nothing; and it was most likely important by his expression. Mercury rather subtly touched her throat, and he seemed to realize they couldn't hear his words. That's when he changed his form to compensate, and immediately said, clearly, "You don't understand what's happened!"

They all stared down…and down…and, well, down…at the king.

"What?"

‘Super deformed' just didn't seem dignified enough to refer to his new, squat, insanely cute little illusion. It obviously took less power to give him form and shape, because he had stopped switching colours and languages, but it looked completely ridiculous. He didn't even come up to Mercury's knee. "What don't we understand?" the tall red-head finally asked, crouching down to talk to him.

He shook his head. "How the enemy has infiltrated the palace. You have to return, quickly!"

"It may not matter soon, if we cannot remove the monoliths."

"What do you mean, Mercury?"

The blue-haired genius re-activated her goggles, scanning their screens. "In twenty-four hours, the crystals will have succeeded in dissipating and destroying the atmosphere. The magnetic field of the planet will be almost gone, most assuredly disrupting the rotation of the planet, not to mention cooking us with radiation. In short," she concluded, turning them off, "they will have succeeded in ruining this world for habitation."

"Didn't I see this plot once before?" the Guardian muttered.

Chibi Endymion seemed to turn pale – he looked to be having an easier time changing his image to show emotion this time around – as he looked from one monolith to the other. "But that one monolith has been here since the beginning," he said. "Has it taken so long to do this damage?"

"_Iie_," Mercury answered. "The monoliths have just begun this rapid acceleration. From my calculations, they began to work in this manner when the second one was placed here."

The sky was growing darker again, despite it being the middle of the afternoon, and dreary with fog and clouds. Against this new backdrop of utter black the two crystals seemed to glow, and the stifling air that signaled the suffusion of power was suddenly thick. On instinct Venus and Jupiter tackled Mercury, all three of them rolling out of the way as the crystal exploded outwards with a very visible blast of power, aiming for the Crystal Palace.

Everyone was rocked off their feet – save for Chibi Endy, who vanished – as the power collided with the palace shields, holding strong despite the beating from either side. Just like before, it shrugged off the energy, though considerably stronger, like a gentle summer's breeze. The soldiers lay half-stunned on the ground, watching as the power came recoiling back over their heads, absorbed into the crystal like a snail retracting its head from danger.

With it came the blast of wind, ripping them off the ground like leaves, flinging them around and around to land in the snow and ice in a tumble. The impact was not in the least bit gentle, leaving them even more stunned and half-frozen, and several meters away from the monolith. "That was no ordinary wind," the tall brunette grumbled, holding her tender ribs as she struggled up.

"Of course it was not, silly sailor soldiers!" someone laughed. "But I never expected you to anticipate my attacks; you're not very bright, after all."

"See?" Venus said from somewhere behind Mercury. "I was right; the enemy was luring us into a trap!"

"That isn't what she meant, Venus!" Mars snapped.

The pink-haired lady had a peculiar smile on her face as she stood watching them, just at the very edge of the snow line. It was that amused, haughty smile that only the arrogant would use, as though they were the adult telling the children they had been mistaken. Nevermind that she looked quite ridiculous in her slitted gown and flimsy wrap in steadily dropping temperatures, possibly even sillier than the soldiers standing up in their skirts and bodices. "Yare yare, so slow," she sighed, tapping a slender finger against her chin. "How is it that you've survived your enemies? Surely they must have been weak as the summer breeze to fall beneath your pitiful powers."

"Or maybe they were just overconfident loudmouths," the tall red-head countered, tapping snow off her shirt calmly. "But your parents raised you better than that, didn't they?"

Pink eyes slitted in sudden anger as she stared at the Crystal Guardian, who eyed her sharply in return. The staring contest went on for a good minute before the tall red-head suddenly stepped to the side like a toreador avoiding the bull, and the pink-haired lady found herself staring at a pointed forefinger, glowing gold. "Crescent Beam."

She screamed as the beam hit her squarely between the breasts, knocking her back against the monolith. Fire sparked in her vision as Mars called her attack, and she lifted her arms to protect herself as the heat impacted mere centimeters from her face; this time, she was prepared. But she was sorely pissed off, and as the fire died down, she screamed, "You impudent little bitch!"

The five sailor soldiers had assumed defensive postures, encircling their princess who, without her weapon, was almost powerless. The Crystal Guardian stood at their head, at ease as the pink-haired woman straightened up, touching the burning wound on her chest. It had been a deliberately weak attack, meant to warn her instead of badly injure, which meant she had perhaps a second degree burn. But the fact that they had tricked her in such a manner, she, the Black Lady….! She balled her fists. "You dare attack me in this manner? As the queen of Nemesis, I have the authority to destroy you all, and yet you stand against me!"

"Prince Demand never mentioned having a queen," the _odango_-haired blonde remarked softly, touching her brooch.

"Prince Demand was kind enough to relinquish his sovereignty to me," she purred, thinking derisively of the dumb drooling puppet she had left in her master's castle. "Besides, it was only fitting that I, a forgotten princess, would inherit his house of cards. I have led it to ruin, and soon I will do the same to this planet."

They were all staring at her wide-eyed now, as she frowned, suddenly uncomfortable under their scrutiny. It made her angry, this emotion, and as she raised a hand to swat them all into oblivion, Sailor Moon pushed through her friends to hold out her hands. "_Kami-sama_…Chibi-Usa-chan? Is it really you?"

  
Pluto couldn't stand this. The waiting was always the worst part, hands down; she was too bound by rules to simply look ahead and predict the outcome, and thrice bound to even lend her aid. It drove her utterly bugfuck to sit around and wait, though it took no more than a few seconds as far as her mind calculated it. She had done this countless times, for so many generations of soldiers and queens she didn't care to numerically recall.

Yet none of them involved a little princess she had quite simply come to love.

And she knew Chibi-Usa was in trouble, it was impossible to theorize anything else. She had disappeared so abruptly into time-space, dropping her key, which she knew she needed to find her way back safely. That sweet, sugar-pink child who always seemed to be as lonely as the solitary soldier herself, despite her world. That was what had so endeared her to Pluto, where her mother or even her grandmother had not.

Oh, Serenity ad infinitum had been sweet and innocent too in their youth, merry with their freedom. But perhaps it was the fact that their world had not been rescued from collapse, that the royal house was not so utterly involved in solving problems over raising a child. Small Lady had grown up these past years, even slower in maturity than her mother, in a bleak world that required the full attention of all its people to run smoothly, if at all. The child had no proper friends, not when most of the boys and girls her age were either still frozen or raised to be envious of her. And with her lack of power, no mark upon her brow to proclaim her a princess, almost all of them thought her a fake.

…so many rules bound her, if only she had been able to walk into time and prove them wrong. Once more she felt the anger that seized her when she thought of it, though it was not truly anyone's fault that she had been born into this imprisonment.

How long ago had that been? As humans reckon time, perhaps millions of years. Her home had been a barely habitable chunk of ice, only just drifted into an orbit that could define it as a planet. The first settlers of their breed, making an outpost to watch the fringes of this new galaxy as the rest of their kind moved onward to settle more planets. She never understood how a newborn planet decided to choose an avatar, or even when it had accumulated the power and strength to do so. It simply did, and in the sixth generation of the colony, she had been born into the house of their leader, a normal little child.

But of being an avatar she knew nothing, having never shown such a mark on her body. It wasn't until the soldier of Pluto suddenly appeared in their home, bending over her to wake her up, that she knew such people existed. Needless to say, it was a shock.

Sailor Pluto then was a short, curvy blond with hair to her ankles, her skin a pale bloodless white, her eyes very green. She was also the very first Sailor Pluto to exist, and regularly played with time and dimension to fix what she perceived as ‘problems.' In fact, it was the reason she had appeared to the child so suddenly; she had seen her death, and knew the young, ruby-eyed girl would take her place. Not all replacement soldiers were born immediately into their status, after all.

She was given the lavender skeleton keys – for ‘safekeeping' – and told, in short, of her duties. Then she left just as suddenly as she had appeared; presumably going off to her own current duties before she got herself killed. The young girl had been so shaken she had assumed it to be a dream, hiding the keys in a safe place where they remained for years. She in fact even forgot it had even occurred as the years passed, and she grew into near adulthood safely.

Then of course, Pluto finally died, and the Garnet Rod appeared rather suddenly for her to receive in the middle of a ceremony. A ceremony naming her a fiancé, no less. She had taken the staff and felt herself become Sailor Pluto, and just like that, her life was ruined. And she knew she couldn't have ignored it; it would have simply forced the change on her. There were no choices.

So she hugged her parents, retrieved the keys, and confined herself into space-time.

And she sat there for what seemed to be a minute before she was summoned to open the door, and found herself looking into the young face of the new queen of the Moon, and by rote, the planet of Pluto. The Silver Millennium was in its infancy, but this woman nonetheless held sovereignty over the young soldier, and it was this queen who told her she was to guard space-time from intruders, killing invaders without hesitation, for time travel was evil.

Sure thing, my lady. No problem whatsoever, your highness. Of course, the blonde Pluto had told her three very strict rules – rules she herself had merrily tap-danced on – and said she needed to follow them precisely. "If I had done the same, I wouldn't be in this mess," she had sighed that one night, "I would be Pluto for possibly forever. But it's not in the cards; I've committed suicide by disobeying; and you shouldn't have to be so cursed." And she never did say what would kill her for breaking those rules. But the fact her death had even occurred was enough to keep her on the straight path.

Never to cross time.

Never to leave the door unguarded.

And never…

Her head whipped up at the familiar sound of a brewing storm. She stared out across space-time, her expression growing slowly horrified at the sight of not the singular storm she was used to; oh, no. What she saw now was a family of maelstroms, twisting and whipping through what she knew of her world, wreaking havoc in ways they were not – by the rules – supposed to be doing.

And yet, she watched dumbly as an entire dimension vanished into their guts.

Something was so terribly wrong that it affected even time-space. Surely this was intentional, this chaos, much like the storm that had swallowed Small Lady. The universe was much more orderly than this, more than people realized.

Wind blasted her body in a way she was unfamiliar with, a stinging whip of air. With dread, she realized she was going to have to wade in and attempt to stop the storms; even though she knew it was nearly impossible. Holding her rod tightly, she walked into the wind, closing her eyes as they began to tear.

Artemis pounded clumsily at the console, cursing his lack of opposable thumbs. On the giant screen above his furred head, the lavender-clad king was frozen into a posture of surprise, ocean blue eyes wide with the impending disaster. The white feline hit the wrong button again, frantic as the image of the king began to scramble like a Rubix cube.

It had been a move of desperation for Endymion to insert his subconscious into the computer, giving him the power to create an illusionary body to move around again. His physical body was simply too weak and sick; if he had not done it, he would have been completely comatose, unable to help. It was in this form that he had seen his daughter laugh at him, so utterly changed and defiant he couldn't recognize his sweet child in her. Desperation had him leaving the stunned felines alone with Black Lady, sending out his image to warn the sailor soldiers. So far from the palace, the signal distorted by the shield and the negative energy in the air, he had been defenseless from the sudden attack.

The computer had cut off the signal, locking him within the system itself.

And since Luna had her paws full consoling Diana – again! – it fell to Artemis to try everything he could think of to free the king's subconscious from the computer, though all of his ideas so far had only intensified his ire for hardware. "Luna, I could use some help up here!" he finally yowled, exasperated, as the thing told him his command was not in proper Japanese.

He heard the scampering of tiny paws on the floor behind him, and he craned his head around to see Diana's tail disappear out the door. Luna leapt up onto the ledge next to him, saying, "I don't know what to tell her, Artemis. She won't accept that Chibi-Usa-chan is that…that woman."

"I'm not entirely sure I can accept it either," the white feline replied quietly, sitting back on his haunches and relinquishing the controls to her. "For the princess of the Silver Millennium to be so easily manufactured into that…thing….!"

Luna tapped at the buttons with a surer touch than he, still clumsy but smoothing it out beautifully. "What bothers me is that the princess couldn't fight back. Has Serenity not taught her daughter how to wield her power, to use the _Ginzuishou_? She's more than old enough for her training to begin." She waved a paw in the air, using the motion sensor to switch into another section of the computer. "She wore it around her neck. More worrisome than her change is that she had it with her when she disappeared, and now it is in the hands of the enemy."

The screen flickered, and the king disappeared to be replaced by a view of the second monolith. Artemis flew up onto his feet. "Luna, what did you do?"

"I released him to his body, finally," she responded wearily, licking her paw and cleaning her brow. "But surely now he's too weak to show us his form again; when I made the connection, he was unresponsive. We may be on our own from now on." Shaking out her fur, she looked up at the screen and the little coloured dots past the black crystal spire. "If only we could hear what was going on…Usagi-chan…!"

Artemis opened his mouth to suggest, Try connecting with Minako's pen, then shut it, remembering that she had sacrificed the old pen, her Sailor V pen, in the Arctic. It had had a two-way communicator built into it, so they could keep in touch; a function her new pen lacked, as they all had wristwatches for the simple task. And he knew the girls had left theirs at Alex's condo, thinking them useless without the complete group of five. Shit. "Does the computer have a travelling microphone? It has a travelling camera, obviously, to take all those pictures. Maybe we can use that."

Luna stared at him for a long moment without blinking. "Why didn't I think of that?" she finally muttered, turning to enter more commands into the system.

"I'm just the brains of this outfit," he sighed, buffing his claws on his chest.

On the screen, the image began to grow larger as the camera came in closer, hovering just far enough away for them to see everything, though the picture had gone fuzzy. Sound came out of the walls with the same sort of interfering static, words punctuated with sharp hissing. Disturbed and helpless, the two felines sat and watched, and listened.

  
"How dare you call me that name?" The offered hands were slapped away by stinging blows, and Sailor Moon was driven back into the safety of her friends. "I will never again answer to that title! I am the Black Lady, queen of Nemesis, and I bow to no one."

"Chibi-Usa-chan," the _odango_-haired blonde persisted, "is it really you?"

Black Lady was furious, rigid with emotion. As a child, she had never known such pure anger, such a blinding hatred, but her new body wore it well. Fingers curved into claws as she screamed, once, diving forward for the protected soldier. "_Urusai_! I'll quiet you forever!"

Sailor Moon fell back, crossing her arms over her chest instinctively, watching as her friends blocked the pink-haired woman from view. Jupiter and Venus shoved forward, thrusting their shoulders into Black Lady and slamming her away over the earth. Her ankle twisted in its high heel, and she dropped to her knees. "I hate you all, I hate you!" she shrieked, beating her fists into the dirt. "When I have the _Ginzuishou_ of the past, all of you will fall to ruin along with your planet!"

"So you would steal the crystal of the past as you stole the crystal of the future, out of your mother's safekeeping?" the tall red-head asked icily, ignoring the shocked stares she received. "And could you wield it, in this new body? Or is it as useless as your old?"

"You dare speak these things to me!"

"What drove you to take it in that manner? To leave your kingdom defenseless? All this time, you wore the holy stone around your neck, and never told us why you carried it, why you never sought to use it yourself. Is this all your pride?"

"_Sensei_, what are you saying?" Venus hissed softly, sounding confused.

Black Lady was trembling, hugging her body as though she were cold. "I had a right to that crystal, even though mama was ashamed of my weakness. It wasn't my fault that the reaction happened, that mama was hurt!" She stared at them with fierce eyes, gathering power to her hand. "And now I come to demand my birthright, and you deny me as always, the mistake, the weakling, the fake princess!" she shouted, blasting them with her power.

The tall red-head lifted her arms, but the protection didn't come. Her look turned to astonishment, then fear, in the split second before impact sent them all flying once more. Another blast lifted them, slammed them straight down into the snow, repeated the process and ground them cruelly. "Chibi-Usa, stop!" Mercury cried.

Lightning sparked, exploding across the snow towards Black Lady. She saw it coming this time and pivoted, allowing it to impact harmlessly with the monolith, but it stopped her relentless attack. Even so, the soldiers were slow to stand, and she watched them coldly out of the corner of her eye. Her hand lifted, twisting in a summons.

"We've got company," the Crystal Guardian warned them, as the crunch of shoes on snow sounded. Behind them, two figures were walking through the fog, sharp angled bodies that moved with a strange hesitancy.

Demand appeared first, his dandy white clothes now crumpled and gray with wear, his eyes glazed with the emptiness of no one being home. Saphir, stumbling slightly, was in a similar disheveled state, though he had never been the clothes nut his brother was. As well, he had that same glazed look in his eyes, though his hands were glowing amoebae, shifting within the vague shape of five digits with the ease of water. They didn't look in the least bit human. Black Lady laughed, "Saphir, Demand, show the sailor soldiers your new powers, given to you for loyal service to my master!"

Venus didn't wait, stepping forward immediately. "Rolling Heart Vibration!"

"Flower Hurricane!"

A golden heart spun out at the two brothers, surrounded in a cloud of deceptively weak-looking flower petals. But when it hit, all that was destroyed was a mound of snow, melted to water and soaking the ground. Demand and Saphir were in the air, leaping over the attacks like acrobats – though they wouldn't have been able to do such a thing normally – to land on either side of Black Lady like loyal dogs. Those amoebic hands reached out, stretching like putty across the air to snap tight around Mars' and the Crystal Guardian's throats, squeezing. "_Sensei_!" Venus cried.

"Sailor Mars!" Moon echoed, frantic.

As they struggled, Demand stepped forward. "The power of evil vision resides in me now, sailor soldiers. Look at me, and know weakness!" The sigil on his forehead glowed, the inverted black crescent replaced by the oval that Sailor Moon had been captured with.

"Don't look at him, sailor soldiers!" the tall red-head gasped, clawing at the hand at her throat. Both she and Mars were on their knees, steadily weakening as Saphir tightened his grip. But looking at him was apparently not a requirement; Jupiter and Venus cried out as the light blasted them, knocking them down.

Mercury raised her hand, yelling, "Shine Snow Illusion!" releasing the power towards Saphir. It slammed fully into the blue-haired scientist, cutting his arms off at the elbow as he fell backward. Unattached, the hands dissolved around Mars' and the Crystal Guardian's throats, and they gulped in air gratefully as they lay on the snow.

Four were now weakened, and the battle had hardly begun. Black Lady laughed, motioning her two men to stand down as Mercury and Moon moved into defensive positions, though the _odango_-haired blonde had nothing more than her tiara as a weapon. Venus, Jupiter, and Mars, always stubborn, were attempting to get to their feet, and failing rather fantastically. Demand's power had sucked the vitality out of Venus and Jupiter, and Saphir's hands, as they had cut off the air supply, had done the same to Mars and the Crystal Guardian. But the tall red-head managed to roll onto her knees, and there she stayed.

"Wiseman, look at our triumph! The powerful sailor soldiers of the 21st century, defeated by the given powers of our puppet princes!" the pink-haired woman mocked, touching a hand to the sleeves of the two brothers. "When they will be brought to ruin with their planet, it will be a mercy for them."

(Demand kicked at the walls of his prison, shouting obscenities.)

"Why are you doing this? This is your home, Chibi-Usa-chan!" Sailor Moon pleaded, her mouth opening into an ‘O' of surprise as the robed seer appeared out of the fog behind her warped child.

All of the soldiers stared at the Wiseman, though they had all seen him before. It was simply a shock again to see the eerie figure, with his hands so unearthly and his feet – if he had them – never touching the ground. "Quit with that old name, Sailor Moon," he rasped. "She is my lovely Black Lady now; the rabbit is no more. And she will lead this, her home planet, to ruin, in the name of the Phantom."

"_Hai_," Black Lady agreed, tossing her head. "Already the black crystal monoliths are achieving their purpose, to slowly bring about ruin. Everything on the surface will be destroyed by negative space, warped into uselessness."

"And the atmosphere will atrophy," Mercury said, interrupting fiercely, "and the electromagnetic field will be collapsed. The planet will no longer spin on its axis, the air will be unbreathable, the solar radiation will cook everything living."

The pink-haired woman stroked a hand against the smooth surface of the crystal, smiling smugly. "Do you truly care so much for this corrupt world? It doesn't matter. Humanity is a foul creation, ignoring its destructive ways. In revenge for the Phantom, we will sentence it properly to ruin and decay."

"Then what do you want the second _Ginzuishou_ for, if all you want is for the earth to go to hell?" the tall red-head queried in annoyance, her breath rasping in her throat.

Wiseman said, "To combine the power of the two holy stones, with that of our primal stone of ruin, the _Jakokusuishou_. With that power, nothing will stop us."

"Stupid question."

"And you, the Crystal Guardian; have you no means to attack us? You of such power, the legendary protector of the royal family?" Wiseman sneered, quite obvious from his tone. "Are the stories merely fiction?"

The tall red-head merely stared at him, kneeling as she was on the ground.

Black Lady turned away, motioning with her arms outstretched. "My prince, come to my arms. Prove to the soldiers that their mission is futile. Endymion!"

Mercury caught her princess as she staggered, unsure if she had heard correctly. But as the dark-haired prince stepped out of the fog, his ocean blue eyes that frighteningly familiar solid black without the usual domino, she let out a little cry. He didn't even look towards her, ignored her completely as he allowed Black Lady to wrap her arms around him, curling up against his chest like a contented kitten. Loose in his hand at his side, half-hidden by the folds of his cape, was the shining gleam of Sailor Moon's rod.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Venus said.

"_My_ Endymion," Black Lady corrected her primly, stroking her fingers against his cheek. "He's all mine now, the last keepsake of this planet. With him in my arms, nothing else matters but ruining this world for you."

"_Iie_! Mamo-chan loves me!" the _odango_-haired blonde cried, utter despair on her face. Hadn't she just gone through this possessive-villain dance already once before? Was she just cursed to be in love with such a prime piece of real estate?

"You've got to be kidding me." The Crystal Guardian was attempting to stand up, leaning on her broadsword. "He's your father for gods' sakes."

There was a long silence.

Obviously, this hadn't occurred to the pink-haired woman, not in such blank terminology. Of course she knew Endymion was her father, but he was an older man in a lavender tuxedo; this Endymion was younger, in dignified black, and it was quite easy to simply not make the connection. Especially when Wiseman had not intended her to do so, playing on her hero worship of Tuxedo Kamen to create an incestuous desire. But, quite frankly, it was just a bit too disturbing. "Ano," Jupiter finally said, "she's right."

Black Lady looked up at Endymion, who stared straight ahead like a good automaton. Then, she just shrugged. "I don't care. He's still mine. This body is not his daughter's anymore. This body belongs to the Phantom."

She turned completely away from them to smooth out the lapels of his tuxedo jacket, smiling at his chest. Behind him she could see the Wiseman, shaping the air around his crystal in what looked to be meaningless gestures, as he always did. "He belongs to me now, my prince. And as my prince, he will do as I say, faithfully." Partially turning to see Sailor Moon's stricken face, she stroked Endymion's chin as she said, "Strike her down. Make her bleed."

Mercury stepped impulsively in front of her princess, the only one able. The tall red-head was upright, but only with the aid of her weapon; and Endymion was simply too quick. He darted forward, bringing his elbow around to smash it into Mercury's temple as she brought her hands forward to call her attack, knocking her into the snow. "Sailor Mercury!" Moon cried, scrambling back instinctively as her prince continued towards her. "Mamo-chan, don't do this; you can banish the evil! Mamo-chan!"

Venus grabbed for his leg. Jupiter clung to his cape. He kicked and shook them away roughly, bringing his only weapon up to strike the _odango_-haired blonde; her own rod. "Mamo-chan," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Stop!"

Endymion's hand jerked in mid-air, halting the downward swing inches from her face.

Behind him, the Crystal Guardian held out her hand, her face twisted into a grimace of concentration. Endymion's arm slowly came down to rest at his side, in jerky movements as he unconsciously fought. Black Lady stomped her foot. "No! You can't do that! You can't interfere in such a manner!"

"Watch me," the tall red-head growled. Her hand moved, and the dark-haired prince seemed to fly backwards over the ground, upright, pushed back to Black Lady's side by no means anyone could see. As he came to a stop, the Crystal Guardian collapsed to the ground, gripping her forehead tightly.

"Guardian!" Sailor Moon ran to her side, though it was a useless motion; she seemed to be the only soldier left unhurt. Even Mercury now was wounded, barely conscious in the snow from the blow to her temple. Mars, Venus, and Jupiter lay where they had landed, staring weakly into the sky. The _odango_-haired blonde was alone, and she looked up slowly to see her enemy.

"Give up, Sailor Moon," Wiseman said. "The _Ginzuishou_ belongs to the victor."

"Never." She stood straight, glaring at them angrily. "I have a duty to defend this planet. I won't give up, no matter what! Even though my friends have been hurt, and I'm alone, I'll die to protect them all!"

Her hand went to her tiara, pulling it from her brow.

She didn't think. She didn't even stop to aim. She simply pulled her arm back, flinging the tiara towards the robed seer as she shouted, "Moon Frisbee!"

It soared through the air, so close to Black Lady's ear that she flinched, though making no attempt to stop what she considered a silly action. And it flew past her to impact with the robes that so uniformly covered Wiseman, exploding with light and energy as it cut right through the cloth, all the way through his body, and came arcing back for her to catch. But Sailor Moon was almost so stunned she didn't catch it properly, letting it fall at her feet as Wiseman's robes dropped to the ground, empty save for a skeleton. "M-masaka," she moaned. "His true form was of a skeleton?"

(Demand stared in momentary disbelief at the hole in his prison.)

"It was his former form," Black Lady demurred, tilting her head back.

Following her gaze, Sailor Moon looked up into the sky.

Diana had never realized that running the length of the palace took so long. From one spire to the next, little paws rapid over the marble floor, she panted with the effort to make it to the door. What she didn't know is what she would say when she got there.

And this was a crazy plan to begin with. To ask the Guardian of Time to leave her post and immerse herself in battle? It was blasphemy. The queen had made it known already that Pluto was forbidden from leaving the doorway unguarded, unless special dispensation was given by herself, the Queen of the Silver Millennium. She alone had the authority to call Pluto into the flow of time; and to accept the responsibility if Pluto died in battle to find the new avatar. What Diana planned to do was simply against the rules.

But she didn't care. Her princess was in trouble, Small Lady had been turned into a wicked echo of her mother, and their king couldn't even come to their aid anymore. She had no doubt in her mind that Sailor Moon, though powerful, was still too young to be victorious on her own without any help; and from the glimpses of the sky she caught as she ran, the sailor soldiers were in no shape to help her. Things were becoming bad, very bad.

And she wanted Small Lady safe, no matter what the cost.

The door was closed, which presented a problem. Diana slid to a stop, thinking of what she could do; the knob was several meters above her head. So she began to kick at the door as hard as she could, crying, "Pluto-sama! Pluto-o-sama!" at the top of her little lungs.

Pluto, fighting desperately to disperse the last storm wreaking havoc in space-time, didn't even hear her. It was taking all of her powers to scatter the storm, an ability she didn't even truly have, and was forced to create off the top of her head. Sharp pieces of Reality and Dimension had sliced her tender skin in several places, and she was trying to ignore the thought that she would have to beg release into time to heal the wounds. She had never been hurt in such a manner in space-time, but she knew the cuts would continue to bleed no matter what she did to staunch them.

With a cry of anger she slammed her rod down, releasing enough power to bake a whale in its skin, and the storm finally got the hint. It dissolved into a heap of random pieces of dimensional detritus, and she slumped onto her knees to sigh. How she loathed her job now. How she loathed so suddenly being locked into time-space, without the freedom to simply walk away.

That was when she heard the tapping.

Puzzled, she bade the door to open a crack, peering into time to see a frantic little kitten staring in at her. "Pluto-sama! Oh, Pluto-sama, you have to help them!"

"Help who?"

"Everyone! Endymion-sama is too weak to appear anymore, and Small Lady is now Black Lady, and she's queen of Nemesis, and Sailor Moon is not strong enough to fight, I know it! Pluto-sama, you have to fight with them!"

"Black Lady….?" Pluto stared blankly at the decorative crystal wall. "Queen of Nemesis? Oh, Small Lady, what have they done to you…"

Diana squeezed into space-time, frantically dancing around the black-haired soldier. If it weren't for such a dire situation, her motions would have been cute, if not downright adorable. "Pluto-sama, do something! You must!"

Pluto looked down at her, frowning now. Slumped still onto her knees, she still towered over the tiny kitten, and Diana slowly came to a halt. "Diana, you know I'm not allowed to leave the doorway undefended," she said slowly. "Even though I want dearly to fight, it isn't allowed. Only Serenity-sama may grant me release."

"I speak for the queen!"

"…ne?"

  
"I speak for the queen!" Diana repeated, bouncing on her hindquarters. "I know this is what she would say! And if something isn't done, the queen won't be alive to ever grant you release, because the Black Moon could destroy everything!"

Despite herself, Pluto had to smile at the kitten's audacity. "Nevertheless, I cannot leave the gate undefended."

The lavender feline straightened her shoulders, assuming what Pluto figured was meant to be a proud pose. "I'll stand guard! Small as I am, maybe even powerless, at least someone will be here in your place."

"Diana, I…" But what could she say?

Pluto stared out into time. And here, she had been thinking about asking for such a release, if only to heal her bleeding limbs. Now she was being shoved out into a situation that could possibly kill her; how cruel, irony. But Diana was most likely correct, and if Serenity's line were obliterated, no one would have the authority to allow her freedom.

She picked up her rod from where it had fallen, stroking a hand against Diana's fur. "_Arigatou_, Diana-chan," she whispered, standing up. "If another Pluto should take my place, don't argue with her."

"No one else will be Sailor Pluto," Diana replied, a bit angrily. "Only you! And I'll wait for you to return!"

If only she had that optimism.

The time guardian steadied herself as she looked into the palace hallway, firmly gripping her weapon. Her step into time was more a fall, forcing her body out of time-space and into the constraints of minutes, hours, seconds, a change that knocked the breath from her lungs. She wobbled, her body wracked with the weight of the aging process, of the pain process, of the hunger process, of so many different processes she couldn't keep up. The soldiers had experienced the reverse when being thrown into time-space, but they had exited rather quickly. She, on the other hand, had been living in the same second for millennia.

She reached back finally to pull the door closed, hobbling forward towards the front gates of the Crystal Palace. Surely they were this way.

  
At the same time, Sailor Moon was staring up into a nightmare.

The sky had begun shaping down into a twisting funnel, directly over the Crystal Palace, like the giant of all tornadoes. "What is that?" she asked, wincing as the wind began to whip around them violently.

Her friends stared up as best they could, watching the funnel open wide, wider, spinning into a globe shape. And it kept growing, engulfing the sky over their heads, like a gigantic meteor falling from a passing shower, big enough to kill life on earth. "_Kami-sama_, it's a planet," Mars moaned, craning her head weakly to see the growth.

"A planet? That's impossible, Mars!" Jupiter replied, leaning against the long-haired blonde as she did the same in turn to remain upright.

"_Iie_, Jupiter. Not if it's a planet perhaps a fraction of Earth's size," Mercury said softly, holding her head as she looked up into the sky. "Nemesis is no bigger than Pluto, often thought to be perhaps a misplaced asteroid from the Kuiper Belt."

Black Lady laughed, folding her arms through Endymion's left arm. "_Hai_, little soldier. Behold, Wiseman's true form!"

Against the black orb, Wiseman's unique, frightening eyes appeared, giving the planet the look of a bald head. It would have been funny in any other circumstance. "Greetings, sailor soldiers. Behold the rotting corpse of my body, weak and insufficient for my purposes. And behold me now, as Nemesis and Wiseman, one and all!" his voice boomed, rumbling like thunder in their ears.

"And here we go with the God complex," the Crystal Guardian remarked from the ground. "If he quotes Massad Ayoob, I am going to be upset."

That was apparently the least of their problems. As Nemesis settled into its orbit, partially submerged in the failing atmosphere, the city began to twist and warp, shattering into pieces that flew up into the planet like a vacuum. It was as if they were in a sink full of water and the plug had been pulled; everything was swirling into oblivion. Only the Crystal Palace remained unchanged, though its shining light was beginning to fade. "The planet is going to be ruined at twice the rate with Nemesis in orbit!" Mercury yelled above the noise – sucking up civilization into a vortex was loud work – activating her goggles. The numbers scrolling now were frantic, red in the universal signal of DANGER, and getting worse; already it was getting hard to breathe, the air feeling warmer as the sun's radiation crept through the clouds.

Black Lady turned to watch the city being torn apart, rubbing her cheek against Endymion's cape. "Isn't it wonderful? Soon, Earth will be as a ruined corpse, decayed into a planet of death. Assimilated by Nemesis, the force will be unstoppable in the galaxy."

"_IIE_! I won't allow it!"

Turning, the pink-haired woman looked to see Sailor Moon staring resolutely at the Crystal Palace, fists balled at her sides. "You say that so often. Perhaps your basis of reality is no longer acceptable."

  
Without answering her, the _odango_-haired blonde held up her arms.

No one stopped her as she summoned the power of the _Ginzuishou_, eyes closing as she reached out with her mind towards the other she knew was still actively listening; as they touched, she began to glow with power. In unison, they could see the Crystal Palace glowing as well, like two similar stars in the galaxy answering each other's light. "Sailor Moon, you can't hold off Nemesis by yourself!" the Crystal Guardian yelled, reaching towards her.

"We can help you, Sailor Moon!" Mercury echoed, doing the same.

Jupiter held out her hands, saying, "Don't do this alone!"

Mars and Venus said nothing, reaching a hand each for their princess.

The glowing soldier dropped her hands, feeling her friends grip her wrists, her arm, and it was a looped circuit now, power flowing through them all into her. All of them were connected, sharing their energy. It was amazing, and the _odango_-haired blonde gasped at the sight of the Crystal Palace growing bright, brighter.

Black Lady gestured sharply, looking at Endymion.

He stepped forward, advancing again on the princess and her allies; all of them lost in the surge of power that made them strong again. None of them noticed him walking right up to them, but they felt when he ripped away the brooch and its holy stone, the connection violently severed. The feedback was sensational, almost as spectacular a light show as the connection itself, dropping the soldiers where they knelt, screaming once. In their midst dropped Usagi, limp as a doll, no longer Sailor Moon.

Endymion retreated, confused. Was this supposed to happen?

In one hand was the brooch; in the other, the rod. He felt Usagi hovering at his shoulder like a pesky spirit, laughing in his ear: "Mamo-chan!"

But then Black Lady pressed in against his side, plucking the brooch from his hand casually. And all was well again in his mind, and he watched her mutely as she popped open the lid, tossing the brooch aside like junk as she retrieved the past _Ginzuishou_. "Finally: the past and future _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_," she crooned, holding the two up in her hands. One was still strung on its golden chain, wrapping around her fingers; the other was plain, long removed from the setting. "Wiseman, we've triumphed!"

"You intend to ruin my world. That wasn't part of the plan, Rabbit," Demand said coldly behind her. She turned, startled, to see the white-haired prince staring at her in fierce anger, quite obviously not imprisoned within his mind anymore. "All of us lived in close quarters with Wiseman, trusting his word, that he was loyal to our vision. But it was a lie, was it not? A calculated lie to make us his slaves."

"You were useless pawns," she sneered, cradling the crystals to her cheek. "Silly people with worthless dreams. All that was required of you was to begin the process." She looked towards his brother, still motionless. "We have no more need of you. Shall I dispose of you now, or allow you to fall to ruin with your precious planet?"

Demand took an aggressive step forward.

Black Lady gestured, and energy ripped Saphir apart where he stood.

But the white-haired prince never stopped.

He grabbed her wrist, flinging her around and into the black crystal monolith. Caught off-guard, ankles twisting yet again, she slammed into the hard crystal. Grabbing her wrists in one hand, he backhanded her once, twice, saying with deceptive calm, "That was for my brother." Again; two more times. "For Esmeraud and Rubeus, and for the collective spirit of our group, sacrificed on your altar!" He plucked the two crystals from her hand, breaking the golden chain, as she sagged against the monolith, blood trickling from her lip. Endymion, with no one commanding him, simply stood and watched.

Wiseman howled above his head, but he laughed despite the fetid air stealing his breath, never feeling more alive. "You can keep the _Jakokusuishou_, Wiseman!" he yelled into the sky, triumphant, holding a crystal in each hand. "I have the _Ginzuishou_ of the past, and of the future! Imagine what I can accomplish now!"

Two crystals…

Ah, but if he could combine them into one…! Laughing at his own sly thoughts, he brought the two crystals together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to release Demand, if only to prove he was still a little shit no matter what happened. But a sympathetic one.
> 
> And yes, I did enjoy writing everyone's reactions to Black Lady's infatuation with Endymion. Because it was so very crazy to begin with. Naoko likes her incest.


	23. Act 23 : koufuu seigetsu - After The Storm

##### 

What she saw was thus:

  
A pink-haired woman, blood trickling from her cruel lips as she screamed, throwing herself forward. A blank-eyed, dark-haired prince clad in masquerade black turning, following the commands of his mistress. A triumphant, white-haired prince, still in his royal raiment, holding aloft two sparkling crystals as though they were the world's most precious diamonds.

  
Scattered, defeated, crumpled onto the cold ground, sailor soldiers and their teacher, barely conscious.

  
And above it all, a menacing sky.

  
Indeed, this was a cruel irony. Something tragic would have to happen to save this world, and she would have to initiate it. The slaughtered lamb for the sacrifice; and wasn't that how they did it in ancient times? Blood to make the sun rise, the world to spin, the crops to grow. Fitting that the blood of Cronos should be shed for the purpose. After all, she had allowed this to happen, not stopping it when she had a chance. The simple closing of a door, containment in space-time, and she could have prevented some of this tragedy.

  
But she had been so lonely, so goddamned tired.

  
Here now, freedom, and she would waste it in the act of suicide.

  
She lifted up her rod, watching the light sparkle on the orb. The power contained in her weapon was beyond her comprehension, and she wondered if the girl who would come after her could wield such magic. After all, she had had so long to learn how to use it. And it would take such fine precision to pull off this trick flawlessly.

  
Her fingers spun the weapon artfully above her head, stopping abruptly at 12 and 6; and she summoned the power of her planet, feeling the blood slow in her body as she whispered, almost too frightened to say it aloud: "Time Stop."

  
This was a strange sensation the blue-haired genius felt. Analytical as always, she catalogued the faint pains, the slowly increasing energy in her body; all of it was interesting to experience, as though she were revisiting the past fifteen minutes of battle. When it all finally stopped, leaving her refreshed as the moment she had become a sailor soldier, she sat up.

As did all her allies, looking puzzled, but just as healthy. They looked at one another; then around to find themselves in a still and silent world. In front of them stood Demand and Black Lady and Endymion, though only the white-haired prince was frozen in place, clutching the crystals. Black Lady seemed confused and off balance, and she was clutching to Endymion's sleeve for support. He, still, with no orders to direct him, stood there like a post.

Without having to be told, Usagi crawled up onto her feet, creeping warily towards Demand. She stared hard at him, unsure if he was going to begin moving, then made a stupid face; when he did nothing, she slowly pulled the two _Ginzuishou_ from his hand. Then she scooted back quickly, looking around for her brooch, as Venus remarked, "What do you think happened? I feel wonderful…"

"So do I," Mars piped up, rolling her finger in the air at Black Lady, who, though she seemed disinclined to bother them, was still a threat.

The tall red-head was staring hard at the sky, frowning. No wind ruffled any of them; the fog was like frozen pea soup, stuck in place. Nemesis remained in its place, a black ball of nothing above the palace. "Time's stopped. Can't you tell? Nothing's moving, nothing's changing…only us. Only people of the Silver Millennium."

Jupiter pointed down the hill, being the only one, from her vantage point, to see around the monolith and the bodies. "Sailor Pluto!"

Black Lady's face changed at the name, mouthing a word; none of them paid any attention to her now. They were running down the hill towards the wobbling sailor soldier, her arms drooping like dying flowers. Just before they managed to reach her she collapsed, falling backward to lie in the snow, her rod spinning in the air before landing heavily across her chest. She was breathing heavily, rattling in her throat; her lovely tanned skin was sallow. "Pluto!" the tall red-head cried, sliding to her knees next to the soldier. "What have you done?"

She lifted Pluto up to a sitting position in her arms, cradling her as she coughed. "…stopped time…I had to…taboo…"

"You stopped time? But isn't that one of your powers, as the Guardian of Time?" Venus asked, clasping her hands in her lap as she knelt next to Pluto.

Pluto's coughing was hard enough to shake her entire body; it was a wet sound, as if her lungs were filling with fluid. "…_hai_. But it is…forbidden…taboo…to interfere. It is a sacred rule…not to interfere, not to…" She turned her head and spat something dark into the snow, waving off Mercury's impulsive step forward. "…not to play God. I broke it."

Above them, Black Lady had turned away from Endymion and stood, watching them. The emotions on her face were hard to read; she was torn. She remembered happiness with the dying woman, making her smile with her visits. A friend, when she had none. But she was the Black Lady; she was the queen of Nemesis; she had no friends. She was alone, always alone. Wiseman had made sure to amplify those feelings of rejection, filling her head with the bad memories in order to forget the good. But wasn't she also Usagi Small Lady Serenity, the princess of Earth, surrounded with loyal guardians and loving parents?

Endymion stared into the fog, his eyes diluting, black bleeding slowly into the blue of turbulent oceans.

They could hear Pluto's coughing, terrible as it was, echoing in a silent world. Usagi knelt, placing the crystal with its broken chain in her lap, holding the other in her hand as she took Pluto's gloved hands. But even as a look of concentration creased her face, Pluto slipped her hands away, shaking her head once, decisively. "Iie, princess. This was…my sacrifice. Let me die, knowing…that it was worth it."

A tear fell from those crystal blue eyes as Usagi nodded in return. She leaned forward, touching her lips to Pluto's forehead.

"When will time begin?" the Crystal Guardian asked quietly.

"…when I wish it," Pluto sighed, lowering her hands to the belt around her waist. She struggled to unchain it, finally allowing the tall brunette to undo the simple clasp for her. Accepting the skeleton keys, she summoned one last bit of power, and they watched in mute surprise as a lavender kitten appeared in the air, looking just as shocked.

Adorable in her grief, she wailed, "Pluto-sama! Oh, what have you done?"

"Diana, it was my choice." She raised her hand to stroke the kitten, cuddling her to her cheek as Diana cried, whiskers tickling her lips. "I leave you…you, in charge of the Gate. Until another Pluto awakens. Can…you do this, Diana?"

"Pluto-sama," she whimpered.

Taking it as an agreement, Pluto carefully wound the chain of keys around Diana's small neck, for her to take back to the gate. Mars, surprisingly, lifted Diana up into her arms, cuddling her as she continued to bawl her little eyes out.

Black Lady whispered, "Puu."

Everyone looked at her finally, as she stood halfway down the hill, a lost and vacant stare on her face. She hugged herself, saying, "But I have no friends. I am the Black Lady. I am alone, as I was always alone…."

"You always had us, Chibi-Usa-chan," the _odango_-haired blonde corrected her.

"Even if you were a pain and a nuisance," Venus added.

"You brought…joy, into my life…Small Lady…happiness," Pluto whispered, coughing violently. The tall red-head adjusted her grip, lifting the soldier upright just a bit more so she could breathe. Pluto smiled gratefully at her, before looking back at Black Lady. "Just like your mother…always making people…happy."

Take a step back, the pink-haired woman began to shake her head, gripping her hair in white knuckled hands. "_Iie_, I am no longer that person! No more…"

But she hadn't always brought joy to Pluto's life, had she? She had tricked her, and stolen a key to escape into the past, she had broken a sacred rule. It had been a poor way to repay the friendship Pluto had shown her for those past years, kind no matter how often she had visited and barged in. Her only true friend, whom she had told so many secrets…

…was she crying?

Disbelieving, she touched her face. Her fingertips came away damp, and she stared at the glistening moisture, stunned. "Puu…_sou yo_….my only friend…Pluto!"

And then she heard the sound of others crying. Looking up slowly, she saw the clouds beginning to move again, Nemesis trembling in its course with the planet. Time had begun again, freed from its unnatural stop. She turned away from these things to see the sailor soldiers in their grief, and Pluto was…Pluto…she was…

"Puu?" And then, "Pluto? Pluto…PLUTO!"

  
Wiseman knew something was amiss. Even with the power of the _Jakokusuishou_ and its negative power warping time and space, the planet Nemesis was frozen by the power of Pluto. But he could think; he could plot; and he could seethe. This was not factored into his plans at all, which prickled him; all of his scant knowledge on the black-clad sailor soldier told him quite definitely that she never interfered.

He had counted on her never showing her face, as she had allowed his little pawns to run rampant through time and space without a single act of punishment. This was not a question of power – though he could play merry havoc with time, she was the living embodiment of time itself, and could have easily stricken him from existence – but of how strictly she followed the rules. Unable to leave the gate, she couldn't have done a thing to stop them, because they had used more simplistic means to travel. And so totally did she ignore them all, he assumed her to be oblivious to the battle.

In any event, she had effectively removed the threat in striking a decisive blow, dying as the power she had used ruptured her organs and bled into her cavities; or at least, that was how he pictured it. The soldiers had hardy bodies, but to wield such intense power had to come with a consequence, taboo or no.

And time began to flow again, and Nemesis lowered steadily towards the blue Earth.

The air was stifling beyond belief, and it was almost a trial to breathe in a single swallow of oxygen, it was so rapidly disappearing. Clustered around their fallen ally, the soldiers were gasping as their natural instinct to cry was wreaking havoc on their lungs. Deep, rapid breaths were definitely going the way of the dodo, fast. "Even if we stop Nemesis, at this rate, the Earth will still be in peril!" Mercury coughed.

"It doesn't matter!" Usagi retorted, carefully closing Pluto's eyes. "We can't allow Pluto's sacrifice to be in vain! We have to save the Earth!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, expressions fierce. Gently, the tall red-head lowered Pluto's body to the ground, arranging her arms to cross over her chest; in her fingers she wove the Garnet Rod, like the statue of Pharaoh holding the crook and flail. When she stood up, the girls were surprised to see the red of her eyes, as though she too had cried. "Let's destroy the son of a bitch," she said bluntly, looking up at the monolith.

Black Lady was staring at them all, shaking her head in denial. She had stopped screaming, but continued to mouth the word "Puu," sliding backwards on her heels to sit, undignified, in the snow, legs sprawled open. Like a little girl lost, not willing to accept that someone has died; she was rocking, hugging her arms.

The soldiers returned the stare, waiting, perhaps, for a sign.

In Venus's hands, the future _Ginzuishou_ disappeared as Black Lady let forth a scream of pure anguish, gripping at the air on her head as though she would tear it off. Not only of pain for her loss, but sorrow at realizing she had been tricked, that she had caused so much damage to her world and her family; now she remembered. And the tear slid down her cheek, beginning to glow bright like a star.

Around her the light grew, enveloping them all in comfort. Like once before, they could see miracles happen; the snow receded beneath their shoes, grass turning a living green, the air became wonderfully breathable. The fog dissipated, and within the light was a perfect world, with a surprising figure at its center, shrinking instead of growing, casting off the lie. Black crystal shattered, the sigil was righted, and the heir of the Silver Millennium came into her power, for the first time, finally.

"…Chibi-Usa-chan?" the _odango_-haired blonde gasped.

She stood unsteady on her feet, having lost an entire decade of growth in seconds. But it was definitely the little girl they had come to know, her sugar pink hair once more in fat pigtails, eyes wide and innocent, her body sexless in youth. And yet, she was clad in a miniature of Sailor Moon's fuku, with pink skirt and collar and boots, and red bows. She seemed as surprised as anyone to see these clothes – though the tall red-head was staring strangely, as though disturbed to see this transformation – and began stammering, "I…I'm a…"

Tuxedo Kamen said, "A sailor soldier, like your mother. You've inherited the power of Sailor Moon, Chibi-Usa."

"So that's where my crystals have disappeared to!" the white-haired prince snarled behind him, staring in utter loathing at them all. But against such odds, he seemed content to hurl epithets from where he stood, instead of foolishly attacking them; and so they ignored him again, focusing instead on their newest soldier.

Though Usagi was crying, "Mamo-chan!" now as well, running up to her prince's arms. Around them, the light was fading, the air and the fog returning to what had become normal. It cloaked Nemesis in obscurity, though the planet was so close now, a jet plane could have unwittingly smashed into it. They could see the half-frozen Tokyo Bay roiling, waves growing with each slap onto the shore, the tides thrown completely into disarray with this new interference in orbit.

The buildings in the city that had been rescued from the ice, incorporated into the crystal and stone motif beautifully, their windows merely shattered, were now crumpling and twisting. Sucked upwards into Nemesis like dust, they could see an entire heritage disappearing into its maw; if Tokyo was indeed the only city to survive the ice, all of Japanese civilization was vanishing. Even bodies, rotted and unrecognizable, were pulled apart at the joints and slurped up like spaghetti. All to ruin.

Wiseman boomed, "And so you take my pretty Black Lady from me, soldiers. But it no longer matters! I have no more need of earthly bodies, I will bring this planet to ruin in revenge! Hobbled by weak people with rampant dreams, I've waited patiently for this moment."

"The people of Earth have done nothing to you to deserve such suffering!" the _odango_-haired blonde screamed over the wind, though it was a strain not to breathe. "You used Demand and his people! You killed innocent lives!"

"I initiated the first step a millennium ago," Wiseman thundered over Usagi's denouncement, "but it failed to bring the ruin I desired! The shining white queen revived a dying race, and condemned me for my plan, calling me traitorous!" Beneath the planet, the Crystal Palace shone brightly against the darkness, continuing to stand though ruin took apart the city at its very borders. "Banishing me! The planet Earth was a dangerous animal, and it stood in my way, it prevented me from the magnificent future I craved!"

"You were the criminal Serenity banished to Nemesis, before the ice!" Venus cried, remembering the king's words.

Black lightning stabbed down from the sky, aiming for them all. Even Demand was forced to flee out of the way, as each bolt slammed into the earth close enough for them to trust that Wiseman's aim was excellent. Against the surface of Nemesis, they could see a leering skeletal face appear, its bulbous eye sockets far too large to be human. It gained depth and shape, and they realized that it really was the planet looking at them, assuming this illusion. "I was the Death Phantom!" he roared, mouth twisting with the words. "I was a mastermind of vision! And when I initiated the ruin of the blue planet, I never truly anticipated the power of the _Ginzuishou_ to stop me, and so I waited impatiently. I wanted that power to rule the universe! Everything else falters in that light!"

The white-haired prince shoved rudely past Usagi and Tuxedo Kamen, placing himself in the midst of the scattered soldiers as he screamed, "And so we truly were pawns to you! Us, with our dreams of humanity becoming as God intended us to be! Esmeraud, Rubeus, I, and my brother, our loyal followers of our dream…we trusted in you all these years, like fools!"

He spun on his heel, pointing at the _odango_-haired blonde. "You are the bearer of ill tidings, you allow destruction in your wake. Though I desired you as a mortal desires a woman, the holy stone you bear is tragedy and deceit. It is because of you and your blood that humanity undergoes these tribulations!"

"Humanity's greed isn't her fault," Mercury said firmly, hands coming together. "Usagi-chan is pure of heart and spirit, and she would do everything to protect everyone."

"As she has done so well in this time!" he spat, his face creasing with hatred as he stepped forward. The power flared from his forehead. "And though I know I was misled, that perhaps you truly are a beautiful spirit, you cannot deny that your birthright is what condemns our world to such suffering! And if I had the chance again, I would say it, and I would do it, and I would see you crippled or dead to protect this planet!" he howled in condemnation, as the light of his power grew intense and bright.

That was when he would have killed her, breaking her lovely body with that raging power. But there was a sudden pain in his back that prevented it, a heat that singed the hair from his neck and melted his clothing to his skin. Momentarily confused, he stepped backwards, his power flying off harmlessly into the snow. And he shuddered under the impact of another pain, a force that threw him forward onto his face, breaking his nose on the frozen ground.

Behind him, Jupiter lowered her hands, Mars as well; her arms long emptied by the disappearance of Diana back to the gate. They stared at Demand's shredded back, skin and muscle so much unrecognizable bloody meat. Venus quietly stepped up, pointing her finger at the back of his head, and whispering, "Crescent Beam."

The sound of the skull and brain exploding was thankfully muted in the thick air.

And though he whispered something into the snow, his final words were heard by no one.

But it was a disturbing execution, though Venus seemed lightly indifferent to the display. In ages past, she would have done the same to any enemy of the throne, such power killing instantaneously and without pain, and perhaps that was why she alone stepped forward. Her allies, however, were wide-eyed with shock and disgust, all of them but their mentor unable to reconcile the image of bubblehead Minako so calmly executing a man.

"This is Wiseman's doing," Usagi whispered faintly, her eyes screwing tightly shut. "All of this…even Demand and his people were innocent deaths. This must cease."

Turning her head away to avoid seeing the mess at her feet, she held aloft the past _Ginzuishou_. But as she began to say the words, the Crystal Guardian said, "Be careful, tsukimidango. Without your brooch, you'll transform purely into a sailor soldier; your body won't be able to cope for long with such power."

That was true; she remembered that battle in the Arctic, when she had taken that pure power into herself, and it had killed her in the end. To do it twice within such a short period of time, barely that of a month….!

But she had to. This was the life she had been given. She said, "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!" gasping as the power, possibly even more intense, flooded her body. All of her friends stared at her in awe having not seen her in such a powerful form. She literally radiated light.

And it was a power that irritated Nemesis; a sudden violent prickling that said there was yet more. The untrained _Ginzuishou_ of the past should have been weak, like that of a tiny insect; and yet the planet felt discomfort, recognizing the sensation as the same as that which had banished him. He didn't know that even now, the Crystal Palace's sovereign was opening her eyes, watching the bier that encased her fade away, allowing her freedom once more. That it was her power that answered Sailor Moon's as the future _Ginzuishou_ appeared above her outstretched hand, though it had been inherited by her child; but the crystal was the same, no matter if mother or daughter wielded it.

But no one knew that the royalty of this destroyed kingdom had woken up. And so they did what they had to. "Could we combine power to destroy the planet? Like Metallia?" Mars asked above the sounds of destruction, holding back her hair from her face.

"Nemesis is a planet of negative energy. To create the proper nullification of force, we would have to use pure positive energy," Mercury said, scanning the planet. "Perhaps if Sailor Moon used the _Ginzuishou_, and we lent her power, it could disperse Nemesis."

Sailor Moon accepted her weapon from Tuxedo Kamen, though it seemed pitiful next to the power of her crystal. Still, it was the only real weapon she had for battle, and she spun it between her fingers with a look of determination.

"Will I fight too?" a small voice asked.

Chibi-Usa was holding onto her father's cape, as if hiding behind its folds. Though she had inherited her mother's power, she didn't feel very worthy of it; in fact, past the initial surge, she felt nothing of the power at all now. Seeing Sailor Moon in such light, she could now easily see her as the gracious, powerful woman she would become, and again, she doubted herself.

And these was that part of her that was scared utterly at the thought of going against such a massive enemy, when all of her life she had thought her worst enemy to be the son of the cook. This was a battle she never envisioned happening, or even taking part in; she had always planned to awaken her mother, immediately hand over the crystals, and let her handle it. Such a fight had been unknown in her lifetime, and she had not had the slightest inkling of how truly dangerous her actions could be.

She shrank back further, closing her eyes. Already she must have done something terrible, as she realized, quite sickeningly, that she had no idea how she had even arrived at this location. What she remembered last was talking to a man…a nice man who had offered her something wonderful. But that had been in space-time, and Mercury and Mars and Jupiter had been imprisoned by the enemy, and Sailor Moon had just been captured. Yet here they all were, staring at her curiously, though the Crystal Guardian had a far more elusive look, and they had been standing….had been standing…

The euphoria of her change was gone, leaving her almost violently confused and frightened. Why was she missing all of this time? Had she been stricken by sleep? But then why was she here with them, and changed into a sailor soldier's fuku? She hadn't fought beside them, that much she was certain, it was impossible. The change had been brought on by something else, a vague sensation she couldn't pin down.

…where they had been standing.

From here, she could see a pair of familiar boots, the molded lavender of a familiar weapon. Long hair black like aged emeralds, with hints of green; but she couldn't see the eyes. They were closed, and they would always remain closed, until the body rotted in the dirt and the lids disintegrated, and perhaps then the eyes would see again until they, too, became food for the worms. Pluto, her understanding, gracious friend. "Puu…?"

"Chibi-Usa-chan…she can't hear you anymore," Jupiter said gently.

"But…_iie_…Pluto can't die, she can't die. She told me she would never die, because she would never leave space-time. She can't be dead!" the pink-haired child responded, hysterical suddenly, her voice cresting on a high, keen note of despair. "Puu, wake up, look at me! Look at me, finally, I've transformed! Pluto, you can't be dead, you said you would never leave me!"

It was like watching a traffic accident; horrifying, but desperately riveting. Chibi-Usa was pale as a sheet, trembling like a leaf in the weak air, and she sank onto her hands and knees with the effort to continue breathing, to continue screaming desperately for her friend. She could barely even cry.

Nemesis laughed, and that frightening, gaunt face mimicked the sound. "And so my Black Lady refused my power, and now she remembers how painful her life had been! That is your punishment for falling from grace, my willing disciple; and now you shall fall to ruin as surely as your world!"

"_Iie_!" Sailor Moon swung her rod up, pointing what seemed to be an insignificant twig in the direction of the planet. "A life of pain, perhaps, but feeling pain and love and hope is what it means to be human! You offered nothing but evil wishes, Wiseman, Death Phantom, Nemesis! I'll stop you!" The power flowed from the orb in a beam of light, striking the planet full on like a fist. Nemesis actually seemed to rock back from the blow, a howl of unearthly pain shaking them all.

"Insignificant body! Then I shall simply rip the crystal from your spirit!"

Tuxedo Kamen reached around his princess, taking hold of the moon rod just above the clasp of her hands. The beam of light intensified, bathing both of them in the white glow as they attacked Nemesis fully, sharing power as they had been denied against Metallia. It was not just her battle to avenge the death of her kingdom, but their fight to protect their future.

But as they continued to attack, Nemesis, strangely, did nothing to fend them off as they had expected. Instead, the planet's surface began to swirl, and as they watched, formed another vortex at the very point that their shining white light connected. Like two opposing forces, the point where vortex and power met seemed to burst with a blinding light, dazzling them all through the thick fog and sunless sky.

And yet, the light continued when they were able to open their eyes to see a beautifully cloudless sky, the fog a little less ominous. The air was breathable again, and they sucked it in greedily, their lungs rejoicing; far across the ruins of the city, they could see the monolith cracked and falling to pieces. "Sailor Moon did it….? She banished Nemesis!" Mars gasped, squinting against the wonderful light.

Then she looked back to congratulate her, only to find her gone.

As well, Tuxedo Kamen seemed to have disappeared.

Chibi-Usa was standing alone, looking around desperately. As she realized Mars was doing the same, she said, "They vanished, when the light came. I couldn't hold on to Mamo-chan tight enough…I'm sorry, I'm sorry….!"

At that, everyone looked into the sky again, seeing no trace of Nemesis of course, and putting two and two together. "Nemesis…could it have pulled them into it?" Jupiter asked quietly, rubbing her rib at a phantom pain.

Mercury immediately donned her goggles, the numbers and equations scrolling in the same instant across both screens. She stared in the general direction of the palace, though her gaze was intently focused on the diagram springing to life in front of her right eye. "Oxygen levels back to normal for the 30th century," she reported crisply, "and the atmosphere has been reconstructed. Also, the electromagnetic field is in working condition. Everything has been completely fixed…!"

"Which means nothing if Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were taken up into Nemesis." The Crystal Guardian sounded weary, though it was hardly surprising. By now, Chibi-Usa's key was charged up and hanging from the belt of skeleton keys, no longer matching the very same pattern of time particles that had clung to Sailor Moon, and enabled her to escape. She couldn't attempt the same trick twice, and they had no idea where Nemesis had vanished to.

Running a hand back through her hair, she was wracking her brain for a viable idea when she felt the air change. The soldiers, all of them turned inward now to loudly argue over their own brilliant ideas for rescue, were oblivious, but she, and Chibi-Usa, sensed the power coming closer. It was a suddenly familiar sensation that pained her, because she had last felt this power on the Moon, from the queen with all of her knowledge and strength. And the woman walking towards them had finally accepted that strength; it was obvious in the way she held herself.

One of the girls asked her a question, which she ignored; and when they realized she wasn't listening, they turned to look as well. Chibi-Usa cried, "Mama!" and ran past them all towards the woman, who was now alive and radiant and no longer a comatose statue, who held open her arms to accept her child: "Small Lady, oh yes."

"Neo Queen Serenity," the tall red-head said, dropping to one knee, head bowed in the presence of a sovereign.

  
What could she think, staring at them all? Her truest friends still as teenagers, uncertain in many ways about their destinies, standing awkwardly in her presence. And she, the clumsy _odango_-haired blonde they had just lost to Nemesis, now a slender, stunningly beautiful woman who moved with the languid grace of a true lady. The living, genuine article didn't hold a candle to the comatose body they had all seen beneath the crystal.

And behind her stood Endymion: not the weak illusion, but the genuine article as well, and smiling softly, indulgently. Ever the gentleman at ease, even in his ridiculous lavender. He waited for Chibi-Usa to finally peel herself away from her mother, to pitch herself at her father, crying "Papa!" just as joyously. And this time, she didn't fall through him, the untouchable ghost, to hurt herself.

"Oh, Small Lady, what wondrous power you've finally awakened within yourself," Serenity sighed. "I can feel it; and it was your power that called to me, awakening me from my sleep."

"And so, Chibi-Usa-chan is a sailor soldier now?" Venus asked.

"_Hai_; she has inherited my power." The _odango_-haired blonde knelt now herself, despite the dirty snow into which she sank, staring into the Crystal Guardian's slightly raised face. At the strange position, she lifted her head further, looking eye to eye with Serenity; and slowly, she began to cry.

She wrapped her arms around the tall red-head's neck, hugging her as tightly as her slender body would allow. "_Onee-chan_…! For so long we've missed you, and now, here, in this time…Alex _onee-chan_!"

"A little undignified for a queen, isn't this?" But the Crystal Guardian hugged her back, lifting her off her feet as she stood; Serenity hadn't grown very much in the intervening years. She gave a girlish laugh, her dangling feet revealed to be bare beneath her skirts and red from the cold snow. "I guess the world really does need me to survive, neh?"

Serenity was set down carefully, and she smiled blissfully at the rather agape sailor soldiers. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus…._iie_. Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan! All of you, so young still!"

"And you, Usagi-chan….Neo Queen Serenity. Grown up and lovely," Jupiter said for them all, flushing. "A beautiful lady."

"Just like you in this time, Mako-chan!"

Endymion cleared his throat, still holding his daughter in his arms. The impromptu reunion looked his way, slightly annoyed at being interrupted. "My pardon, ladies, but the fight is hardly over. Though my planet is healed, Sailor Moon and my past body are still being held captive by Nemesis."

"_Hai_; and there is the matter of destroying that evil world, once and for all," Serenity added. She turned away from her friends, focusing on her daughter. "Is this a task I can give to you, Small Lady? For only the _Ginzuishou_ can purify Nemesis properly, and the power of the past and future crystals should finish this fight." And quite obviously, as queen, she could no longer fight these battles as a sailor soldier.

Chibi-Usa seemed troubled. She slid from her father's arms, staring up at her mother's oddly impassive face. "I…I can try…"

"I asked if you could do it, Small Lady. You can't try. Nemesis is a dangerous adversary; ‘trying' will accomplish nothing except perhaps your death, and that of Sailor Moon, and that of Tuxedo Kamen. That will, in turn, kill me, and your father, and this world." The queen exhaled slowly. "And so I ask you again; can I give you this task?"

The pink-haired child was completely cowed by this statement, and she flinched back against the king. There really was no way to turn it down, because to force her mother to fight would be disastrous. "…_hai_," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "I can do this."

Serenity stared at her, her brooding expression completely alien to the open happiness her friends were used to seeing on her face. Her husband seemed just as disturbed, though his hand atop Chibi-Usa's head seemed to comfort her. "How does one punish a child who nearly condemned her kingdom to death? I know it was an unintentional error, but ghastly in its consequences, and simply thoughtless. You knew, Small Lady, that the _Ginzuishou_ was encased and protected for a reason, and yet you broke the seal, and you stole it. Like a petty thief, you stole it, and you hid from me."

All of the soldiers evinced shock behind Serenity. "So…_sensei_ was right? Chibi-Usa-chan…_stole_…the _Ginzuishou_?" Venus was dumbfounded. "But why?"

"Small Lady never revealed any power to us, as was her birthright as the princess of the Silver Millennium. We had feared that Endymion, originally of Earth, had perhaps by his blood prevented her from inheriting my power; she could never wield the _Ginzuishou_."

"But it responded to her," the tall red-head added thoughtfully.

"Perhaps in the 21st century, after she exited space-time. Travelling through time has many consequences; detritus from the trip may have triggered the response, tricking the crystal into thinking she was further in development, and knowledgeable of the _Ginzuishou_," Serenity said calmly, rattling off her response so smoothly she raised eyebrows. "But in this time, it never occurred. And so I had the crystal encased for safety, allowing it to work automatically to protect the city. It powered the shield that prevented the Black Moon from attacking, until that day. Until Small Lady broke the seal and disturbed the lattice, and lowered the shield."

The queen lifted her hand, holding it just so as a staff appeared for her to take; which, upon closer examination, looked like the lengthier model of Sailor Moon's rod. "My own child created tragedy, unintentional, innocent, but it has happened. Our world was on the brink of fruition, and now, it has been plunged back to the depths. Small Lady, this is your punishment; to defeat Nemesis. Only then will you be absolved of this sin." In her hand, the staff shortened into a replica of the moon rod. "My anger is long gone. All I have left to me is sorrow for this tragedy, and for the pain you will inflict upon yourself for causing it. But, this still cannot go unpunished."

Apparently, Usagi's forgiving spirit had been worn down over the years.

Chibi-Usa took the rod, contrite. "Mama, I'm so sorry."

"You are my precious child, Small Lady. And you've done admirably on your own." Serenity bent to kiss her daughter's head, cupping her cheek. "Now, you are a sailor soldier in my place. Use my power in this rod, and your own strength, to help Sailor Moon. Protect this planet properly."

"_Hai_!" Holding the rod, Chibi-Usa closed her eyes. To fight with Sailor Moon, she had to find her first; a particular power in space. In her hands, the moon rod became an antenna, and she could sense all of their solar system as though she had tapped into some primal force. But there…! She could feel the _odango_-haired blonde as surely as her standing next to her, and she whispered, "To Sailor Moon!"

This was a power she, nor the rod, had, interspace travel. But the weapon recognized the presence of itself, its duplicate that was in fact merely another interpretation of itself, and without warning she felt herself pulled into another world entirely, a pocket of pan dimensional space. There was no quicker way to travel.

Serenity took her husband's extended hand lightly as their daughter vanished. "And now we wait here."

"And how will we know when the battle is done?" Mars asked, slightly imperious.

"You're always so impatient, Rei-chan," Serenity responded coolly.

She just wished the world would let her get off now.

Such a dark and dreary place, wherever this was. Like space-time, with no discernible ending or beginning, no bottom or top, though studded with stars. Floating gently, she felt like a leaf in the warm summer breeze, lazily travelling on the current to wherever she pleased. But it was not a comfortable sensation, knowing that wherever she was, Nemesis had surely brought her.

And she was still holding the moon rod.

Turning over and upside down, she could see her dark-haired prince in the same predicament, though his face brightened upon seeing her focus on him. "Usako, are you alright?"

"_Hai_, Mamo-chan," she responded, kicking her legs and flapping her arms to turn herself right side up. "Where are we?"

They floated closer, then into each other's arms, melding into one another. Sailor Moon's slight shiver prompted him to wrap her loosely in his cape – all the more reason for them to stay close – as they watched their new environment pass them by. There wasn't much to see, though they realized soon that they were in fact dropping down through the air, and below them grew what appeared to be solid ground.

Landing somewhat awkwardly for their two heights, their shoes crunched on broken things, shattered glass and brickwork. The air was stifling and noxious, and both of them immediately began coughing, their lungs, so recently overworked, reminding them that such cruel treatment was unwise. Wherever they had been brought, it was unlivable.

Holding hands, the two carefully walked through the refuse, the black smears left on her cherry red boots indicative of the burnt nature of the place; ash and soot lifted with each step. So dark was this world that they would have walked into the giant hole in the middle of the ruins, had it not been marked off by broken, collapsed pillars. No more energy spewed out of it, like a column of black light into infinity, for the planet had completely crystallized and had no need of a reactor to release its power. But it was recognizable all the same, and the _odango_-haired blonde gave a little cry of fear. "Nemesis! We're on Nemesis, Mamo-chan!"

Here, the air was strangely breathable and cool, as though the shield once protecting the Black Moon's enclave had not entirely been destroyed. Huddling next to a broken column, they gulped in oxygen gratefully, unsure of what to do next. "We were drawn onto Nemesis. But for what purpose? To render us useless?"

"To retrieve the _Ginzuishou_ for my use, little prince!"

Standing on the very planet itself and hearing it speak to them was not unlike being alone in an acoustically perfect auditorium. And it was deafening, to say the least. "Nemesis will draw everything to ruin within its body, converting all into negative energy. A continuous resource of power, the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_ will intensely amplify this planet. My dreams will be realized! Nothing is beyond my reach now!"

"The _Ginzuishou_ is a source of hope and inspiration! It would never work to amplify evil deeds!" Sailor Moon retorted, already tired of this argument. Maybe it was simply her personality that inspired her to assume that the crystal was only a work of good instead of evil, and not that the wielder could in fact do what they wanted. "It would fight that spirit of evil in my hands. That is its purpose, to cleanse and create, not destroy!"

"_Iie_, Usako; its purpose is to follow the ambition of the wielder. Only you can produce such wondrous results." The dark-haired prince took her hand, kissing her gloved palm. "And I wish nothing but to give you the strength, to make you strong in battle. I love you, Usako, because you believe in the good of people, and the love in their hearts. And you always prove that my love is justified."

"Mamo-chan…haven't we done this before?" she whispered, smiling. "Our love is eternal. And you do give me strength! The moon rod is proof of it." She touched her breast, where her brooch would be clipped if it had not been so casually tossed aside. The power of the crystal was pumping her heart harder with exertion, and she felt slightly disoriented now, in the calm of the dead reactor. Her naked transformation was catching up with her, and the negative energy seething in the air around them, though she was better prepared for it, was also taking its toll.

She could see that her prince seemed tired beneath its onslaught as well, sweat beading on his brow; but he was too good-natured to complain. Her hand moved up into his hair, brushing back his sweaty bangs, as she stood up on tiptoes to kiss him. Through their lips flowed her power, refreshing his body, and he responded by holding her closer. Even though there was a tickling warm between them, where the moon rod had been trapped in her free hand against her chest.

They parted, watching in surprise as a light appeared. Like a firefly expanding in the darkness, it grew large, and a vague shape appeared within it. Chibi-Usa in her sailor soldier fuku, holding a rod identical to Sailor Moon's in both hands, who dropped to the ground as the light vanished. "Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen! I did it! I found you both!"

"Chibi-Usa-chan, where did you get that weapon?" the _odango_-haired blonde gasped, looking between her own and her child's with confusion. Surely, if she was no longer able to become a soldier in the future, she couldn't just whip out one of her old weapons to share, and Chibi-Usa shouldn't have been able to summon it.

"Mama gave it to me. She's woken up, and sent me to help you banish Nemesis." She held it up for Sailor Moon to see, that it was indeed the same rod. "To focus the power of our two crystals together."

Nemesis rumbled beneath them in irritation, a broken column falling mere yards away from them. "And now I've been given the power of the past and future _Ginzuishou_. Yet you persist in opposing me! I am Nemesis; I am the Death Phantom! I am one and the same! This is my destiny, and who are you to judge my worth, to continue fighting me in this way?"

"I am the soldier of justice, Sailor Moon! I have a duty to defend the people of Earth, to right wrongs and triumph over evil! You've created sorrow and death, and that will be punished by the power of the Moon!" She pointed her rod into the yawning hole, watching her daughter do the same. With one hand each, they took Tuxedo Kamen's offered hands, gripping tightly.

The shield around them fell, and the toxic air rushed in to fill the space.

"We believe in peace and love and happiness!" Chibi-Usa coughed. "Sailor Moon! Also believe in the _Ginzuishou_, it's your power and mine too; into Nemesis! Focus!"

Their clasped hands grew hot as power flowed from Tuxedo Kamen as well into their bodies, and the ornamental orbs were suddenly bright with energy. "Moon Princess Halation!"

"Moon Princess Halation!"

Combined, their power was dazzling to look at. Nemesis bellowed as the energy struck its very core, purifying the _Jakokusuishou_ at its root and spreading throughout the planet. Crystal shattered, breaking apart as Death Phantom, nee Nemesis, howled his anger and disbelief wordlessly, unable to stop this disgusting taint. This was impossible, his plans had been perfect, it couldn't end like this so suddenly and utterly!

Sailor Moon swooned then, her body giving in to the stress as her prince caught her. From her hand, the moon rod dropped into the reactor, disappearing from view, and taking with it Chibi-Usa's future model as both ceased to exist. Now, daughter and father watched miserably as the planet fell to pieces around them, unable to escape.

Of course, they viewed the sudden appearance of a door in front of them with a mix of relief and surprise. When it opened, and Diana, so small and weighted down by the belt of skeleton keys, cried, "Hurry!" they wasted no time in exiting time.

"How did you find us, Diana?" Chibi-Usa laughed joyously, picking up her kitten, though she was confused as to why the purring feline was opening doors into space-time.

"And isn't it against the rules to interfere in such a manner?" Tuxedo Kamen added, watching Nemesis disintegrate through the door before it closed.

Diana shrugged her little shoulders. "I wasn't told about them, Endymion-sama."

  
Venus paced in barely concealed agitation, arms folded stubbornly across her chest. Artemis was draped over her shoulder, taking a deserved catnap, his little feline snores fish-scented and rather fragrant. He and Luna had run up the hill after making sure, at least per the computer's assertions, that the planet had been fully restored. Though Endymion was in such excellent health that it should have been obvious, his arm always cocked at a slight angle, ever ready for his wife to take.

Seeing their queen doing the unenviable task of eulogizing the funeral of Pluto had thrown them all into a bit of a funk. It fell to her to find the new Sailor Pluto, a considerable job in itself, as there had been no girl born to take over in millennium, and she seemed crushed by the fact that the Pluto she knew was dead. She had broken down near the end of her speech, refusing to watch as the Crystal Guardian produced a ball of flame to burn Pluto's body.

The queen was now relaxing on the ground, sitting on the tall red-head's spread cape, basking in the sunlight for the first time in weeks. She seemed rather calm about the battle most assuredly taking place, though the gathered soldiers around her were all but vibrating tension about being left behind, unable to protect their princess. Though it had not stopped Venus and the Crystal Guardian from remaining at Serenity's side, as the other three had wandered off to occupy themselves by scouting the first monolith along with Luna.

"What will you do to revive the city?" the tall red-head asked, looking out at the destroyed buildings. It was the first question she had voiced in almost half an hour.

Serenity tiled her head girlishly, staring out at the ruins as well. "Perhaps we'll finally awaken some more of the people. The Black Moon murdered only a fraction that we had awakened, to prepare the land and the resources for everyone else. Many bodies have been contained within one of the palace's buildings."

"You really do have godlike power," Venus remarked quietly, averting her eyes. "The power to give back life in such a manner…and we'll surely fight more enemies again over this."

"I only wish for everyone to be happy, Venus." Serenity seemed somber now, nibbling at her thumbnail in a sure sign of nervousness. "This was not a burden I ever wanted, but I learned to accept it. My dream is for everyone to know happiness."

She held up her hand, and Endymion helped her up graciously. Between their clasped hands appeared a staff, but it was not the one she had given Chibi-Usa; this was an entirely new design. Taking it in hand, she puzzled; why had the old one not returned to her? "They've done it; Nemesis has been defeated," she said with a sigh, holding up her new staff. She could see Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter ascending the hill, Luna at their heels. "I can give you all a new power, to fight with strength next to Sailor Moon, as thanks for your help."

"Has Sailor Moon won? Where is she?" Jupiter asked as she saw the new staff in Serenity's hand, but no Sailor Moon, nor Chibi-Usa, nor even Tuxedo Kamen.

"_Hai_; and we must return to the Crystal Palace, before our past selves arrive. So I will bestow you all with a new power, planet power; Mercury, my wise soldier, Mars, the soldier of war, Jupiter, the strongest, Venus, love's child. Take care of my past body as well as you always have."

They felt it; the power tingled through their limbs, though it was a quick flash. It woke up Artemis, who looked around blearily, confused as to why Mamoru was dressed in such a ridiculous outfit outside of Ni-chome. Then he woke up all the way, and said, "Did we win yet?"

"_Hai, hai_, Artemis," Venus muttered, watching their future king and queen walk down the hill.

  
"_Iie_, mama, I want to sleep in a little more…just a little more…"

Rolling over to plump her pillow, she opened her eyes to see a familiar, but shocking, sight, and she shrieked in embarrassment. "M-M-Mamo-chan!" She sat up immediately, face red as a tomato, as her prince supported her, looking just as embarrassed. Not that her snuggling into his lap had been a terrible injustice, but Chibi-Usa's somewhat dazed stare made him feel as though he'd just mentally tortured his child.

They were clustered just outside of the door into space-time, sitting on the floor. Diana watched them from the other side, sitting guard as she promised, and looking mildly ridiculous all wrapped up in the skeleton keys. "Serenity-sama, are you alright?"

"….Usagi.."

"…Usagi-sama. Are you alright?"

Sailor Moon opened her mouth, ready to state what she assumed was obvious, that she was most definitely not all right, but she realized suddenly that it wasn't true. To the contrary, she felt refreshed, no longer overloaded with power and weary from Nemesis. She pressed a hand to her breast, clasping a hard metal object; a brooch, a new brooch from what she could see. Heart-shaped and crossed with gold, a crown lattice topping it, her crescent in its middle and a stone for each guardian soldier around it. "A new brooch…? But where did it come from!"

"Mama; I felt her use her power." Chibi-Usa smiled, clapping her hands. "Now that you're awake, we can go find the others, and you can go home! Nemesis has been destroyed; Usagi-chan, you've saved my world."

"I…I guess so." The _odango_-haired blonde allowed her prince to help her up, marveling at the feeling of her transformation, altered subtly by this new device. "But how did we escape from the planet?"

Diana did a little hop in place, waving her paw. It was completely adorable.

"...but isn't that against the rules?"

"No one told her that," Tuxedo Kamen answered wryly.

They took off, promising Diana they would be back shortly – after all, she had all the keys now – leaving the palace to find themselves blinded by the sunlight. Unfortunately, it only highlighted the blight of the city, showing off the scars created by Nemesis; foundations empty of its buildings, streets ripped up. They had won the war, but Nemesis had won the battle. It would take years before Crystal Tokyo could even achieve the level of reconstruction it had just lost so cruelly.

Chibi-Usa was crying before they even passed the palace itself, suffering for what she'd done. Her mother had been right on that score. Pressing close to Sailor Moon, she hid her face in her bodice as they heard the call of the other soldiers, running to meet them. "Sailor Moon!"

"Usagi-chan! You did it!"

"_Iie_, Usagi-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan did it together!"

"_Minna_!"

They were buried in a tangle of arms and bodies, suffocating as the four guardian soldiers tried to hug mother and daughter at once. Then they were caught up in a bear hug by the tall red-head, who swung Sailor Moon and Chibi-Usa both around and away from the melee. "You did it, _tsukimidango_!"

"_Mochiron_! The soldier of justice always wins!" Sailor Moon giggled, truly relieved to be alive. "But where is me…I mean, Serenity?"

"She took another route to the palace. You know you two can't meet each other. It's bad enough that we came here to begin with," the tall red-head said, lowering both girls to the ground.

The _odango_-haired blonde looked sad, though of course, she was right. Endymion, in his fleshly body again, was avoiding Tuxedo Kamen in the same manner. Though they were different interpretations of the same person, able to co-exist in the same time frame, touching one another would most likely have confused the very fabric of time over which body was supposed to exist, and Bad Shit would have happened.

Or so they theorized. It's possible nothing would happen, but why tempt fate?

"So now we go home, and resume our lives," Mars sighed, thinking of what excuse she was going to give her principal over the matter of her ruined uniform.

"Until the next tragedy, anyway," Jupiter added dryly, wondering what she was going to do about her destroyed apartment.

"And won't you all be prepared as soldiers for it?" Luna asked rather sternly.

They turned towards the palace, only to see, surprisingly, Serenity standing in their way. She looked appropriately chastened for being there. "I had to meet you. I couldn't resist, even though history could be changed…"

"I should've known." The Crystal Guardian looked skyward.

Sailor Moon stared at herself, unsure if she were feeling happy, or sad. People dreamed of meeting their future selves, to tell them what to expect in life, what to avoid to make their future happy. But all she saw was that inevitable loss of her identity as Tsukino Usagi, to the identity of the girl she had been in another lifetime. "Neo Queen Serenity…"

"Sailor Moon." They didn't dare touch as they wanted so badly to do, to share a hug. Instead, they stared across a safe distance, the adult staring at the teenager. Unconsciously, Sailor Moon touched one of her blonde ponytails, a colour that would fade to radiant silvery white. "I just wanted to come and say, Thank You, in person. Because you did this for us."

"I had to; you know that. I mean, I know that…I mean, I…you…" She flailed her hands, groping for the right context. "Everything. You know everything."

"_Hai_." And did she look sad, now? The queen with the mournful face. She stepped back as a door opened, nodding as though in dismissal. "Everything. And it's our life, Tsukino Usagi, never forget that. Even when you remember that you'll become me, never forget."

Tuxedo Kamen took her hand, leading her into the door. One by one her guardians followed her, waving in farewell to the queen before they disappeared into space-time. Chibi-Usa, however, hesitated, looking from the doorway to her mother. "Will I stay here, mama?"

"No, Small Lady; go with them this time, to give them a proper goodbye." The queen knelt to kiss her daughter's forehead, smiling, clasping her hands around her rod. "Like a princess. And then, come home." She nudged her into the door, remaining there as it closed up.

Ah, she had been so dangerously silly for confronting Sailor Moon as she had, but the damage was done simply from them coming to this time. Sighing, she looked up towards the palace and the sunlight striking its crystal façade, seeing its multitudes of floors and the environments contained within. And here now, out of the gate, came her friends, stretching their limbs, stiff from disuse, though the five of them had not slept nearly as long as she. It was going to be a beautiful day.

 

 

  
No one noticed the sudden flashing light in the park, merely five minutes after the first flash. Or if they had, they ignored it, accustomed now, perhaps, to these strange events.

"Back home…ara, even the air smells different!" Makoto sighed, stretching languidly.

"Yeah, the stench of _eau de_ pollution." Alex jingled her car keys in her pocket, her other arm full of Chibi-Usa, whom she had carried through space-time only to have her simply fall asleep. Becoming a villain, changing back, and coming into her power finally tuckered her out. And, as the tall red-head was finding out, she had a tendency to drool in her sleep.

Usagi and Mamoru, snuggled into each other's arms, refused the offer for a car ride. It was an easy walk to her home from the park, and from her home a single bus ride to his apartment. And they had a lot to talk about; not the least of which was the little girl transferred into Mamoru's arm, still deep asleep.

Rei waved off the ride as well, needing the time to think as to what she was going to tell her grandfather. After all, it had been days since she had been captured, and her father, as well, was probably wondering where she had gone, neither in the hospital nor at the shrine. But her grandfather, she was sure, would be understanding and patient with whatever excuse she came up with; her father, on the other hand, would be hell in a business suit.

Ami chose to walk also, though she lived perhaps furthest of all from the park. But she waved off concerns about her mother worrying over her; she said, simply, that they were on such different schedules and so used to not seeing one another for days that she was likely not missed. She wanted to find her father most of all, and make sure he was all right after Berthier's assault on his body.

But Minako and Makoto accepted the offer, and argued over who would get the front seat. Luna and Artemis, also coming with, won the fight by crawling in while the girls were still in the middle of rock paper scissors; staking out their claim fiercely, they forced the two to climb in the back.

Revving the engine, Alex took off down the street, passing the loving couple as she accelerated and did a U turn, cutting off an aging Toyota. "You have anything at my place you need to get before I drop you off, Minako?" she asked, two fingers on the wheel as she dug in the glove compartment. The road had almost emptied in the five-minute interval between their trips, and she easily dug out the CD she was looking for.

Makoto was holding onto the passenger seat with a white-knuckled grip, unused to such fast, reckless driving, though she seemed to be enjoying it. Next to her, Minako was sprawled across the rest of the back seat, having more room without Mamoru and Usagi and Chibi-Usa taking up space. "Just my case, and my pajamas."

"I guess we're making a stop then." The light turned red ahead of them, and she tapped the brake. Only two other vehicles stopped with them, the aging Toyota and a motorcycle, sleek and expensive. The driver turned his head idly, looking at the surroundings as an idle motorist tends to do, and Alex caught his eye. Even though the shield of his helmet, his smile was unmistakable, accented with a bang of sandy blonde hair. Alex smiled back, all but matching the ‘come hither' so obvious in the man's smile, blowing a kiss as she hit the gas a second before him and peeled off across the intersection.

The motorcycle driver matched her, pulling up alongside and making a show of slowing down to keep up with her speed. "Sensei, what are you doing?!" Minako yelped as Alex pushed down on the gas, the needle going mad.

"Speeding like a maniac, what does it look like?" she laughed, grinning as the needle continued to climb.

"You'll get pulled over!"

"I'd like to see them try!"

Their turn was coming up, one she would have to cross the street to get to. But instead of slowing down, to let the motorcycle pass them by, she pushed the peddle down to the floor and spun the wheel, crossing the street with a little room to spare before the motorcycle would have slammed right into them. He never slowed down, and in fact waved in farewell as he continued on down the street, most likely having enjoyed the madcap race.

Luna, however, along with Artemis, was now clinging to the seat with paws and claws, hair standing on end. Their frantic, scared shitless attitude was in complete contrast to the two girls in the back seat, who were cheering. "That was so awesome!" Makoto laughed, watching the motorcycle disappear.

"'Awesome'…?! That was completely reckless and irresponsible!" Luna stammered, unsure if her limbs would ever unlock. Minako, behind her, laughed.

"Yare yare, Luna, can't you enjoy life? After all, we have to enjoy everything we possibly can!"

"I enjoy life, not thoughtless endangerment!"

The car slowed as Alex pulled into the underground garage, heading for the very rear. Her parking space encompassed three slots, and she pulled into the last empty space. A personalized black and blue Harley sat in one, and a Ford Expedition XLT 4x4 in the last, for the roomy capacity. Or at least that was what she said when Minako had asked her, since the long-haired blonde wouldn't know a car from a van.

As the car stopped, Minako bounded out the door, heading right for the elevator, not even waiting. Since the door was unlocked, Alex remained in the car, letting it idle as she pushed buttons on her CD player, rifling through some songs. Luna and Artemis slowly extracted themselves from the seat, though the leather was somewhat destroyed by their claws. Their fur went right back up on end, however, as a guitar wailed, slow and mournful, out of the speakers.

In the back, Makoto blinked at the strange music. "What is this?"

"Mixed music. Right now it's Tones on Tail." Alex rested her arms on the steering wheel, humming under her breath as she waited for Minako. "Probably nothing you like listening to."

"It's kind of pretty….though I can't understand what they're singing," the tall brunette sighed, rueful for the first time over her ignorance of English.

"Hmm, first time anyone's called my music ‘pretty'," Alex chuckled. She cleared her throat, nodding her head as she sang, softly, "'…and the air was alive, with piercing sound and burning skies…the horror did me good, though magic was on my side…' Rather standard Goth stylings for the eighties, but I like it."

"You mean like the kids bleaching their hair white and painting their faces strangely?"

"White?" Alex arched an eyebrow, looking at Makoto in the rear view mirror. "I guess so; most of the confused little wannabe Goth kids I knew would dye their hair ink black. I suppose if your hair's already black, the only thing to do is the opposite."

The next song came on, with a slightly harder beat that had Alex tapping her foot. It was nearly half done by the time they heard Minako's rapid footsteps, taking the stairs two at a time. Swinging her case merrily, she crooned, "I'm back!" as she yanked the door open rather hard.

"Did the elevator break down?" Artemis snorted, cleaning his ribs.

"No, why?"

Minako threw herself back into the seat as Alex put the car in reverse, driving out of the garage and back onto the street, heading back past the park. Now the streets were finally empty, everyone either firmly ensconced at the bar or club for the next few hours, or at home and snoring until work. Her speeding, again, went unnoticed, as she tore through Tokyo, eliciting more whimpers of fear from the two felines next to her.

She parked on the street in front of Minako's house, idling as the long-haired blonde crawled out. "I wonder if mama and papa are awake," she mused, bending down for Artemis to leap onto her shoulder. "I don't see any lights on."

"If you have a key, it shouldn't matter." Minako produced it from her case, jingling the lone key on a plastic key ring with a SD Sailor V.

"Of course I do! How else would I get in when mama locks me out?" she huffed, hands on her hips. Artemis made a face, eyes rolling.

"_Oyasumi_, Minako, Artemis," the tall red-head sighed.

"_Oyasumi_, Mako-chan, sensei, Luna!" Minako sang in return, closing the door.

Makoto leaned across to wave in the window. "_Oyasumi_!"

As they drove off, however, the tall brunette leaned back with a heavy sigh. She looked out her window as the city passed them by, frowning as she felt the lightning in the far distance, coming close to Tokyo. "A storm is coming," she remarked quietly.

Alex looked into the rear view mirror, frowning at Makoto's pensive expression. She flicked her eyes back to the road for a second to turn into Juuban, then looked back up to catch Makoto's wandering gaze. "Makoto, what's wrong?"

"I'm wondering what to do. Surely my apartment is destroyed. An apartment I wasn't even legally old enough to rent in the first place, that I obtained through deceitful means." The tall brunette pressed her forehead against the cool glass, watching the cloudy sky.

"Oh, Mako-chan, we never thought…but that's true. Your home was surely destroyed by that creature," Luna said, frowning.

They stopped at a light, a few drunken businessmen in suits rambling across the street in front of them. One leered through the windshield, grabbing his crotch and shaking his hips before laughing and stumbling off. His partner draped himself over the hood, red-faced from drink, and waggled his tongue. Whatever they had been guzzling, it was most likely a night that would haunt them come tomorrow.

Alex stared through the windshield angrily. She lifted a finger from the hand gripping the wheel, pointing at the man draped on her hood. The look of concentration on her face was fierce as the man slid backward, lifted right off his feet, and flipped upside down. Luna gaped as a pair of expensive loafers appeared in her view, and she leapt up onto the dashboard to stare as the man was escorted without his consent onto a light pole. Draped there like a rug, he flapped his arm as if he would fly, laughing madly as Alex hit the gas and drove off.

"I'm sorry, Makoto," she said after another kilometer. Makoto looked at her in the mirror, frowning at her words.

"Sorry for what, Alex-san? Are you sorry you left that man out for the rain to soak?"

"No, he was being a dick, and he deserves it. His wife and child never see him; he spends all his time after work at the hostess bars. He never has sex with his wife anymore because he dislikes her half heritage. He needed a lesson." Rain began splattering the windows as she spoke coolly, flicking on her turn signal. "But I doubt he'll learn." She turned to park in front of Makoto's apartment complex; such places were relatively cheap on the rent scale for the city, and most in the building didn't even own cars, so no real garage existed to park them. Those that did own them had permits to park on the street.

She turned off the engine, and the rain was very loud in the absence. Jingling the keys in her hand, she said, "I'm sorry that I didn't think of this. I should have come here immediately to fix things, to make sure you could still come home." Thunder boomed, and Alex turned her head to see Makoto. "I've only been at this task in this lifetime now for perhaps a week, and I've already made a major fuck up."

"Alex-san…" Makoto frowned, unsure of what to say. "This wasn't your fault….and what could you have done? Such wanton destruction is careless of the enemy."

"What could I have done? _Merde_…a lot of things, Makoto. I have my ways, even as a simple human. The place could have been fixed, your valuables stored. But I never even thought of it."

Luna shook her head. "Ways? In the manner of how you lifted that man? No sailor soldier has ever exhibited such power."

"I'm not a sailor soldier, Luna, you know that." Alex sounded irritated as she stowed her keys in her coat pocket. "But you still don't remember that, do you? And these islands seem strangely empty of people like me…as though it were planned." She folded her hands atop the wheel, watching the rain fall. "I was never a sailor soldier. I'm not even human by the consideration of most of the human race, which dwindles each day."

"But it isn't your responsibility, Alex-san," Makoto persisted, reaching to open the door. "And I can do these things on my own. I have to. I have no one else."

As she stepped out, fully expecting to be soaked, she was rather surprised to feel not a drop hit her skin. The driver's door opened, and as Alex stepped out, she looked up to see a curious sight; that of the rain hitting something invisible above her head, sliding away harmless around her, though she could feel nothing there – no, that wasn't right. She could feel something, like a wall of resistance. "_Masaka_…"

"I suppose this is the same effect Serenity claimed Chibi-Usa must have carried with her into our time, because I couldn't have done this even an hour ago," Alex sighed, holding Luna in the crook of her arm. "Time debris making my body think as it used to, or will, knowing my power again…I didn't realize how much I really missed it." She walked off towards the front doors, Makoto quickly to follow, watching curiously as the rain, heavy and pounding, seemed to part like a curtain for them.

No one was awake on her floor. The quiet, broken only by the shush-ing of the air vents, seemed to amplify the rather disturbing sight of her door marked off by yellow caution tape, though the door itself was completely off the hinges. Splintered in the middle as though a giant fist had punched it, it had been set next to the door itself. Makoto felt sick seeing it.

Completely ignoring the tape, they stepped under it and into her destroyed apartment, seeing a perfect example of Jupiter's power used in a confined space. What hadn't been broken was streaked with black, surfaces charred. The plants in her living room were nothing but broken pots and dirt, her furniture smashed to bits. She bit back a sob, walking slowly through the wreckage like a sleepwalker, more in grief over her poor plants than anything else. The furniture had been cheap scrounged junk from the Salvation Army near her parent's old church, and the appliances had come with the apartment.

She opened her bedroom door – or rather, what remained of it – to find her futon partially charred, but everything else otherwise safe. Her treasures were so little, valuables even more so, that no one would have bothered to steal them. And her plants in here were still alive, if looking a bit put out at being unwatered for days.

"Is anything salvageable?" Alex asked from the kitchen, scuffing her toe at a charred schoolbook on the floor. She could just imagine Makoto explaining this one to the teacher.

"_Hai_; everything precious to me." She slid open her closet door, revealing her meager amount of clothes on hangar, and some worn cardboard boxes stacked on the floor. Pulling them out as the tall red-head appeared in the doorway, she said, "My clothes, and my plants, and a few things of my parents. Everything else I'll have to buy again."

"How did you buy those things?" Alex thumbed back out at the heaps of furniture.

Makoto pulled some clothes down, beginning to fold them neatly atop her futon. Without asking, Alex reached in to do the same, as Luna, lacking opposable thumbs and all, sat down to watch them. "An old friend of my father's took me in after my last foster parents kicked me out into the street. She put the apartments in my name, saying that I was her cousin, named after her, and we both lived here, but that she was usually overseas on business. My father had a stash of yen and American dollars hidden in our house, which she found before everything was liquidated; and she gave it to me to buy what I needed. She takes care of my rent."

"Interesting arrangement. And is she the one who helps you transfer between schools?"

"_Hai_; she lives in Funabashi now. When I need her, I call. But she was married six months ago, and I believe her husband dislikes what she does for me. He thinks poorly of me, living alone in this manner." They filled the first box with clothes, and she got up to open her dresser – more cheap furniture – to lift out her underwear and socks and other items. "Until I'm sixteen, I have no real money; my trust fund will be mine then."

They continued packing briskly, as there really wasn't much at all. Most of her clothing was mix and match, providing many outfits with simple switching of a pair of pants or a skirt. Her old school never provided her with a summer uniform – she had left before they could give her one – and so she had merely one, which had been left in a crumpled heap on the floor. From the cramped bathroom she retrieved her hairbrush and comb, her small assortment of hair adornments, toothbrush and paste, soaps and shampoos and towels. Tampons, shaver, a few bottles of nail polish and remover also went into the boxes.

Her mother's Bible and crucifix were set neatly between folds of clothes for security, her cheap plastic jewelry box going into a different box, along with her surviving cookbooks. Filling the boxes to the brim, they stacked them in the living room, a sadly depressing pile that barely reached Alex's ribs. The plants they would have to take separately, as well as the small trunk Makoto pulled out of the empty closet, a piece of wood and engraving and inlaid that was obviously expensive. "It was my father's gift to my mother," she said softly, tracing the carving on the side. "A birthday present…"

Carrying everything down, it was even more depressing to see that the whole of her valuables – in effect, her life – didn't even fill the trunk of Alex's car. Using the emergency blankets, they carefully packed the plants in with the boxes, cushioning each one securely. This was everything; this was the physical sum of her life; four cardboard boxes and a few plants and one small trunk. She had left her house key on top of the stove, because she wouldn't need it anymore.

The rain had not stopped, though it had gotten lighter. Everything had taken on that certain sheen from the lights reflecting off the water, and as Makoto huddled now in front seat, with Luna on her lap trying to give her comfort, she felt like crying. Alex made a U turn again, driving a little slower for the rain, or maybe just to put both of her passengers at ease, watching the road as Makoto did indeed start crying.

It seemed as though the rain had driven even the most reckless drunk indoors, and they had the streets almost entirely to themselves. Makoto whispered, "Where are we going?"

"My place. Until we find you a new apartment." The windshield wipers worked furiously to clear the glass, only to start all over again; they hoped everyone had gotten home before the rain. They didn't see Usagi and Mamoru, or Rei, or Ami, and most presumably they had made it indoors long ago.

Alex fiddled with the CD again, turning it to a song that sounded just like the rain outside as it started, and she tapped her fingers on the wheel in beat. It was another inoffensive, interesting song, but Makoto resolutely stared out the window, watching the world go by yet again. They did finally pass a few people, who huddled under their umbrellas and stared up into the sky as though the rain were a personal offense; an annoyance they shouldn't have had to deal with.

Unseasonably warm weather, that's what this all was, Metallia's virus still infecting the world. And how many times had she marveled at these rainy days, sunny mild days, before she had known of that creature, how Japan was so beautiful this time of year! T-shirt weather, and everyone still confined to the thick warmth of their winter uniforms. And with the end of the school year coming – what was the date today? – perhaps now the weather seemed a bit more natural.

Everything was happening so fast; it seemed as though she had barely taken a breath between these two cataclysms, two destructive organisms in the span of perhaps three months. And now she had lost her apartment, if not also the means of securing another one, for surely they had contacted her friend and told her of the wreckage, and the seemingly endless halls of another orphanage, another series of loveless foster families, danced in front of her eyes. Could she still be a sailor soldier in those conditions? And Sommers-san, ah, another problem to take care of, she couldn't possibly take classes from him now in this time of instability.

Makoto blinked as she realized they had stopped moving.

She tilted her head to see Alex staring out the windshield with the most curious expression. They were parked in the garage; most likely had been so for some time. Luna had fallen asleep, miraculously lulled by the rain and Makoto's breathing and heart, not to mention the smoother ride. But as the tall brunette opened her mouth to wake the feline up, Alex turned towards her. "Do you really think that I would kick you out like that, without helping you find another place to live? That I'd let you be hauled off in that manner to those homes?"

"…I…" Makoto stared at the tall red-head in shock.

But Alex continued, low, her voice full of some emotion Makoto couldn't fathom: "I didn't ever ask for this responsibility, to be a teacher and a parent to a gaggle of girls, to be some kingdom's protector like in the storybooks. But I agreed anyway because I thought it was the noble thing to do, because she asked me and I could be myself in that world, not hiding what I was. And I knew what it was like to be alone in the world, to have to fend for yourself and trust no one and smile like it didn't hurt when people asked where my parents were. Love, that's all I ever wanted, and respect, and I lost all of it all over again when Beryl stormed the kingdom."

Those lapis eyes were burning in her face, focused down at the floor, off to the right, anywhere but Makoto's face. "And still, death didn't relieve me of this burden. But it doesn't matter, because I would do it again, I would be here in this car telling you this, and telling you to not be such an idiot to think no one would help you, because I'm here. I'm always going to be here. And even if I had not entered your lives again, those girls would build an extra room by hand for you to live in."

She opened the door and stepped out, reaching back to pop the trunk. The noise woke Luna, who stretched, pliant in Makoto's arms as she got out of the car. Alex had removed the boxes, balancing them all in one arm as she picked up a plant, mentioning, "I hope you don't expect service like this all the time," wandering towards the elevator.

Makoto realized she was smiling as she bent to retrieve her last plants, wondering if Alex would mind terribly if she made breakfast tomorrow.

  
Across the city, Ami snapped open her clear umbrella and jogged down the sidewalk, carrying her shoes in the crook of her arm. Her booted feet splashed through the puddles carelessly, keeping her dry until she ran beneath the front awning of the hospital, breathing a sigh of relief. She should have been in bed, though the thought of going to school tomorrow was faintly nauseating to her. The hospital her mother was still laboring at was close to the bus line, and she had been lucky to get on the last ride of the night.

Of course, her mother had not been home, and all signs indicated she had not been home in perhaps an entire day. So she had come here, though she knew she had not been missed, it was entirely possible for them to spend days neither seeing hide nor hair of one another. But she wanted to make sure her mother was at least eating properly – she had a tendency to forget these past few years, with violence escalating in the city – and to visit with the patients, many of whom were transferred to this hospital same as her mother.

No one knew when the hospital in Juuban would be opened, so her mother was making herself comfortable here. Though the youma had only ravaged a single floor, the subsequent rumours of bad-luck and paranoia among the workers that it would happen again had cleared out the entire building. Everyone had slowly transferred to the other hospitals in the city, emptying out the building steadily until now, merely posting a polite note on the double glass doors to direct people elsewhere. It had been effectively abandoned.

She shook the water off of her rain slicker, closing her umbrella. Even at this hour, the hospital seemed alive, with nurses and doctors and patients moving in constant motion from room to room, new patients checking in. Most of the language around her was English, and though her own ability to speak it was hopelessly retarded, her mother had acquired it as an intern from one of her longest patients, and she spoke it almost perfectly. Her mother couldn't even understand Ami when she spoke English.

And of course the signs were in English, with Japanese subtitles, because while the workers here could speak English, they usually couldn't read or write it. And no one expected a foreign tourist to bother learning Japanese. Most couldn't understand a single word past "_Konnichi wa_," and "_Domo arigatou_," and "_Sayonara_."

Hopping on one foot and then the other, she pulled off her wet boots and slipped on her shoes, removing her slicker as well. To be wearing her own clothing was wonderful, though the rather obvious leer a portly American gentleman gave her made her reconsider her choice. Surely a calf-length skirt and sweater was proper attire, wasn't it? She had no idea that the black skirt, snug at the hips and flaring at the bottom emphasized the shape of her legs, and the sweater with its soft, bulky neck gave her face a perfect frame for its shape, colours in the weave matching her eyes. Her mother, on a rare shopping spree, had bought her these clothes. On her own, Ami tended to buy shapeless, neutral-colored outfits.

One of the receptionists offered to take her wet boots and slicker, putting them and her umbrella in their little closet for their own personal use. Bowing gratefully, Ami also inquired about her mother, who, she found out, was taking a nap in the doctor's lounge, and no, she hadn't seemed particularly worried about anything. How was school by the way, was she excited about ninth grade soon?

Of course she was, and what would she be doing? What she did every year, Kouhaku-san; study to interpret the world.

Waving as she took her leave, Ami frowned once she encountered a blissfully empty hallway. She couldn't wake her mother up, not if she was taking a nap; it meant she was so over-tired she couldn't even make it home, and it would be cruel to interrupt her. Reaching the elevator, she pressed the up button, turning her face away as another American stared outright at her, rudely enough that his wife howled at him. Ami all but ran into the elevator when the doors opened, its one passenger relinquishing the lift to her. The doors closed on the couple arguing loudly, attracting attention as they gestured at one another crudely. She touched her burning cheeks as the floors passed, leaving her in solitude until the sixth; then with a gentle bump and a ding, the doors re-opened.

The floor looked as typical and unremarkable as the ones below, all blinding white walls and featureless doors. She gave up the elevator to a pair of doctors, one male one female, and walked down the hall, her flats clicking softly on the tile. Through various open doors she could see a mix of foreigners and Japanese, the latter usually with one or two family members giving what comfort they could to their ailing brethren. This floor was designated for the terminally ill or long-term sickness patients, and many had their rooms almost entirely personalized by the time they vacated. One even had _hentai doujinshi_ pages stapled to her walls in a rather intricate collage that arranged the light and dark and shaded into a 3-D illusion of a nude woman. Ami turned red as a tomato and fled down the hall as the girl smiled at her.

At the very end was the room she wanted, and the door was open. Inside sat a teenage girl – slumped, perhaps, was more accurate – next to a comfortable feather bed, a rather wizened man so deeply lost in the mattress and quilts he looked like a child.

The girl looked up as Ami approached, staring at her with what the blue-haired genius had first taken as a sullen expression. But as time passed, she realized that it was more indifference, not necessarily bad or good. Perhaps it was an American attitude, though Ami had to admit, most she'd met usually showed some fantastic emotion constantly, either anger or happiness or joy or sadness. This girl hardly ever even broke more than a careless twitch of a smile.

"_O-ha-yo_, Chiteiko-san," Ami sang quietly, clasping her hands as she stood in the door. It wasn't yet morning, the sun had not risen, but it was too early to call it evening.

"_Ohayo_, Ami-san," the girl replied, her words not quite as fluid. Though she had been raised for a few years in her childhood in Tokyo, and had acquired Japanese as her second language early on, it was rusty from disuse.

She stood, a few centimeters taller than Ami, short, she often growled, in America for her age, which was 17. A combination of genetics had given her high cheekbones and slightly tilted dark brown eyes, her jaw set back at an angle to effectively deny her a chin. Naturally tan brown skin and her dark brown hair, mixed with gold and red highlights; she would pass for a native or perhaps one generation removed in many countries of the world. She had mentioned to Ami once that indeed, many back home couldn't guess her real heritage, of a white father with Japanese ancestry on his father's side, and a Mexican mother.

That was why she was here now, with the wizened mummy that was now all that remained of her father; though he was only a quarter Japanese, the country had fascinated him, and he had joined the Marines after dropping out of high school to make his way there. He had no money to make such a trip on his own, and when they offered to pay for college, he stayed in Tokyo. That was where he had met her mother, a visiting tourist from Wisconsin, who ended up extending her trip for five years for him.

They moved to Wisconsin when Chiteiko was four, and her mother died in a drunk driving accident three years ago. Almost to the day was her father diagnosed with cancer, and once he realized it was terminal five months ago, he packed them both up and moved them back to Tokyo to die. To Ami, it was a fascinating story, and a fascinating life; in comparison to her own, which was almost ridiculously dull, or had been, until that day; and only she never realized that it was that very day that had loosened her up to make this alliance. Before then, she would chat only customarily with the American, never getting quite involved, never bold enough to think of herself as a friend.

"Where have you been all this time?" Chiteiko asked, waving the paperback book in her hand at the blue-haired genius. "It's been weeks since you visited. Usually you're here every two days like clockwork; I can set my watch by you."

Ami smiled. "I've been busy preparing for high school, of course."

The brown-haired American snorted, glancing over as her father made a similar sound in his sleep. To an unknowledgeable person, the two didn't even look like father and daughter; Chiteiko resembled her dark mother, while her father, with enough Swedish and Scandinavian blood mixed in his veins, was an overweight, blond-haired and blue eyed, typical American. Ami herself had made the mistake when her mother had introduced them. "You don't have high school for another year, and your exams aren't until next February, and yet you're studying. Overdosing yourself on education is bad for your health."

"Isn't your American school system poorly funded and equipped, and an elevator system that advances many students who are unworthy of their grades?"

Chiteiko coughed, rolling her eyes. "That's beside the point."

Laughing quietly, Ami moved to the other chair in the room, having broken herself of the habit of having to constantly ask first. It was a comfortable armchair, set back by a set of bookshelves that held Chiteiko's father's novels – he liked Louis L'Amour, whoever that was – and her own preferred reading material. She also kept some drawing materials, though she considered most of her work complete trash. There was also a TV, as there was in every room, hanging from the ceiling; right now it was on, showing a muted late night movie. "Has anything exciting happened since I visited last?" the blue-haired genius asked, feeling herself sink into the cushions almost sinfully.

"Dad's been given another week to live; I guess he's too stubborn to die when the doctors keep saying he will. He's breathing on his own again, too, and keeps bitching about the food. I had to run to the KFC to get him some extra crispy five times this week." She smacked her paperback against her leg in what Ami had noted as a sign of thoughtfulness; the brown-haired American was indifferent no matter if she were worried, angry, depressed, or happy, and it was often her fidgeting that told her emotion. "And the TV has been going crazy about some super heroines that saved that politician, Hino. You'd think the news about the idiots running around in America wasn't enough."

"…super heroines?" Ami hoped to the kami and all of their shades that her face was still curious, and not showing how utterly terrified she felt. "What super heroines?"'

Chiteiko glanced at her, an eyebrow on its way up. "You need to stop studying for a while and join the rest of us stupid saps out in the real world, Ami-san. How could you not hear about these girls? They made some announcement today about these girls, teenagers at the very least, dressed in short little skirts and heels and calling themselves sailor soldiers. Hino says they saved his life, when some crazy chick attacked him and his little political clique. And a bunch of people were interviewed who said the sailor soldiers rescued them at some auction weeks ago."

Ami had to sit for a moment and absorb the meaning of the words out of the ramble; just like Alex, Chiteiko had a habit of speaking in such a direct and oftentimes confusing, rambling manner that it gave Ami a headache to interpret. She finally just said, weakly, "Sailor soldiers? Did anyone see who they were?"

"No; only Hino and whoever lived to tell the tale. There weren't any cameras to take pictures of them. But your mother said she's seen two of them. They were on the floor that was attacked at the hospital. And some idol who was at the auction said she'd seen them too at the hospital, she'd been there for a check-up."

Oh, _kami-sama_, it was worse than she thought. Ami was definitely fighting now to keep herself steady. Though Luna had never mentioned hiding their existence from the world, and they had revealed themselves at some time, obviously in the future, she doubted now was a good time to hold a press conference to show themselves off. And she definitely assumed that telling anyone she was Sailor Mercury was a major faux pas. She sank into the chair and hoped it looked as though she were merely relaxing. "I guess I did miss a lot. My mother never told me anything like that."

"Really? It was the hot topic on the floor for weeks. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury." Chiteiko glanced up at the television, making a disgusted face. Reaching across by memory, she picked up the remote and thumbed the buttons, switching channels. "A lot of people are saying they're probably just kids imitating Sailor V. One of the rescued politicians drew their pictures, though, and I saw some T-shirts for sale in Shibuya with their faces on it already; it's become a major marketing sensation, and no one knows who they are."

Ami nearly shuddered to think of her face being sold on the streets. Her likeness, probably rendered crudely, all of them, being peddled like candy; but hadn't Minako dealt with this once already? As Sailor V, she had been mass marketed onto pins, posters, manga, the video game at the Crown. Surely she managed to laugh it all off, and couldn't Ami do the same?

_Iie_. Laughing at the idea of herself as a valuable commodity was impossible. Hadn't she seen that very manga that last, blissful day of innocence? It had been cheap pulp fiction, a terrible way to market Sailor V's heroics without paying the girl a dime, or even asking her permission. Was she going to walk into a store one day and see herself in such a manner? Turn on the television and watch herself badly animated, vanquishing silly enemies? And, kami-sama, how many shows and idols had been reduced to disgusting hentai doujin fantasies? Now she did shudder, violently disturbed at the realization that, though her identity was safe from the world, her image was free for the taking.

"Ami-san?"

Could she even have a career? Would someone turn to her one day, and remark, "Ara ara, Mizuno-san, you look so much like Sailor Mercury!" She wouldn't be able to cope with her profession with people telling her of the resemblance, thinking it was a compliment and never realizing it was the truth. Expecting her to laugh, perhaps joke with them that yes, she'd been told that before, perhaps she did….

"Ami?"

Perhaps it was her inability to cope that drove them into the open in their future, inspiring them to tell the world who they were. Or maybe she had done it on accident, transforming to prove the people right, out of anger or loathing. Would they hate her if it were her fault?

"_Moshi moshi_, Mizuno Ami!"

"…_nani_?" She blinked sleepily, looking up to find Chiteiko standing over her, hands on her shoulders to shake her. The hands withdrew when she saw Ami finally respond, and she moved back into her seat. "_Gomen nasai_, I was…I was thinking. I have a mock test coming up tomorrow."

The brown-haired American stared at her for a long minute, as though Ami were transparent and all her lies were simply there for her to read. Then she settled back, and shrugged, turning her face away to look again at the TV. "Well, tell me next time you decide to cut out on the world. Had me worried for a minute."

Flushing lightly, Ami nodded, looking up at the screen as well – she had to crane her neck around and back, from her angle. "What are you watching?"

"BBC is having a special on those two scientists who died, as some sort of memorial I think. You know, those two that won the Nobel in genetics."

"You mean the lady who died recently in that explosion, and her rival, who died years ago in a shooting incident, Thibodeaux?" Ami could never twist her tongue around the one name to save her life, but the other, being French, was reasonably easier. Though she wanted to be a doctor, their works had always interested her, along with the books and theories of that big American man, the one who tended to actually scare her a bit. Not that he didn't seem like a teddy bear of a man, but his size…!

"Yeah, them. The only reason I remember them is because that Thibodeaux lady was married to that rock star, and his fan was the one who shot them out of jealousy. Crazy stuff. Their one kid was never found; they think she's alive still, and man, if she was, she's rich as all hell."

"A child?"

"You never heard about that?" Chiteiko eyed her again, then snorted. "I forget; you don't like gossip. You're more interested in the lady's theories than her married life."

"Of course," Ami replied prudently.

"That's what I like about the story: there's lots of juicy gossip," the brown-haired American said breezily, turning up the volume slightly. "The two women were always at each other's throats in the world of science, but still acknowledged each other's work. Thibodeaux had an interesting personal life though; she got married at nineteen to this guy, and he became a big rock star while she became a big name scientist. But they never told anyone publicly they were hitched, and everyone thought they were single."

Ami rested her cheeks in the cup of her palms, nodding.

"No one knew the rock star had two kids with her either, a boy and a girl. So he was acting like a cool single guy on stage, king of the world, and she was making miracles. Genetics. You know all about that." Chiteiko brushed it away. "But they had the kids raised by nannies, so neither of them was around when their son died. Plunged off a cliff into a gaggle of crocodiles, if you can believe it. Probably playing too close to the edge."

"That's terrible!"

"Well, yeah. And his sister saw the whole thing, going on nine years old. So mommy and daddy quit their careers, basically, to come home and watch her, keeping her confined at home because they thought she'd gone nuts. The abrupt departure of Mr. Rock Star prompted a fan to hunt him down, and when she found him to be a married man, she shot them both in the kitchen, then killed herself." Shrugging. "They never found the daughter, or her body. I guess the government kept the estate and its wealth – the guy was from a rich family even before he became famous – in case she ever did show up. Someone claimed it years ago, but as the money then promptly vanished, they think they were duped, and she's really been dead for thirteen years."

The blue-haired genius shivered, rubbing her arms. "That's hideous. To think, that poor girl could have escaped and been picked up, or raped, or killed…!"

"Interesting though, isn't it? The other lady's got a pretty boring life next to that." Both girls glanced, in unison, at the windows then, seeing the weak sunlight filter through the clouds. It was later than Ami realized. "But I suppose you don't want to hear it, not if you plan on going to school today."

School. For the second time in her life, she considered the advantage of simply skipping the day. And hadn't she missed perhaps a week already, captured and kept like a bug in a jar for the Black Moon to torment? What was one more day? Indeed, what would any of these days count, if she were to miss more for her life as a sailor soldier?

That would account for the open surprise on Chiteiko's face as Ami said, "No, please, Chiteiko-san; continue. What was her life like?"

The brown-haired American smiled, continuing: "Well, she didn't marry a rock star, she was married to some boring politician until he died of mysterious circumstances before we were even born…."

Morning, and the birds weren't singing in the rain.

Usagi was awake, early even despite the late hour at which she'd gone to sleep, watching the feeble light dance across her prince's back. She saw no reason to stop the rosy, content feeling she still had, and so she lay still to not disturb him. Though she had to smile at the innocence of his face in sleep, relaxed like that of a child, even with his mouth skewed against the pillow as he lay on his stomach.

To sleep chastely in bed like this with him was heaven, even though his body, against his will, made it often known to her just how much he enjoyed it. Like now, she noticed with a deeper smile. Someday, when they were both ready, they were prove how much they meant to one another, but that day wasn't this one.

Finally she slid as noiselessly as possible from beneath the covers, tiptoeing over to where his robe hung on the door, wrapping it around her body. It reached almost to her ankles, it swallowed her in terry cloth like a baby in its bassinet, but she couldn't walk around naked. Chibi-Usa was still asleep on the couch, or perhaps awake already and getting ready for school as well. She didn't dare risk the embarrassment or bad judgement.

She snuck out of the room and headed for the bathroom, noting two balls of pink hair roaming the kitchen. Both of them had gotten their uniforms from the Tsukino household while her parents slept, though Usagi was realizing now why Minako had brought hers to Alex's condo that last night instead of regular clothes; going from battles straight to class spared little time to exchange garments.

In the bathroom she brushed her teeth with the extra toothbrush she had brought for the purpose of leaving it, a pink thing with Hello Kitty at the end. She bared her teeth, inspecting them for signs of plaque, then vigorously scrubbed all over again until she had enough foam to pass for rabid. Spitting, repeating, and then finishing the process, she then washed her face, inspected her armpits and upper lip – recently waxed – and examined her body in the mirror, pleased as ever to see her figure still in excellent shape. Brushing her hair out, she parted it down the middle and, picking up the pins she had set on the sink last night, wound her hair up into their _odango_.

Pleased again with the result, she pranced out of the bathroom, almost happy to see Chibi-Usa still roaming around. The pink-haired child was setting out a dish, it sounded like, the fridge door opening as she scooted back into the bedroom. Mamoru was waking up, and he eyed her unusual morning cheer with a decided lack of his own. "_Ohayo_, Mamo-chan!" she chirped, dropping the robe into a puddle at her feet.

Hmm, very happy indeed. The dark-haired prince averted his eyes as a gentleman, though he could still see her in peripheral as she danced in her little white cotton bikini panties over to the pile of her uniform on his chair. She twisted her hips into her skirt, though it wasn't until she had her bra secured that he finally turned around; she didn't qualify for completely naked anymore. "_Ohayo_, Usako. Why are you so happy?"

Her head momentarily disappeared as she pulled her top on. "Because we saved the world again!" she said through the polyester weave, pulling it down proper and whipping her red bandanna around to tie it into a bow. "And because we're home again, safe and sound."

"Sounds like an excellent reason." He reached over to a similar chair next to the bed, picking up his trousers. Putting them on completely while sitting was a hell of a task, but he managed, and he stood up safely, all majors covered. "Even though we still have school to look forward to."

She laughed, disappearing into the living room with her socks. Smiling, Mamoru quickly dressed in his white shirt and tie, wriggling his toes into his socks before following her. "_Ohayo_, Mamo-chan!" Chibi-Usa called from the kitchen.

"What, not ‘papa'?" he teased – though it really wasn't so much of a tease, on second thought – as he passed through, heading for the bathroom.

"You're not my papa yet, you're still Mamo-chan," she said firmly, rattling glassware. "Just like Usagi isn't my mama yet, not while she's such a child."

"_N-Nani_!?"

Uh oh. He hurried to close the door, turning on the sink to drown out their sniping. Apparently, even such revelations of blood wouldn't stop them from acting…well, acting their age, he admitted silently, ruefully. And he was such an old man to think that too, wasn't he? Snorting, he picked up his black toothbrush, scrubbing gently at his teeth and gums and tongue, flossing each tooth afterwards. He washed his face and sniffed his armpits, applying a light amount of deodorant, and rubbed his chin and upper lip to find it still hairless. Oh, joy to genetics that had given him this lack of whiskers. In the mirror he flexed, pleased with his developed muscles and lack of fat, his figure athletically supple. Combing his hair with two swipes, he relieved himself in the toilet and then exited.

And they were still at it.

Sighing, he moved towards the couch, pushing aside Chibi-Usa's backpack and Usagi's case to sit. But at the strange lump in the backpack, he pressed his hand against the rayon, fingers finding the edges and shaping it… "Chibi-Usa, they're not going to let you take this into class!" he called over their arguing. She had carried the strange rod with her, refusing to even let them see it fully, but he recognized the basic shape of it.

"I'm not going to class. I'm going home to the future."

The words stopped Usagi cold; he could hear the actual halt of her breath, even from the living room. "You're…going home?"

"_Hai_; mama said to properly say goodbye, and come home. That rod is yours, Usagi-chan, your new rod to use as Sailor Moon. I have to give it to you before I leave." Chibi-Usa's head appeared as she hopped up onto a chair, munching on cereal, haute cuisine for her to prepare.

His princess stepped away, her face closing down as surely as it had been opened. All this time, she had wished the girl away; and now, she was leaving, and she didn't want to, couldn't let her go. Her face was unreadable as she came over to Mamoru, snuggling onto the couch with him, wrapping her arms around his chest. "Usako, you know she can't stay," he whispered to comfort her, hugging her to his side.

"I know, I know," she moaned, curling up her knees like a little bug.

It was this way. She was her daughter of their twenties, she wasn't even born yet. All the way out the door, in the elevator, down the wet street, he puzzled over it. They had done good in their future by being involved, and yet they had most likely ensured they would never see that time. To know all of this…ara, to privy to such secrets…! Yes, it was better for all that she went home, for who knew what she could tell them about the world they had yet to see?

Tokyo in the morning was busy, the streets flooded with children going to class, commuters running to work. Mamoru waved at an underclassman when he waved first, explaining to Usagi and Chibi-Usa that Ittou was a sweet kid, if a little childish. And he, of course, had never been so immature; it was his duty to be an example. Having two pretty girls agreeing with everything he said was certainly inspiring him to keep up the good work.

They waited at the crosswalk with a nurse, dressed in her white uniform, a Buddhist monk recently shaved who was pleasantly debunking a rabid Christian's beliefs at every angle, two schoolgirls, and a staggering drunk still on a bender. "My buddy's still up there!" he hiccuped to the general world, hugging his bottle of cheap plum wine. "Dumb bastard can't climb down…heh! He always wanted to fly!"

Mamoru interposed himself between the drunk and his girls, frowning.

When the light turned, the drunk was left standing there, cursing out the poor driver of a foreign Mini, a rich businessman who proceeded to roundly curse him back. Everyone rushed to get across, glad when the traffic rumbled again and drowned the men out amidst a flurry of horns. "Is this city always in such a hurry?" Chibi-Usa observed out loud, the whole dazzling system still surprising her. She had gotten as comfortable as she could with the crowded city, jam-packed with people in a way her Tokyo was not, but the constant urge to move here to there, to go faster, still puzzled her.

"Only when everyone's late," Mamoru sighed, following the child as she led them. She was, after all, in need of a perfect place to leave from.

The park's entrance, still cordoned off, was stopping no one; though Alex had picked the lock with finesse, leaving no sign of their break in, someone else had bludgeoned it with a sledgehammer from the look of it. Most likely not to get in to the park – why would a vandal want to go through the trouble? – but just to wreak something. The gates swung half-open, and it was through them the trio slipped, seeing no police around. Passing cars couldn't care less.

Chibi-Usa rang ahead, arms flung wide open as though she were a plane. Enjoying this last glimpse of healthy green, however scarred. Usagi and Mamoru were not quite as happy, and they walked behind her slowly, following her to the fountain, its spouts dry from lack of flowing water, the jets turned off when the gates had been locked. They opted to sit on the edge as Chibi-Usa spun around, the birds chirping curiously at the pink-haired thing in their midst. But when she stopped, she had a solemn face. "Usagi, Mamo-chan…I wish I could stay! I like the 21st century…even if it's crowded and smelly and you call me Chibi-Usa."

"Then stay!" Usagi cried. "Stay here, Chibi-Usa-chan; you're so selfish to leave me alone, not thinking of anyone but yourself!"

"Usako, she can't stay! We're not her parents yet; we're teenagers. And her parents, our future bodies, miss her, and need her to be with them," Mamoru admonished her, taking her hand. She responded by breaking out into a sob, turning her head away resolutely.

The pink-haired child came up to them, her face now unmistakably sad. She slung her backpack onto the concrete, opening the drawstring top to withdraw the rod she had hidden from them, holding it up into the light. Its top piece matched Usagi's brooch, heart-shaped and crowned; though instead of the crescent and four gems in the middle, it had an oval hole through which the light shined. It was set into a crown molding which was thusly set into a hand guard shaped like a big ribbon in a bow, the crescent its knot, the handle itself pink and slender and rounded into a knob at the bottom, with two stars like buttons beneath the guard.

Mamoru briefly wondered how many enemies were silently laughing at the utterly ridiculous weapons his princess kept vanquishing them with. Even heroines on those terrible children's shojo anime shows didn't have such gaudy – well, maybe that Card Captor girl.

Usagi turned her head at the sound of the drawstring, staring in utter thrall at the rod. Unconsciously, she touched her brooch, marveling at how they matched, like accessories on those shojo anime shows she watched. "Chibi-Usa-chan…is that mine…?" she breathed, running her fingers along the handle.

"_Mochiron_! I'm only a baby sailor soldier now; I have to be properly trained. It wouldn't be mine." She held it out for Usagi to take, and she lifted it so gingerly it was as if she considered it fine porcelain that could easily break. "Maybe Venus will be my teacher, and I'll be able to come back and visit as a true soldier."

She was smiling, though she was inwardly as miserable as Usagi. Holding out her arms for a hug, she was lifted into Mamoru's lap for a bear hug instead, snuggling her cheek against his. "You'll always be my knight in shining armor," she whispered, giggling.

"In any lifetime," he replied, digging into his pocket. "Hold out your hand."

Both girls gasped as he set his pocket watch into her palm, still ticking away smoothly. "But, Mamo-chan…!" Usagi protested.

"It was my father's watch; Usagi made it tick again. I want you to have it, Chibi-Usa, to remember us." He closed her chubby fingers over it, setting her on her feet as she, dazed, listened to it tick.

"Papa—you always told me that you lost this, and that it was precious to you," Chibi-Usa whispered, astonished.

He couldn't help it; the knowledge made him laugh, and he cupped his forehead. "So perhaps I'm destined to give it to you."

Usagi stood with him as their daughter put the watch in her backpack, pulling the strings tightly shut. They could see the skeleton key Diana had given to them – though ‘give' was the wrong word; ‘allowed them to take' was a better interpretation – in the outer pocket, beginning to glow as a beam of light punctured the sky, resembling a mere shaft of sunlight breaking free of the clouds. "Mama is calling me home," Chibi-Usa explained, shouldering the backpack. "Use your new heart moon rod and remember me, Usagi!"

"Chibi-Usa-chan!"

And their daughter was running before her nerve broke, into that shaft of golden pure light to disappear like an illusion, drawn into the sky and space-time. The light expanded to dazzle their eyes in a split second before dissipating as well, leaving the two alone with the song of the birds, apparently undisturbed by the scene. "Chibi-Usa…" Usagi whispered, sagging down onto the fountain again.

He settled beside her, drawing her into his arms. "Don't despair, Usako; someday, after all of the tears and happiness, we'll hold her in our arms and be thankful. And she'll smile at us, and we'll have the joy of raising her properly, as we're meant to."

"I know, Mamo-chan," she sighed, leaning against him, her neck gently bent to place her head on his shoulder. "But it all seems so unreal…from Metallia to the Black Moon, it all went so fast. Will we be able to enjoy life now, without any enemies? Is it possible?"

"Perhaps they'll take a break with us." His fingers moved up to stroke that bared skin before he could help it, and he delighted in her shiver. "After all, spring break is coming up."

"_Hai_…let's do something for Chibi-Usa-chan, to remember her in our hearts. For the upcoming holiday, we can set out the dolls to wish for her happiness!"

"And who is going to buy all of these dolls? And would you display the entire court, or just the emperor and the empress?" he teased her.

"Mamo-chan! This is our daughter! We have to go all out for her joy!"

She held the rod up for inspection, a finger tracing the round curve of the heart. Though she felt pleased to have such a new, pretty weapon, and a new stronger brooch to go with it, she dearly hoped she wouldn't have to use it for a long time. Surely these were the last enemies, because there certainly hadn't been any before Metallia. Perhaps they would live into their older years in peace.

Mamoru stroked her cheek, smiling as she looked back at him. Though they could hear the bells ringing for school, they were in no hurry as they came closer, lips meeting with strength and surety. Clumsiness no longer dictated their actions. They managed to stand up in this fashion, arms holding the other fast, the rod pressing into the dark-haired prince's back as she gripped him tightly. There was simply them in this world in this moment.

So a black ball dropped out of the sky and clonked Mamoru on the head—

—and hadn't they gone through this already?

Usagi screamed as something smashed into her shoulders, dropping her like a rock, and Mamoru found himself kissed with a familiar set of tiny lips; two, in fact. He fell backwards as the kid laughed, falling onto his ass square on the wet grass, blinking in a moment of pure stunned shock at what he was holding. "_Tadaima_!" she laughed, clutching his shirt.

"…you…going home…why are you back?" he finally sputtered.

"You're back?!" Usagi shrieked from the ground.

Diana leapt down from the pink-haired child's arms, a white envelope in her mouth with their names on the front. The fact that she wasn't guarding the gate was another sight to make them pause. But Mamoru extracted the envelope carefully, breathing again as his daughter rolled off, and he slit the top to pull out an unevenly folded piece of paper written with rather poor handwriting and almost all of it entirely in hiragana and katakana.

The _odango_-haired blonde peered over his shoulder as he read, slowly: "Greetings, past Mamo-chan and past Usagi. Would you train Small Lady for us? The future is in bad shape and needs us to fix it. Please watch our daughter as we make repairs. Thank you! Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion." A little scrawl of Serenity in SD mode, giving them a wink and a peace sign, was at the bottom.

Chibi-Usa was beaming a million-watt smile at them, obviously expecting to be received with open arms much in the manner she had left. "You get to take care of me again! Isn't this great, Usagi?"

"We just got rid of you!"

"Usako, are you really that poor with kanji?"

"There's too many of them, it isn't my fault!"

"But I thought you missed me, Usagi!"

"Not anymore!"

Well, maybe he wouldn't have to spend his money on those dolls after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my longest act, until I started on the Death Busters. It took a lot of pages to explain everything I wanted satisfactorily.
> 
> The 'holiday' Usagi mentions is exclusive to Japan. At the moment, I'm too tired to look up the exact name, but miniature dolls representing the royal court are set up in the home.


	24. Act 24  : mugen un - Foreboding

##### 

Eleven days was not a particularly monumental amount of time, hardly enough, one would protest, to actually strike up a good relationship for life; such trust has to be earned, in a span of time similar to the length of the Hundred Year War. You just don't go off and find your friend for life in eleven days; it's a fundamental fact of the universe.

Of course, if one is Tsukino Usagi, or Aino Minako, or Kino Makoto, or perhaps approximately 1/2 0f Mizuno Ami or even a tenth of Hino Rei, then it's possible.

Eleven days is the span of the Japanese school system's spring break; that magical time of year when the ankle biters are released from classes and indeed entire grades, and everyone is forced to sing 'Auld Lang Syne' once removed before being thrown out to watch the cherry blossoms bloom. Not a terrific span of time - summer vacation, merely three months away, is six weeks - but enough to take a breather.

The end of the school year, of eighth grade for these girls in question, came only a week after their triumphant defeat of the Black Moon, giving them a pleasant reprieve from scholarly pursuits as well as getting the a-holey shit beat out of them for the third consecutive time. It was a miracle and wondrous, and they lived every minute of it to the fullest.

It was also a time to collectively stew and get to know one another even better, because, let's face it; being buddies because of the uniform is nice and all, but hardly grounds for a lifelong friendship. They had known enough to like each other quite well, even get along for the most part, but what, they pondered, made her/her/him tick? What punched her buttons? Were there any major felonies to be known of?

Of course not, though Minako did qualify for several offenses from her days as Sailor V: destruction of property on more than one occasion, impersonation, attacking an officer...

But it was for a good cause, so it isn't important in the least.

Needless to say, it was eleven days of popcorn and bad movies and good movies and sleepovers and concerts. Usagi and Minako and Makoto loved J-Pop, although they all lusted after Dir En Gray, while Ami claimed no taste for music though she too, secretly, enjoyed Morning Musume. Rei was a classical music girl, of the Beethoven sort; and when they dragged Alex and Mamoru into their arguments, Alex seemed to like everything but classical, and Mamoru was content with anything with a melody.

All five girls enjoyed foreign films, though their taste for plot was varied; where Usagi, Makoto, and Minako loved romances and comedies, Ami enjoyed biographical studies, and Rei was entranced with, oddly enough, Disney. They went to every show they could afford, with Usagi and Chibi-Usa clinging to each of Mamoru's arms, and Alex offering scathing commentary between the original script and the questionable translations at the French and American and British movies; though she said Monty Python was all the more hilarious for the flubbing.

In a group, they dined at a few of the city's trendy restaurants, sampling Italian and Greek and French, the bill paid for unfailingly by Alex.

Days were spent roaming the shops and boutiques, hours in changing rooms alone as the girls posed and preened in their outfits; not surprising was their choice of colours. Ami was finally driven into buying a blue button-up dress that flattered her figure and was something she would never consider without such help; though she was pleased with the result, at the end. They had to almost forcibly keep her away from her mock exams and tests, however, on the stern directive that she enjoy herself for once for the love of the _kami_.

Eleven days is not truly a large sum of time by any means, but it would do.

And now they were in ninth grade, and entrance exams were looming.

Makoto, Minako, and Usagi were sweating in public and private, because the _kami_ knew how unscholarly they happened to be, being well adjusted to the sight of red ink. And even though their future was not exactly dependent on their education – it actually seemed useless to even continue school at all – they were putting themselves through this hell willingly!

Rei, comfortably ensconced in her Catholic school, secure in the fact that it was an elevator school that automatically graduated everyone to high school, was more sanguine about these things. They hated her for it, but were too polite to say it out loud.

Ami was another matter. She had her list of possible high schools, growing shorter every day with a quick flick of her wrist. No cram school, no mock exam was safe from her #2 pencil, and it was actually a bit unnerving for the girls to witness, but how were they to realize that she was hiding her denial in equations, theories, and multiple-choice? Live in the present; yes, and then, the future wouldn't seem to loom over her head.

And aside from the specter of high school and future past, Makoto was finding life in a lavish condo to be not altogether wonderful. Even the presence of a roommate, however silently accommodating, couldn't spoil her pleasure.

That night, Alex had put her in the guestroom, apologizing for the lack of decoration, rectifying many problems by the time Makoto had come back from school; hooks for her hanging plants, decorative stands for the rest, lace-edged pink pillows to accent the bed, a bookshelf. She had been so stunned that she had begun crying, remaining in the room for an hour and listening to the tall red-head downstairs through the open door. Quite simply amazed that she seemed ready to allow Makoto to live here for life, if she wanted.

She settled things with her old apartment, formally absolving Makoto of damages and back rent, and went so far as to call her old patron long-distance to tell her of the news, only to find out that she and her husband had died in a car accident on the day of Metallia's awakening; that the weather, so traumatized, had frozen the street beneath their wheels, sending them flying into a telephone pole. It was a humorously unfunny realization that even if Makoto's apartment had not been decimated, she would have been evicted anyway with no one to pay her rent.

It also gave her the chance to bond with the tall red-head, though she remained rather distant and aloof from the girls, even with their various outings. But Makoto had recognized it almost the second day as the same sort of protection she had for herself; having lost important people, in fact everything in her world, she had grown wary of letting anyone in again. Alex seemed to have this problem as well, though she wouldn't admit it; but it gave them common ground to start from.

But Makoto also realized that the tall red-head simply was a gracious individual. She was constantly doing small tasks for Makoto without her knowing, like leaving a fresh pot of coffee each morning for her ritual cup before school – the dark brew was a guilty pleasure of hers, and she only drank it in the morning – or leaving her a new cookbook she had seen in the window of a store. Usagi had seen this graciousness in Moriya; though the temper and belligerence was most certainly there, for the most part, she simply went through life being courteous, helpful, and thoughtful. And she would have done these things for any of them, if they were living with her.

Of course, they had to arrange a sort of schedule in the kitchen, they would have been in one another's way otherwise, but even this was almost instinctive and polite on Alex's part. She just knew when to leave it entirely to the tall brunette. It was, altogether, like being married.

And there were her lessons.

Ohhh, her _private_ lessons.

Twice a week she was instructed by Conrad Sommers in the art of fighting, rigorous exercises and moves that her few sparse judo lessons in years past couldn't hold a candle to. (Lessons she had admitted to him on the first day, feeling guilty about her deception; but he had brushed it away, saying they were free anyway to pretty girls. She had giggled to herself for hours in her room, he thought her pretty!) And it was a strangely intuitive style that seemed perfectly matched for her strength as a sailor soldier, tapping into those reserves she was never aware of as plain Kino Makoto. But it was no match for Conrad's skill; she was slightly embarrassed to learn that he had been holding back during the contest, though he assured her she had still ‘whipped his ass' good.

Now he ran circles around her, holding her off as though she were a two-year-old child barely able to walk. She hit the mat often enough to make good friends with it, and was glad no one was around to witness her beating; he trained one-on-one, not entire classes. Though she had seen – not particularly met – many of his other students on arrival and upon leaving; many of them ignored her coolly, as if she didn't exist, only a couple of them female. Rude jerks in her opinion, but she supposed Conrad didn't professionally care, as long as they paid his exorbitant fees.

She did finally ask him about it once, and she was right; professionally, he was simply their teacher for two hours, not their friend. But personally? He called them assholes, more than pleased to take away what was a small fortune from their pockets for his skills. "They change the better they are," he explained as she stretched, cleaning one of the ornamental katana hanging on the wall. "Once they gain that skill, they just think they're the shit. It's not personal, kiddo, they do it to each other." He eyed her as she wound up her hair into the usual bun, pinning it up. "You aren't going to turn into a psychotic bitch too, I hope."

"Me? _Iyaa no_! I have important people to protect. That's my mission in becoming stronger and better, not to be a selfish creature like those other students."

He was a strange man, however; though he claimed to be ‘from the area,' he was as straightforward, brusque, and direct as Alex, a trait no native Japanese man would have so openly admitted. And he was still a gentleman to her despite this attitude, even as he pounded her down into the mat and apologized. Not many men did she know who were even considerate to the female gender, still preferring to be the dominant species of human on the island; the future of Crystal Tokyo was a feminist's dream compared to this century. He offered her rides home in his car, a quick bite of take-out from the KFC next door. If she didn't hold herself firm, she was going to fall in love with him, and fast.

And that was not going to happen.

The last few weeks since their return from the 30th century had been educational, as well as fun; and now she knew that she faced an uncertain eternity. Hers was not to be a normal life span, with husband and kids to love her after a harsh battle or saving the world. How could she even consider such a foolish fantasy, with the possibility of life exceeding even that of the Silver Millennium citizen? And even still, could she even love a normal human being of the 21st century with barely a century promised to them? The rose colored glass she had viewed her dreams through was effectively shattered into clarity; to wed, to be a beautiful bride in Christian white – despite her parents, she still thought such lace and silk was incomparable – to even innocently sell flowers and cakes; that was not her destiny as she had planned.

So she swooned over Mr. Sommers, imagined him as her husband, his strong arms protecting her against the world; and it was bittersweet, and it was all she had. Even now, her dreams seemed to be failing her.

  
And dreams, as those girls could attest, were powerful stuff indeed.

Consider this dream:

Darkness, as far as the eye could see, as though the depths of even space itself had been effectively obliterated. But there was the tiniest spark of light, growing, spinning into the climax of creation, malevolent. [I exist. In existing, I feel the light. The light of disaster and reckoning, the light that will lead our plans to ruin.]

The light had no face, merely twisting as it came closer, closer to perception. [Deep within this insignificant third planet is the source of our life. The Taioron Crystal, sent long ago to make its way there. Hidden in the sacred land of Omega Area, sanctified by the carriers of the life. Again, we will make that land ours, we will claim this insignificant blue world as ours. Insignificant world, with a light close to the source of the Taioron Crystal, a power we will make our own.]

Closer, and there was the shocking realization that this was not merely light, but two eyes like holes ripped out of fabric, bodiless. [But there is that light of ruin! Three lights of a triangle, drawn to a single brilliant light. Like talismans to summon the god, these three would be collected to create this light of ruin, and lead us to destruction. That cannot be! Find these three lights, and destroy the light of ruin. Then, the utilization will be successful! The Taioron Crystal will be our source of life again this new world!]

Laughter, eerie and mocking, and it filled the universe. And then there was the shape of a hand, immense and pale as alabaster, closing over this thing. Snuffing it out as surely as a candle, and it wasn't merely a white hand but an elegant stretch of gloved fingers. The shape of a body then spinning down into eternity, chased by a weapon, a scythe, with a long handle and a perfectly curving blade. A face familiar, serene as it disappeared, a light that shone like a star remaining to fly away. "Everything leads up to the moment of reckoning. Awaken! Awaken and know your neverending destiny, at the activation of the talismans. And then, the ruin for this world. Already the world is heading for tragedy.

"Ho-ta-ru.

"I wish it could have been forever in this body."

She woke up.

The sky was roiling as though a gigantic spoon had dipped down and stirred it briskly, mixing the clouds and atmosphere into chaos. This was Tokyo falling into ruin, destroyed as surely as any civilization by time and wear, sped up to the climax. The sea was high, gathering up into a tidal wave above the broken spires and twisted metal of the skyscrapers, ready to fall and obliterate everything.

Only one was left to watch the destruction, shocked and trembling at the realization that everything had gone wrong. The future was not coming as they had thought, after a long and lingering freeze, an ice age not to come for years; instead, this was their fate. Had they truly done this damage by seeing their future, by knowing what the years would bring? In some way, had they changed the course of events? Did they bring this on by their awareness?

Glass and concrete crunched underfoot as the frantic race to escape the water – a slow death they could not reasonably escape – began, and their footsteps echoed off the empty walls and streets as though it were planned to create this rising sense of panic, orchestrated perfectly to induce fear. Like a movie soundtrack subtly giving away the monster hiding around the corner, ready to spring.

And then there was movement separate from theirs, a figure standing high above the ruined street.

Standing on what was left of a store rooftop. Hair fluttered in the gusting wind, but the colour was uncertain, as was the entire body, as it was in silhouette, obscuring even the most basic features. But it was woman; it was alive; and it ignored them utterly as it watched, obviously, the rising water. "This was the climax," she said then, a strangely sweet, unconcerned voice. "Everything led to this ruin. To the Silence."

"What ruin?" they cried. "How could this tragedy possibly occur?"

"Certain situations were destined, but could be averted. The key was summoned by the three talismans; I, the god of ruin, was called forth to bring down my glaive to lead the world into oblivion."

"So could this future not come about? How can I stop it? Tell me!"

"It is not my purpose. I am merely the weapon. I am not the messenger."

In unison, eight woke up in the night, sweating in terror. The gleam of light off the blade in her hand, the terrible image of the end of the world; was this a foretelling of disaster? And why did they see it, and what could they do to avert it?

The night continued on without them.

In the window of the Sony building, Minako and a girl from another junior high across the district pressed their noses to the glass, exchanging cries of admiration as they watched the wide-screen TV. It was a top of the line plasma flat screen, large enough to crowd a typical family out of their living room, and the picture was so crystal clear a sane man would weep; all the better to slavishly watch the pretty boy idol singing his heart out. Artemis rolled his eyes as his partner hopped in place, rapidly trading opinions with her newfound friend; just last week it had been a different idol, and two days before that, another. She tossed off crushes like other people tossed off clothes for the night.

The singer hit a high note then, dropping the cat's estimation of his age about two years, flowing rather badly into a rendition, of all things, "I Feel Pretty." If the boy's agent ever stopped to consider irony, the lives of many on the island would be enriched.

And of course, the girls were lapping it up.

Hunching down as if to hide from this embarrassment, Artemis watched the flow of traffic pass them by, many of them tourists staring around wide-eyed as though they had never conceived of such a thing as a discount store. One man and his wife were loudly exclaiming their surprise, in the most ridiculous nasal twang, though all the white feline could hear was noise. An ear twitched in irritation, and he rolled his eyes up again to see if Minako was done with her weekly worship to the idol god; when she screamed, clapping her hands, he groaned.

Today was the big party at the Crown Game Center, celebrating its grand re-opening, all of the brand new machines completely free for the day. The Crown Fruit Parlor, unsurprisingly, was catering, with promises of ice cream sundaes and sodas for everyone. Usagi and Minako had been ecstatic, and the girls had all promised to meet there after school; but that was if Artemis could get his partner's ass moving again. Damn Sony's picture window.

"Mo-ou! Why does the news have to come on at 5 o'clock?" Minako then wailed, as the local news, devious in its many ways, chose to come on as its usual time. The other girl made her escape with a hasty "_Ja ne_!" and a wave, disappearing off into Akihabara's north end. Artemis breathed a sigh of relief, hoisting himself up onto all fours as Minako muttered, "Who cares about elections?"

"Anyone worried about the future of Japan, I would suppose," Artemis replied dryly.

Minako picked up her case, playing with the new SD keychain of Lupin III she had won in the UFO catcher machine across town. "Well, let's go! Time for games and sweets until the chickens crow in the barn!"

"You mean, ‘until the cows come home'?"

"Ah, sure."

"I think you've messed that saying up at least twice now, Mina."

"You exaggerate too much," she said flippantly, bending down to scoop him up, patient as he crawled up onto her shoulder and flopped there comfortably.

But before they could leave, a loud voice suddenly yelled in English right in her ear, "Yew have the most be-oo-tiful blonde hair for a Jap-a-neeese girly!" sending her back against the window in a panic. She didn't understand any of it past the mutilated ‘Japanese,' but it didn't sound very flattering. Artemis, braced to leap and claw if he had to, recognized the nasally tourist from before, and wasn't any more impressed upon close up; the man stunk, his shirt was soaked with sweat, and he was missing several teeth as he leered at Minako.

Where the hell was his wife? Artemis looked around frantically, hoping to avoid clawing the lecher up – getting so personally involved usually ended up with him slammed into an unresisting wall – nearly pitched over and off Minako's shoulder as the man grabbed her kerchief, and she responded instinctively to piston her heel into his crotch.

He howled like a monkey, going over to grab his jewels as she swung up with her case, a hard rectangle of synthetic, and it crashed with a satisfying ‘thonk' into his jaw. Minako took off running down the sidewalk, cutting through the crowd with ease as the tourist fell over like a stuffed doll onto the pavement, keening. His wife, inside of the expensive electronic store, briefly wondered at the noise of the crowd outside, a garbled sound just as unrecognizable as the news report she was watching, and the discussion of the two next to her. "Atavism, it can't be possible. Those people must be imagining such ridiculous notions."

"Well, it was near the Infinity Academy. You know how those oh-so-special people can get carried away."

"Ha! And how the rest of us normal souls have to work for a living, they have the time to sit around and make up such stories."

"Oh, like those crop circles last month? Perhaps they're conducting research as to how gullible people can be."

Circles that had mysteriously vanished a few weeks ago, an enemy the common people never understood nor knew. An unnatural occurrence to be filed away with the strange, disturbing weather of months ago, unseasonably warm, only to suddenly freeze in unison with looting, murder, assault in the streets. Even as Minako ran for Juuban, passing by these thousands of citizens so completely sure of themselves that everything had an answer, she was still surprised at how normal they acted. Some minor buildings in the wards still had damage from Metallia's influenced storms, and though the crop circles were a genuine phenomenon throughout the world, the pitched battle between the soldiers and Koan in the Diet had no real explanation. The elements had flown from their hands, a person had died.

Minako was unsure if this vague disgust she felt with the people of her city was more of Venus asserting her personality, or her own disbelief.

Halfway, she transferred Artemis to her arm, holding him like a toy at her hip before boarding the bus. He hung lax in her arm, not entirely comfortable with this mode of travel, but used to the trickery to get them a ride. The one time she had tried to get on with him on her shoulder, obviously alive, they were literally shoved back onto the sidewalk. In the very back she made a show of dumping him on the seat next to her, propping her case against his tummy. "Are you comfortable, Artemis?" she murmured, sotto voice.

"You always ask me that, and the answer's always the same," he snorted, twitching his nose violently as it began to itch. The strain to not simply scratch was immense.

Two stops later, Rei appeared, still in her school uniform. Seeing Minako, she made her way to the back, remarking before she sat down, "Did you have detention, Minako-chan?"

"Detention? Me? My teachers consider me a treasure! Detention!" Scoffing, she flipped back a hank of blonde hair, oblivious to, or ignoring, Rei's secretive smile. The dark-haired shrine girl had made amazing strides to become friendly with Minako, with all of them in fact, and the girls were still getting used to the idea of Rei actually loosening up and being human. "I stopped to watch an important news bulletin, actually," she coolly retorted.

"Yes, as idol singers are the glue which hold this society together," Artemis muttered from behind the case. He squawked as Minako pressed his head into the seat as Rei laughed.

"And what about you, Rei-chan? You're always the first to arrive."

"I had to stay late and tutor a new student." Neatly folding her legs in contrast to Minako's sprawling slump, the dark-haired shrine girl glanced out of the window to watch the city go by. "From Obihiro. She says it's much warmer down here, though she misses the volcanoes."

"I'd miss the hot springs! Mama and papa are always too busy arguing to go on any vacations," Minako lamented, sounding light-hearted despite the heaviness of her statement. Her parents' displeasure with one another was not a well-known fact between the girls – Minako hardly even mentioned either parent in their company – and so she was unsurprised to see Rei's questioning stare. "I guess once I'm a famous idol, I'll have to go on vacations all the time to satisfy my passion for foreign flavours and inspiring cuisine!"

The dark-haired shrine girl made a sound of disbelief, convincingly steered away from the topic. Inwardly, Minako cheered, though it was a hollow victory. Wriggling to become just that slightest bit more comfortable in the seat, spine bent so badly a chiropractor would have fallen to their knees and cried, she cast a lazy eye over the rest of the passengers. No violently crazed tourist types, thank the _kami_. Just the usual assortment of school kids and office ladies and workers going home for the day.

Two students sat in front of them; a male with short blonde hair the colour of a pure sugar sand beach, and a female with long, wavy hair like the green-blue of the ocean. Their uniforms, a burgundy red from what Minako could see of their shoulders, marked them as students of the prestigious Infinity Academy, the sixty-floored skyscraper in the Infinity Zone. Alex had been discussing it with Ami the other day; it was an institution unrivaled in Japan, only blocks away from her apartment complex in the Delta.

Turning his head to glance out of the window, Minako swooned at the strong profile; a sharp jaw without a trace of stubble, eyes of a blue – no, grey, hue, like that of gathering storm clouds, thin fine eyelashes and swooping eyebrows of the same sandy blonde colour. It was unmistakably male, but altogether there was something soft, feminine, a trait Minako couldn't put her finger on, that one feature that would have made him womanly if he wore a dress or skirt. Near androgyny like Alex, chameleon.

His seatmate turned the same way, murmuring something in his ear; and she was a vision of elegance, defined perfectly by her soft pink lipstick and curling eyelashes. Her eyes, demurely lowered to half-mast, were Caribbean blue, pure blue, the calm ocean to Mamoru's stormy waves. To keep her hair out of those amazing eyes, she had tied some of it back with a ribbon in a perfect bow, something that would have looked ridiculous on any other girl her age; but she carried it off wonderfully. And to add to her mystique, she had a violin case in her lap, its neck visible off the side of the seat.

Minako was rocked out of her stare by Rei, as their stop loomed up ahead. Getting up, again holding Artemis like a rag, the long-haired blonde followed her friend down the aisle, though she felt a peculiar prickle at the back of her neck; and she looked back to see both Infinity students staring at her in turn, though the male winked at her finally. Blushing, she hurried to the door, leaping down the steps to land on the sidewalk. "Rei-chan, did you see that student? A Mugen Gakuen hunk! Suteki!" she swooned, dropping Artemis onto the ground.

"Minako-chan, men are a waste of time. Such idle flirtations are not my way. Now come on! Everyone's going to be mad at us for being late!" Rei admonished her, gesturing at the Crown. Through the brand new glass, already smeared with prints, they could see students roaming around.

Entering, Minako felt surprisingly upset as she saw she spot where the Sailor V console had once been, its place taken up by a change machine. The entire place had been re-arranged, and she could see the reasonable facsimile of it anywhere; unsurprising, considering that it had been a unique creation, made solely to test her ability as a soldier. She hadn't anticipated the loss she was feeling now as she realized it was completely gone. As an icon, Sailor V would survive; perhaps someone would take it upon themselves to create the real thing. But for now, the loss was unsettling, and she paused in the door to mourn it.

Of course then, she felt Motoki touch her shoulder, saying in her ear, "Minako-chan, this is the best day, isn't it? The game center, brand new!"

"_Hai_; the best day." She smiled convincingly, looking up at him. He was all smiles in return, though there was a peculiar tightness to his eyes, almost frantic as though he wanted desperately to say something else; and then, he said:

"But the Sailor V game was unreplaceable. It was strange, but the distributors said they had never heard of such a thing."

Had he seen the pain in her eyes? "That's terrible, _onii-san_. I guess I'll have to devote my time to winning every other game now."

He released her to her friends, looking now strangely satisfied. Disturbed, Minako weaved through the crowd to finally lock onto a familiar pair of _odango_, next to the counter of course, where the sundaes and sodas were being given out. "Minako-chaaan!" Usagi and Chibi-Usa called in eerie unison as they spotted her in turn, both of them with chocolate fudge sundaes in their hands.

"You finally made it," Alex commented from her seat on one of the stools, a half-full soda in front of her.

"_Gomen, gomen_!"

She spun on a stool of her own, seeing Mamoru and Makoto off to the side, talking to a young blond boy dressed in the same uniform as the dark-haired prince; Ami, in another corner, seemingly caught by Umino and a rather embarrassed Naru, who seemed to be trying to lure the spiral-glassed boy away. Across the room she saw, somewhat incredibly, Iretsu, standing on a stepstool as he played one of the new games. She could imagine that when he was blind, he had never had a chance to do such a thing. Catching her eye, he completely stopped playing to bow in respect.

Unsure if she were pleased or disturbed, she spun around to order a triple fudge sundae from the girl behind the counter, a young brunette perhaps a year or two older than the girls, with her hair tied up into a thick ponytail with yellow ribbon. The style was like an interpretation of Makoto's style – even with the thick, short tendrils of hair escaping at each ear – that Minako paused in her order. Even their hair colour was similar. "Minako-chan, this is Unazuki-chan, Furu-chan's little sister!"

"Younger sister?" Thoughtfully, Minako glanced from Motoki, with his canary-yellow hair, to Unazuki. "Do you work in the Parlor? I think I've seen you there."

"_Hai, hai_. It's family!"

When the sundae arrived, she dug it into with gusto, aware of the three felines – white, black, and lavender-tinged grey – watching her mow it down. Sitting comfortably between Usagi and Chibi-Usa's stools, they seemed to be forgotten. Minako sighed, offering them the last scoop in the dish.

Though Rei disdained video games, and Ami was more intent on studying the thick textbook she had brought with her, the rest of the girls switched between snacking and playing, keeping the new machines merrily busy. Mamoru preferred to sit and talk with Motoki, his schoolmate, who seemed transparently in awe of Makoto, leaving to do homework. But Alex was more than happy to play a few rounds against the girls, a surprising expert in the fighting games. "_Sensei_, are you a closet gamer _otaku_?" Minako asked as Makoto cried in defeat.

"I had a lot of time to practice with Lee," Alex replied mildly, rapidly punching buttons.

  
"Another combo!" Usagi and Chibi-Usa said, shocked.

  
An hour later, most of the other students were gone. Saying she had some unfinished business, Alex also left, though Mamoru remained with the girls, giving the Crown its last business. Though it wasn't very late, any student worth their education had homework to do, and it was usually slow at this hour anyway; Motoki was grateful for the reprieve.

Most of the fudge was gone, so Usagi and Chibi-Usa were pigging out contentedly on plain old vanilla as they watched Minako and Makoto at the UFO catcher machine, egging each other on. Minako seemed to be an old pro at it; she was picking up almost everything she aimed for. "Ara, a keychain! I think I'll give it to Ami-chan!"

"Give me what?" Wandering over, the blue-haired genius peeped through the glass at them. Triumphant, Minako held up the stuffed SD plush. "That?"

"For you, Ami-chan; a Devil Hunter Yohko keychain! Complete with sword!" Poking at the little felt sword the doll carried, she held it out for Ami, who took it in embarrassed gratitude. "It suits you."

"For what reason?" Ami mumbled.

"Rei-chan is getting this Kotobuki Shiiko keychain, and Usagi-chan, you can take this Sawaguchi Kome doll, and Mako-chan, this Daitokuji Biiko is perfect!" She began handing out toys like a dervish, though Rei eyed hers in much the same confused manner as Ami; what the hell was she going to do with it?

That task done, the long-haired blonde looked around. What game had she not vanquished? What else could she do to keep herself occupied? She had gone down each row right to left, fanatically beating and demolishing each console. Nothing had stood in her way of complete domination, not even several sundaes and five sodas or even the strange devotion of Iretsu as he brought Minako and the other three these snacks. Even now he was sitting at the counter, calmly discussing his next show, at the very same art gallery Ami's father had his paintings shown, with Mamoru. The dark-haired prince seemed more gracious towards the self-described ‘loyal servant' than the girls, though he was gracious to everyone these days.

A racing game! Chuckling evilly, Minako advanced on the row of consoles, four of them, paired off for two player games. As she was sitting down, she heard the swish of the door as it opened, admitting another latecomer. She paid it no mind, until she sensed someone sitting down near her in another seat, picking up the helmet the player had to wear for the realistic sounds and motions of the racecar. The burgundy uniform, the sandy-blonde hair; it was the Infinity student from the bus!

The student tilted his head to look at her, breaking into a charmed smile. "_Yo-o_. Aren't you the pretty girl from the bus? Surely."

"_Hai, hai_! Aino Minako, that's me! Master of the video game world, single and virginal! Say, you want to play one on one? I'll go slowly for you, if this is your first time," the long-haired blonde said coquettishly, ignoring the groans behind her.

He smiled wider, as though he were trying not to laugh, though his eyes drifted past to look at the girls gathered behind her for a moment. "Sure, lovely. But it may not be as easy as you think." Setting the helmet back down, he switched seats to sit next to her; this close, she could smell the cologne he used, a delicious fragrance that nearly made her swoon.

They put their helmets on; heavy, thick, claustrophobic things made to simulate reality, not mimic it. Through the shield, Minako could barely see the racetrack, and she grimaced as she shifted into first gear. "Go, go, go, Minako-chan!" someone called behind her; everything was so muffled, she couldn't place the voice.

"Hurry, Minako-chan, or you'll lose!" another yelled.

She shifted quickly, feeling the seat rumble as it simulated the speed's effects, her helmet jittering. But at 150 KM she was still too slow; the Infinity student's car zipped past, at almost twice the speed. "This is unbelievable!" she tittered under her breath, chagrined. "I'm losing!" She shifted again, jamming the pedal down, and steering for all she was worth, though turning at such speeds was insanity. Teeth grinding at the steadily mounting motion of the chair, she yanked the wheel too hard and howled as her car slammed into the wall, spinning back into the track. And if the simulation of speed was bad enough, the simulation of an accident was worse.

Her head slammed back against the headrest as she groaned, eyes crossing. "Defeated, in the prime of my life…how could he beat me?" She rolled her head, yanking the helmet off to peer at his speed, and promptly howled again: "400 KM!?"

The man was racing like a pro, and Minako realized that her friends were standing behind him to watch his game. "Traitors!"

"_Sugoi_, 400 KM! That's amazing!" Makoto gushed, starry-eyed.

"_Hai, hai_, incredible!" Usagi agreed, completely forgetting for a moment that she had her prince; and he was staring at her from across the room, a bit put out by her actions.

"That's quite astonishing! Like a true racer in his element," Ami said thoughtfully.

"Hmmph. Any woman could beat his level with practice," Rei sniffed.

"But why would anyone want to drive in a metal box so fast around a road?" Chibi-Usa asked curiously; many of the 21st century's quirks, like this strange ‘racing' sport, still confused her. In the 30th century, everyone had been happy to just make it across the city on foot in a reasonable amount of time.

The student pulled off his helmet as his pixilated counterpart vaulted out into a sea of cheering and adulation. He smiled at the pink-haired child as he ran a hand back through his mussed hair, though his was a style that looked better disheveled. "To be like the wind, to be better and faster than anyone else. In the seat of the car, going full throttle around the turn of the track; you have to be aware of everything. To miss means to lose. And I don't like to lose." So saying, he set the helmet down in the seat, hands sliding into his pockets.

Now they could see the whole of his uniform: burgundy jacket with the Infinity symbol set in a black star on the breast pocket, with "Mugen" in english below; white dress shirt with a green plaid tie perfect at the neck, showing off his pectoral muscles just rounding the cloth; and the same plaid trousers cinched with a brown belt. And of course, shined dress shoes.

A handsome boy, and they were properly dazzled by him. "To the victor belongs the spoils," Minako sighed, clasping her hands as she leaned towards him. "Do be gentle with me, I'm a fragile creature."

"M-Minako-chan!" Usagi and Makoto and Ami yelped. Rei hung her head.

Across the room, Mamoru, Iretsu, and the three felines watched the gathering with more than a bit of apprehension. Their conversation had halted a while ago, to properly watch the Infinity student completely captivate the girls. And Mamoru was surprised at how jealous he was feeling; it was a gut-wrenching emotion that he was unused to. Surely his princess was simply too innocent and guileless to realize what she was doing…it was her way to be so spontaneously enthralled. Though the way the Infinity student's eyes lingered on the _odango_-haired blonde was not at all innocent.

"How shameful," Iretsu murmured beside him, rather helpless on the high stool Mamoru himself had helped him onto. "The man is acting disrespectful towards Tsukino-san. Staring at her so openly…Chiba-san, it is not my place, but I think you should stop this." The dwarf looked up at him solemnly, though Mamoru was surprised to see the anger in those iced green eyes. He really did take himself seriously in this time.

"Usako…Usa…she has her own mind in this era, Chouko-san. I may be her prince, but I shouldn't be jealous over every male she thoughtlessly stares at. She…she's too innocent to realize what she does," he sighed, folding his arms. Motoki cut across his view, pushing a mop frantically to scrub at the floor. The dark-haired prince's eyes followed him instinctively, drifting of their own accord to see him push the mop past the door. But he then focused past Motoki, seeing a girl standing outside, in the female version of the Infinity uniform; the green plaid in her skirt was unmistakable. "He has a girlfriend?"

And he made her wait outside; the Infinity student was definitely dipping lower and lower on Mamoru's scale. He glanced back around to see the girls still doing their traditional dance around the boy, then stood up. Iretsu's quizzical stare was ignored as he headed for the door, frowning deeper with every step he took. To have a girl stand at the door like a waiting puppy dog was intolerable; perhaps he would have to teach the boy some manners.

The doors slid open with their usual sound, and he was unsurprised to see her turn to see who was walking out; what surprised him, however, was the face, because he knew it looked familiar to him. But the recollection failed to register, and he said graciously, "Are you waiting for your boyfriend, miss? If so, it's terrible to be standing out here alone like this."

She smiled, those warm ocean eyes coy as she glanced through the window. "Haruka? I'm used to such idling. I prefer to be waiting out here where I can watch the distant ocean." Her gaze turned away to focus on that far strip of darker cobalt, calm this day.

"I see." He caught sight of the violin case in her hand, a small, sleek black leather case that looked to be quite expensive. "You're a violinist?"

"I enjoy playing, yes." She sounded close to laughter as she spoke, however, and he had a feeling he was supposed to have obviously known that. Still, that irritating feeling that he knew her face nagged him, and perhaps that was what her humour was about. Was she famous?

But this really was strange.

Too proper to stare, she allowed her eyes to drift slightly away, her gaze encompassing both him and the windows so she could continue to watch the Infinity boy. Her mouth, set in what he had seen to be a slightly ironic smile, became cold at this angle; hard set in a determined line. Those Caribbean eyes seemed almost empty, devoid of the amusement she had shown him. Though she stood casually, hands full holding both school case and violin, her stance seemed straighter somehow, as though prepared to strike; the sum of the whole was that of aggression. And he realized suddenly that she was that prepared in body and spirit, that if he ever presented a danger to her that she would not hesitate to strike him down.

And that was silly; but it was a disturbing revelation as he watched her. Like a soundless snarl of warning, she gave it off in spades; Don't Fuck With Me. That pleasant, well-bred façade was just that…

She turned back to him, and the menace vanished. "It was nice meeting you."

"I…yes, but isn't your boyfriend…?"

He felt someone press by him, and he glanced aside to see the Infinity student exiting the arcade, case slung over his shoulder. The look that exchanged between them was not quite friendly, but it wasn't angry; more, taking each other's measure. Deducing the challenge. And the girl seemed not at all put out by their attitude, but amused; maybe they enjoyed playing each other's jealousies. Mamoru wasn't sure if he then felt sorry for her, or disturbed. "Are you ready to go, Michiru?" the boy asked as he and the dark-haired prince glared at one another.

"_Hai_, Haruka. You needn't be so bold on my account." She laughed merrily, bowing to Mamoru formally, as though he were someone far more important. "My name is Kaiou Michiru. If we ever run into one another again, it would be pleasant to know."

"Chiba Mamoru."

"I'm Ten'ou Haruka," the boy added, emphasizing the name; and it did have a familiar ring to it, and damned, again, if Mamoru could place it. Without asking or forewarning, he turned away and strolled down the sidewalk, and Michiru followed him with another polite bow.

Mamoru scratched the back of his head. "Ten'ou Haruka…Kaiou Michiru," he muttered, rolling the names over on his tongue. "Ten'ou…Kaiou…" He kept thinking of McDonald's burgers for some reason, which meant his brain had taken a vacation; he wasn't going to think of it for a while. Sighing, he stepped back into the Crown, ignorant of the commotion rising in volume down the street.

He lifted his head to find Usagi standing in the doorway, so close that he nearly walked right into her. "Usa…?"

"Usa? Why not Usako?" she asked quizzically, hands knotted at her waist.

"You're not the child anymore, are you…" The look he gave her was unusual in its gravity, his expression drawing together into an intensity that she hadn't seen in months. She reached forward to take his hands, suddenly worried for him; and though he let her take them, he said nothing. Brooding.

Both of them were aware of the silence in the arcade around them, broken only by the sounds of the consoles. Everyone was staring at them, even Motoki, leaning on his mop; too polite to directly ask what was wrong. Usagi was looking up at him with those soulful crystal blue eyes, her question all but screaming at him from their depths. And all he could think was, Of course she's grown up, that's good isn't it? To be an adult, with all of their needs and wants, and what if that's it, that she wants this Haruka instead of me? Princess Serenity, but Tsukino Usagi now, in no way beholden to me, Chiba Mamoru, once Prince Endymion. Is that what adulthood will mean for her, to realize that she doesn't even love me at all?

"Mamo-chan?"

Her ‘Mamo-chan,' her champion. Does she secretly hate me, perhaps, for being the only man in the world that knows her secret, the only man she ever could love, choice or no? _Kami-sama_. And this Haruka boy, with his flashing smile and arrogant stride, does he reach her depths in ways I can't, does he make her long for his touch, does he inspire her wanting and needing and desire… And why do I think this possible? Our love is strong and permanent in the future, and is it in our power to change it, to make that vision disappear? We love each other…or does she love me because I'm simply the first in her life?

Maudlin, his dear old friend, was close at his neck; he could feel it. How easily he could slip back into that emotion, distancing the world, pushing everyone away. Even Moriya had been forced to work around it, because it had been safe for him. No one expected anything of you in such a state, not when it was also expected. How could anyone in his position – family lost to him, memory betraying him – be anything but upset?

He felt the need to shake his princess, to demand an explanation of her, but it was ridiculous. Absurd. Perhaps all this boiled down to was his insecurity; and that he was simply being a jealous idiot. Why, Chiba Mamoru, how introspective of you.

"Usa, _gomen nasai_. I was just thinking of the past few months…realizing how lucky am I to love you," he finally murmured, lifting a hand, her smaller, delicate fingers still holding on, to kiss her knuckles.

But the worried look didn't entirely go away as she accepted his next kiss on her lips, light as a feather. She knew something was wrong; it was in her nature, if not her power, to recognize the symptoms. Wasn't she always the girl everyone came to when they were crying or upset because she knew just what to say to him? She said, "_Aishiteru_, Mamo-chan," delicate but firm, to remind him.

And there was a flash of heat between them, a surge of power that at first Mamoru took to be one of her rather spontaneous displays of emotion; but then he realized that wasn't it at all, because Chibi-Usa was lit up as well. No, not her personally; her brooch. Her silver crystal was radiating like a miniature star, just as Usagi's. "_Nani_?!"

"My brooch….the _Ginzuishou_! What's causing this?" his princess stammered, touching her fingers to the golden metal, the lid of her brooch disappearing to reveal the glowing crystal.

Something heavy slammed into the glass behind them, rattling the doors, but not hard enough to break; scrabbling against the glass like an enormous moth, only far, far louder, sharper. The girls cried out in disgust and shock, and the two lovers turned to see a humped grotesque creature straining against the glass, eyes nebulous, teeth as sharp as knives. But the hunched figure beneath it – a writhing human clad in a uniform – was surprising not in that she was there, for the creatures always attacked people, but that they seemed to be attached to each other.

"What the hell is that?!" Minako cursed, slamming her fist into the emergency locking mechanism next to the doors as the creature scraped at the aperture of the glass. Though the sensor seemed to completely ignore the thing, thankfully not sliding open automatically as it usually did, it seemed sentient enough to realize how to force them. The locks clasped the doors shut, holding them firm, and the metal gate came loose from the wall for the girls to yank together and lock as well.

Just in time, as the glass gave way, and they scattered with shouts of pain and surprise. Emitting a strange screech of displeasure at the gate, it began bashing what they assumed was its head against it, the metal rattling and whining with the stress. How odd that no one outside was attempting to stop it – people could be painfully stupid – though they may also have gained enough experience in the past months to simply run. No, scratch that; the creature reared up as someone finally did boldly go where no one should have gone, assumedly whacking the creature with…something.

It spun around, and someone shrieked in pain. There was a whistling noise and then a sickening thud, like that of a ripe melon hitting concrete. "That…was terrible," Ami whispered, pale as a sheet.

A door slammed behind them; Motoki, Unazuki, and Iretsu had disappeared, presumably into the back room. How wonderfully smart of them; if only the girls could follow them. Luna, from the bar top, looked from the door towards them, paws braced against the fake wood. "_Minna, henshin yo_!"

"Mercury Planet Power, Make Up!"

"Mars Planet Power, Make Up!"

"Jupiter Planet Power, Make Up!"

"Venus Planet Power, Make Up!"

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

Usagi hesitated, her hand on her brooch. She stared at Chibi-Usa, goggle-eyed, unable to understand the emotion she felt at the sound of her old transformation; her first transformation. The words she had spoken without fully realizing what to expect, or what to anticipate. But that was the natural order of things, wasn't it? Her daughter was simply following the same path.

Which reminded her: what the hell was she supposed to use?

Her guardian soldiers, her daughter, stood and waited for her. Then as if she realized why Usagi was waiting, Chibi-Usa said, "Usagi-chan, use Moon Cosmic Power. Hurry!"

"_Hai_!" Closing her eyes and bracing herself, Usagi cried, "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"

The first time she had felt her new transformation, it had been almost painful; Moon Crystal Power had flushed her body with energy, unlocking a second barrier in her mind to allow her greater access to her powers. And she had wielded Moon Princess Halation without effort, a stronger attack than her tiara or moon stick, which simply healed; not destroyed. Now, her third transformation left her breathless, feeling physically stronger yet lighter; her entire physique felt altered to this new power.

Rearing up again, the creature scraped its multiple legs against the gate, hooking through the diamond links and yanking. Beneath its body they could see the girl shake, unconscious but flopped about as the creature pulled her around for the ride. "It's trying to pull the gates open!" Mars gasped softly as they watched the creature slam its head again and again into the metal.

"Haven't we caused the Crown enough damage?" Venus asked rhetorically, pointing at the creature's eyes. "Poor _onii-san_. Crescent Beam!"

The long-haired blonde's aim was excellent, as always, as the attack streaked through a diamond link to impact with one of the eyes. It exploded into pus and black blood as the creature yanked its head back, limbs still entangled with the gate; with no back legs to brace itself, the entire weight of the creature fell, and with a whining shriek, the gate ripped free of the wall and tumbled down atop it. "The girl beneath it…!" Mercury cried, perhaps a bit too late.

"But the creature's attached to her, surely it'll protect her," Jupiter postulated as she called power to her hand, hesitating as she felt it surge higher in strength than she had known; adjusting her aim, she reached out towards the creature to release the energy, shouting, "Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"

Rising free of the gate, the creature reared up right where the tall brunette anticipated, and the attack hit it dead center, leaving a crater in its wake. Taking the initiative, Mars followed up, yelling, "Fire Soul!" and the air was filled with smoking, bubbling bits of goo as the creature thus exploded. Black sticky blood streaked the walls, the concrete, and the soldiers; it burned like acid where it hit skin. "_Ittaaaiii_! That was a bad idea!"

"The bad thing isn't supposed to explode! Who created such a stupid creature!" Venus flailed her arms, scraping at her cheeks.

They could hear the sound of sirens in the air; a familiar noise indeed. As one, the girls turned and looked at one another, then down at the remains of the smoking creature's insides. Inside of them, the girl twitched and moaned, her uniform shredded where it had been attached to her back; unblemished skin shone through the torn fabric.

Mamoru peeked over the bar, his arms full of three wiggling felines, shaking his head. "Yare, yare, Motoki's father is going to be upset."

"Forget that, Mamoru-san!" Luna flailed her paws at the soldiers as the sirens came almost frighteningly close, assuredly within sight of the damage by now. "Transform back, quickly! To be held responsible for this mess would be disastrous!"

"Lie on the ground and pretend you were attacked!" Artemis added as the dark-haired prince released them; the cats raced for the open window behind the bar, leaping out into the alley.

As they changed back, they seemed to shrink; not very much, but enough for the casual eye to note. No one would recognize the six dirty school girls as sailor soldiers, looking so slight and unassuming. They scattered, dropping down to hurriedly clean a spot on the floor of glass before sprawling as if thrown down. Usagi pulled Chibi-Usa down with her before the pink-haired child could protest, wrapping her up in her arms and rolling partially over her; if such an explosion had occurred in this manner, she would have protected the child. Anyone would have, she thought.

There was the sound of brakes, and a flurry of footsteps. She could hear – iie, she could sense – her prince coming out of hiding, running towards them as though truly worried, and then his hand touching her neck. "Hurry! These girls could be hurt!"

"Mamo-chan, you're such a pretender," Chibi-Usa giggled quietly, seeming excited by the prospect of being ‘rescued'. She wisely hushed up as Usagi pinched her arm.

In this subterranean refuge, electrical wiring was dangerous and often short-circuiting. With the constant dripping, cold conditions, and unhealthy dampness, the wires had to be replaced almost every other week. How laughable that it was merely to keep the TV and stereo system running; ostensibly to hear the news, but really to watch silly soaps and sumo during her free time.

"…in Juuban. In an incident strangely coincidental to the report of an attack in the Infinity Zone, the witnesses claim that a girl from the Infinity Academy became atavistic, rampaging down the street until being stopped in front of the reopened Crown Game Center. Destroyed or self-destructed by an unknown source; an investigation is underway. Witnesses, also students from Infinity, claims that the ‘sailor soldiers,' who were reported to have fought a terrorist at the Diet, stopped the atavistic creature before disappearing. The Metropolitan Police declined comment.

"Who are the ‘sailor soldiers'?"

Lips set in a tight line, the woman turned the TV off with a sharp flick of her wrist. Pausing a moment to hoist her breasts, re-adjusting them within the cups of her black dress – it was not an outfit she would have personally chosen, but the Master liked it – she turned to face the five girls kneeling in patience behind her.

"Well," she said finally, at first. "Well," she repeated again, tapping her staff – a simple staff of gold, its top twisted into an Infinity symbol entrapping a black star – and frowning. "The daimon are failing in the utilization. The bodies of the students only became partially atavistic, creating that failed daimon that these sailor soldiers destroyed. And the stolen souls then escaped back into the bodies of the students, once the daimon was destroyed and the utilization halted."

"But Magus Kaolinite, how could these sailor soldiers destroy the daimon?" one of the girls asked, impatiently tossing her head. Her bright red hair, tied into two ponytails on the side of her head, fell back behind her shoulders. "And how could the soul once captured be freed?"

"Nature abhors a vacuum," the Magus said, a bit ironically. "Before the souls could be utilized, they were simply held in containment. The daimon took the place of the souls in their bodies, and in the case of failure, and of defeat, the daimon was destroyed but not the body. The lower soul, the residue, called out for a connection, and their soul fled from containment to connect with its lower half. It was an act of survival, else the body would die."

The woman looked towards a spread of cards on the rim of a still pool off to their right, its surface silver and clean. On the cards appeared the images of the six sailor soldiers, slowly focusing and gaining depth and clarity like film developing in a dark room. "This we cannot have. The Master must have those souls. No other souls but the prime souls of the students we've selected will do." She raised her staff, leveling it at the five girls. "Witches 5! This is your new mission! To rid us of these new enemies, these sailor soldiers!"

"But they carry the power of the planets, Magus Kaolinite!" another girl interrupted, momentarily flickering like a ghost to reveal another of herself, like a mirror image reversed, overlapping her body.

"_Hai_, they are the legendary sailor soldiers that the Master is reputed to fear! The protectors of the planets, avatars of their might; we are merely the Witches 5, not Magus like you, Kaolinite."

"Silence!"

Cowed, the five girls dropped their heads obediently.

Kaolinite ground her teeth, furious. Though they had long ago been successfully utilized, five young girls of extreme intellect, physical stamina, and ingenuity, they still could be the impatient, outspoken teenagers they had been when Kaolinite had found them. True, they had that propensity for darkness in their hearts, or else they would never have accepted her offer, but they could be ridiculously argumentative all the same. "Yes," she hissed finally, gripping her staff tightly. "Yes, it's true that the Master once revealed the existence of these sailor soldiers to me. But the sailor soldiers exist in all of the galaxies, not just on this planet; and they vary in strength and power, just like you. Did you not take notice of their work these past months? They are like clumsy children in this world. Easy to defeat."

A card flew to her hand, and she held it up for the girls to see. "The power of this soldier…before the daimon was destroyed, it relayed a power back to me that had the brilliance of the Taioron Crystal."

Sailor Moon, caught in the act of flinching.

"Destroy them, and take their souls, the pure souls of the planets. Capture this soldier's brilliance, and bring it here for the Master. I don't care how! Do this, and be rewarded as I was, becoming a Magus! To speak directly with the Master; to reap the benefits of the Taioron Crystal, this can be yours!"

They murmured amongst themselves in excitement, the noise little more than a musical babble; Magus! They had never dared dream of such a position. To be one of the Witches 5 was a blessing in itself, for they had powers above normal humanity. But being Magus allowed them to speak directly to the Master who directed their plans, who commanded even Kaolinite.

"Magus Kaolinite," the red-head said formally, saluting in that time-honored fashion; with her right fist to her left shoulder, "the Witches 5 are ever loyal to the Master. We will accomplish this."

"Of course you will," Kaolinite agreed, though it was hardly said warmly.

  
"…so it just appeared, and blasted the window inward. That knocked all of you down, and you never saw what destroyed the monster?"

"_Hai_."

"How remarkable that the glass managed to miss all of you."

"We were very lucky, officer."

Sighing, the detective sat back in his chair, rubbing at his temple. "Hino-san, I hope you realize how suspicious this is. When the Diet was attacked, your father claimed that you had been there, with a classmate. Your classmate was found safe, your father was found safe, and yet you disappeared entirely. Not even your grandfather knew your whereabouts. And yet, your friends just happened to be in the building, hiding in a closet suspiciously. Now we have an atavistic creature destroyed, and again, we find your friends nearby."

"If you are implying something," Rei said haughtily, though she was scared as hell beneath her usual demeanor, "then implicate. If not, then you have no reason to investigate me like this, or to hold me and my friends like criminals when we were attacked."

The small doctor's office they had taken over was cramped, and it showed as the detective, a bit portly, tried to adjust himself in his chair and banged his knee on the desk for lack of space to move back. Biting back an obvious curse, he fixed his beady eyes on Rei with a competent attitude she sorely disliked. "I am not calling you a criminal, Hino-san; _kami-sama_, your father would make sure my life would be miserable. Most likely get me fired. But anyone can plainly see something is amiss, when the very same group of people are found at two separate tragedies! And what would they be doing in the Diet, I ask you, Hino-san, when it takes special dispensation to even get in the door?"

Her tenuous grasp on her temper was disappearing like smoke; she was gripping her hands so tightly in her lap where he couldn't see that she could feel her nails cutting skin. This was a situation she had never dreamed she would be in, ever, in her life, and yet her status as a sailor soldier had managed to place her here. And what could she do to evade the law? Continue to deny it and imply her father would, as he himself had said, make his life miserable? Or transform in front of him and tell him to stay the hell out of their business, because they were defending his life and in fact the lives of the world?

She was still wildly debating her two options when the door opened behind her, and the detective was up on his feet. "Superintendent-General, what a surprise."

"Utagai-san, you should never be surprised to see me." Rei turned to see the Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police, and her heart sank down to her feet. Now she was in trouble, and no amount of posturing or attitude could get her out. Her hand slipped into the pocket of her skirt, and she summoned her pen; though at the thought of transforming, she felt the nudge of power before she even touched the metal. Was it possible that Planet Power was strong enough that she didn't need the device anymore?

She looked up. The Superintendent-General, in a somber purple business suit jacket and matching skirt, was staring at her with a stern expression. "You are the daughter of Hino? You look just like him. He was worried for you, after the attack on the Diet."

"How surprising. My father usually has little time for me outside of his political maneuvers," Rei countered frigidly, feeling a bit more assured.

Motioning for Rei to stand, looking displeased at the response, the woman said, "I'm taking her and her friends home personally. The little girl is finally conscious and responsive, and is well enough for the trip. And I have questions of my own to ask."

Chauffeured by the Superintendent-General; ayiii. Rei inwardly shuddered, as the detective stammered behind her, obviously surprised by this turn of events. But he couldn't stop the Superintendent-General, and since he had not charged Rei with any crime, he couldn't keep her any longer than necessary anyway. Standing finally, the dark-haired shrine girl gifted him with a cool bow, appropriate respect for the police with just the smallest hint of disdain for the detective personally. Holding the door open, the Superintendent-General followed Rei out, closing it firmly against the detective's babbling. "Come, Hino-san, your friends are in the car park," she said coolly, guiding her towards one of the stairs.

"Is Chibi-Usa alright, Superintendent-General?" Rei asked, allowing the concern to creep into her voice as they strode down the hallway. Two policemen stood guard at one of the last rooms they passed, where the girl who had been unfortunate enough to be the creature's unwilling accomplice was resting. Cuts, bruises, catatonia…the list was large, from what Rei caught.

They stepped through the door into the stairwell, and once the lock clicked, the Superintendent-General suddenly smiled brightly. "Call me Sakurada-san, or you can call me onee-san like Minako-chan! May I call you Rei-chan?"

Rei jolted to a stop so suddenly on the stairs that her shoes slipped, and she very nearly tumbled down to break her neck. She stared in disbelief at the woman who had undergone such a drastic change in the span of a door closing, and wondered if she'd gone mad. The only other bubbly idiot she knew with the propensity to change demeanor like a light switch was Minako; who, appropriately enough, Sakurada had mentioned.

"Rei-san, then! Don't be alarmed," she added, seeing Rei's expression blank. "I have an image to uphold. I can't let them know their Superintendent-General is truly the best of friends with Sailor V!" And sure enough, she flashed the victory sign at her.

Ah, that explained it. Minako had done something stupid when she was the lone soldier.

Shaking her head in disbelief and annoyance, the dark-haired shrine girl repeated her question from earlier. They had been taken – again, according to Minako, as it was a trip Rei had not been privy to – to the hospital when the police had found them lying on the floor of the Crown, merely to check them out to make sure they weren't in shock. Of course they weren't, but Chibi-Usa, who had never seen the inside of a hospital, had never seen people so sick they were walking scarecrows, had gone into a frightened fit. When the nurses had given her a sedative to calm her down, she had a reaction; and the last Rei had known before she was herded off, she was unconscious and her throat had been closing up.

Sakurada looked grave as she responded, "She's breathing again. Truly, she shouldn't be released, but that lady came in and told the doctor she would be taking her home, and the doctor changed his mind entirely."

"Lady? What lady?"

"That tall American lady, with the bright hair. She's waiting with Minako-chan and the others in the car park."

So Alex had known they were at the hospital. The cats must have learned how to work a pay phone, or the tall red-head had a communicator, because there was no way they could have made it all the way to the Delta on paw in the last hour. Rei had no other idea how else they could have gotten word to her.

They stepped through the last door to find themselves in the echoing chamber of the car park, so unnaturally bright from the lights that both winced unconsciously. Sure enough, near an undercover police car and a familiar Saturn stood the entire group, along with a blond man in a suit who was fending off Minako's questions. Even the cats were sitting on the hood of the Saturn, next to Alex as she leaned back against it. And true to Sakurada's word, Chibi-Usa looked to be breathing fine, though she was pale in Mamoru's arms.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi cried first, smiling, though she and the other girls were soon racing to meet her with a group hug. "Are you alright? Wakagi-san said you were being interrogated!"

"She was," Sakurada confirmed behind her. "I rescued her."

Wakagi coughed behind them, none-too-subtle in trying to get their attention. "Minako-chan, shouldn't you and your friends be going home now? You have school tomorrow! Even being soldiers of justice doesn't excuse late attendance!"

"He's right, so let's be off, mm? Before the hour grows later, and Minako's parents decide to disown her for good," Alex added.

They collectively crammed into the car, with Mamoru and the still-slack Chibi-Usa up front, and the girls in back with Usagi and Ami sitting on Minako and Makoto's laps for lack of space. Sakurada touched Alex on the shoulder as she lifted the latch of her door, leaning in to say, "Ano, the detective? Utagai? I'll make sure he drops his inquiry, LeBeau-san."

Alex smiled as she pulled the door open. "Don't worry about it, Sakurada. It's already taken care of."

Puzzling, the two police nonetheless waved as the Saturn pulled away, picking up speed as they came out onto the street. The hospital they had been taken to was not the same as before, being in different wards, and it was far less distance for the girls to go home. "So what did the detective ask you, Rei?" Alex finally asked.

"He didn't ask," the dark-haired brunette said coldly, "he accused. He knew we were at the Diet that day, and claims suspicions about the fact. That perhaps we were involved somehow. And he implicated me strongly because of my disappearance."

"Mmm. That makes it more difficult, especially if he mentioned it to someone else," Alex muttered.

In the front seat, crammed in by Mamoru's feet, Artemis asked, "What did you mean, Alex-san, when you told Sakurada-san that it was taken care of?"

"That I took care of it, Artemis, what else would I mean? But if he told someone else his suspicion, then it doesn't matter. The police will still be puzzling over this."

"You don't think the police would try and arrest us, do you?" Makoto asked from the back, sounding a bit terrified. She had good reason to; most obviously, because if the police did arrest them, and they had to transform back into their civilian form, she was technically a runaway. That had a whole set of problems in itself.

Minako made a rude noise. "Mako-chan, Natsuna onee-san wouldn't let them! She's our friend and ally in this. We're safe."

"And what happens if Sakurada-san lost her job?" Ami sounded tired.

There was no answer for that.

Alex sighed, stopping for the red light. "Why would they arrest you unless you were committing a crime? All they ever did when Minako was traipsing around as Sailor V is get their nuts in a twist because she was doing their job. Rei's interrogation came out of the fact that private dickless up there thought she was doing something devious, not that she was a sailor soldier. Believe me, he had some clear thoughts on that." Muttering, "Gave me a bloody headache, too," she pressed on the accelerator.

"So, then, we're safe."

"Barring a felony, most likely."

"…how about a criminal act of defacement?"

"Minako, don't push it."

Silence. Then, Ami said softly, "One of the policemen said that this wasn't the first attack. That there had been one yesterday, near the Infinity Academy. Atavism."

"And the girl that had been attached to the creature wore an Infinity uniform," Makoto confirmed, though they had all seen the pale, wan girl as the medics had lifted her onto the stretcher. Maroon top, green plaid skirt. "Isn't the school near the apartment, Alex-chan?"

"In the Infinity Zone, yes. It was only recently finished in the last year. All the kids that were accepted are reputed to be geniuses on par with Ami; the _crème de la crème_ of Japan's school system. Strange that an attack of atavism would hit there."

Usagi's face fell in the rear view mirror as she huddled on Minako's lap, hugging her arms. "Atavism…is that what you call that creature? It was terrible."

Ami, in a voice most likely practiced to be so modulated, said, "Atavism is a term to describe humans regressing back into their ancestral bodies. Like reverse evolution. But those creatures…surely that was not atavism, but something worse."

"Maybe it's not a human regressing back, but something else." Minako looked troubled as she recalled the multi-legged, grotesque creature. "Humanity would regress to apes, wouldn't they?"

"If you're not a brainwashed religious nut, yes. As humans evolved from apes or from a common ancestor, I'd suppose they should have regressed into ape-like form." Alex slowed, pulling over to park in front of Usagi's house. "But the images I keep seeing are nothing like it…almost inhuman, perhaps alien."

Mamoru frowned down at his sleeping daughter. "A new enemy. Surely. And they're using humans in their plans to disturbing ends."

The sound of nodding heads in the dark. "And somehow, Infinity has a part in it," Rei added quietly.

"Tomorrow, after school, we're going to investigate," Alex said firmly, leaning against the door as the engine idled. "We can't let this enemy catch us unaware."

Again, there was the memory of the destruction, the figure holding the aforementioned glaive. The end of the world, the Silence. All of them had dreamt it, not knowing they shared that foreboding terror, waking up in cold sweat. But it was that the enemy's doing, that vision of blasted ruins and tidal water; or was it something else? There had been only one figure in that dream with them, telling them – warning them? – that the tragedy was to occur…but that it could be averted. And surely the enemy wouldn't be breaking into their dreams to tell them that.

Silence…

  
Kicking off her shoes in the genkan, Usagi hollered at the top of her lungs: "_Tadaima_, mama!" In socking feet she danced across the carpet, skipping into the kitchen and the fragrant smell of baking apples and spices. Though the fruit was expensive – most fresh fruit was in Japan – her mother always made the pie at the start of the school year for Usagi and Shingo, as a treat to allay their woes over starting anew. Chibi-Usa, sure enough, was already seated at the table, chubby cheeks in equally chubby hands, watching ‘Ikuko-mama' at work. She had never tasted apples before.

"Mmm, it smells delicious, mama!" Usagi cheered as she took a seat across from the pink-haired child, sniffing appreciatively. Ikuko was not the talented gourmand Makoto or even Alex was, but she knew how to cook solid, delicious food for her family. If motherhood was a career course in school, she would have been an exemplary student. "When will it be done?"

"In half an hour, Usagi," her mother answered as she moved briskly from sink to stove, stirring a pot of noodles. "And dinner will be ready in ten minutes."

"Oh, didn't Chibi-Usa tell you? We're going to meet everyone at Alex's condo for dinner and studying!"

"What?" Ikuko paused over at the cutting board, looking over her shoulder to fix both girls with a stare. "And why was I informed now, right before we were to eat? I have no problem with you eating elsewhere, but I wish you would tell me earlier!" Frowning, she added sternly, "perhaps if you weren't always in detention…"

Chibi-Usa was beaming like an angel. "I've never had detention, Ikuko-mama! Don't worry, I won't be following Usagi's example into chaos."

"_N-N-Nani_!? You little…!"

"Usagi!"

Pouting, the _odango_-haired blonde slouched back in her chair, eyeing Chibi-Usa as she stuck out her tongue. Her daughter shouldn't be treating her like this! How rude! Mentally reminding herself again that she was going to send the girl to a military school as soon as she turned four, she vacated the kitchen to head for her room and a change of clothes. Her uniform was wrinkled and slightly damp from sweat from the day, though she was getting used to it after the weather they'd been experiencing for the past few months. But peeling it off and wriggling into something light and cool had to be done.

Kicking her uniform off into a corner of her room, she stretched and sighed. "Damn brat. Always making me look bad in front of mama. She should be grateful I don't send her back home to the future!" Muttering to herself about her future self's lack of parenting skills and promising herself that she would eat no pork during pregnancy, she dove into her closet and started shoving shirts and dresses aside in her quest for the perfect outfit. After all, who knew what she and her Mamo-chan would be doing after the meeting?

She finally settled on a white lacy tank top, modestly plunging, and a black calf-length skirt with little mirrors sewn all around the bottom. Spinning around for her mirror, she posed jauntily, like a model she had seen in the foreign magazines, though she was wearing far more clothing than her. Perfect. Not too much cleavage, just the smallest hint of swell behind lace, and hips hugged snugly to show off her curves.

It was not in anticipation of anything more than snuggling and kissing, perhaps even the smallest touches. Usagi had agreed with her prince that they should take it slow, because, truthfully, she was slightly terrified of that time when they wouldn't stop. Though what he had done to her body already had been wonderful, with fingers and lips and tongue and knowledge of where to touch, she knew that there was the hint of danger to their eventual lovemaking, the inevitable pain. Already she had seen that precipice, and, so suddenly yanked back to safety, she was reminded again as to why she was more than happy to hold back.

After all, the Pill – the capital letter as if to scare women away – had only recently been approved for legal use in Japan. And the horror stories of that particular drug had been spreading like wildfire, of embolism and grotesque weight gain, veins exploding in legs, sudden heavy bleeding that wouldn't stop. Usagi was loath to even think of using the deceptively innocent looking little white pill, even though it had been legal and safe in America for decades. She held out hope that her prince would be smart enough to be responsible for both of them, which was, she realized only recently, irresponsible in itself.

She grimaced at the sound of Chibi-Usa yelling her name, remembering yet another reason to hold off; the little pink dust bunny wasn't due to ruin her life for at least thirteen years. Far be it for her to muck around with the established timeline, though that was a long time to avoid having premarital – and marital! – sex.

On the one hand, it was nice knowing that she was going to be responsibility-free for a certain amount of time. On the other, it was horrible realizing just how careful and paranoid she was going to be that entire time.

Grimacing at herself, she slipped on some new socks and went back downstairs, feeling a lot less perky than she had going up. And as her mother caught sight of her, she said, "Ara, ara, is this boyfriend of yours going to be eating with you? Mamoru-san?"

Kenji, already seated at the table, turned a disapproving eye towards his daughter. When he had first caught sight of the high school student holding his little girl's hand at the hospital, obviously affectionate, he had been upset to say the least. But when Ikuko had heard, she had demanded Usagi bring her boyfriend to dinner, bursting at the seams to meet him and telling her husband not to be such an old-timer. She confided in Usagi that Kenji was more displeased at the fact she hadn't introduced Mamoru to them properly earlier, and that he was feeling his age; his little bunny was growing up.

"_H-Hai_, mama," Usagi laughed, a bit nervous under her father's eye. "He has college to think about in a year, so he's studying too." Inferring that they were going to be studying – studying a possible new enemy, not necessarily schoolwork, but the word was multi-purpose – seemed to be a bad idea in hindsight. _kami_-sama, her mother was going to want all the details.

"Is he truly going? And what college has he chosen?" Ikuko was pleased; a bright student aiming for a true education and a career was just the kind of man her Usagi was destined to marry as far as she was concerned. She had a feeling that her daughter wouldn't be gaining much out of her education for any long-term career.

"KO University, studying medicine. He wants to become a doctor."

"That's wonderful! Isn't that what your friend Ami's mother is?"

"_Hai_, a physician." Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the questions, she backed off towards the genkan again, saying, "Chibi-Usa, are you ready to go?"

The pink-haired child called, "_Hai_!" from the top of the stairs, having changed out of her uniform as well. As she came running down, Usagi was struck by the short stature of her future daughter, remembering how she had first estimated Chibi-Usa to be perhaps eight. But now she was in fifth grade, despite her lack of school records – though they had not been a problem when Ikuko had enrolled her in the last few weeks of fourth grade – which made her almost eleven. A rather short eleven.

Musing on the fact as she slipped on her black Mary Janes and buckled them up, she waited patiently as Chibi-Usa pulled on her own shoes and tied them tight. She had exchanged her uniform for a pair of pink overalls and a red T-shirt, the colour not yet faded from repeat washing and still crisply bright. Ready to go, they both called, "_Itekimasu_!" and left amidst the cooking smells of their family sitting down to dinner, the door effectively shutting the scene and scents away from their grasp.

"Ne, Chibi-Usa," Usagi said conversationally as the child ran ahead of her, "how old are you?"

Warily, the child stopped in her tracks, turning to look at the _odango_-haired blonde. "Very old. Didn't you know? I'm nine hundred two!"

"…maaah, seriously!"

Sighing, Chibi-Usa kicked at a small stone on the concrete of their walkway, looking sheepish. Thoughtfully, she lifted a hand and counted on her fingers, murmuring to herself; then, she finally said, "I turn eleven in June, I think. Isn't that right? Ikuko-mama said something about fifth graders being eleven."

Arching an eyebrow, Usagi muttered, "You _think_ you're eleven?"

Now the child looked entirely embarrassed, and she shoved her hands as deep as they could go into her pockets. "I…I stopped growing years ago. Mama and papa wondered what was wrong with me, if I was going to age slowly because of mama's blood, or if I wasn't going to grow at all, because I had no power…but I have power now. So maybe I'll grow up into an adult soon. Besides, the candles on my last cake were ten, though mama and papa have so much on their mind they forget sometimes."

Well, that certainly explained the height. But… "Why did you say nine hundred two?"

"Because that was how long I was frozen. And it sounds neat!"

Frozen like a slab of beef for nine hundred and two years…Usagi suppressed a shudder at the thought, though she couldn't help but wonder if Chibi-Usa was just making that number up as well; after all, how could she know how long she was on ice? "So…how was school, then?" she said finally, trying to make conversation as they walked. She knew the child had been having difficulties with school when Ikuko had first enrolled her, which was to be expected when she had never been, in her life, subject to such an institution with rules and regulations. Not to mention the hundreds of children like her that she mingled with, unaware of her power and lineage and still cruel; on her first day, she had been laughed at.

Now she was a bit more used to it, used to the idea of timed classes and books and strict obedience. Mercury had been an excellent teacher, but she had no patience when the little princess would refuse to do her lessons, or wanted to wander off; now, she had no choice but to follow the rules. And it didn't help that she was also slightly more advanced in her studies, excepting that of her gym class and art class. "It was fun! Momo-chan, I told you about her, she beat up a boy in our class yesterday, and Sunday she wants us to go to the movies. Our teacher says I'm one of his best students already this year, and I was made class president!"

The pink-haired child babbled happily as they came to the bus stop, alleviating Usagi's tension. So her future daughter seemed to be interacting well with public society, even surpassing expectations; she felt a twinge of jealousy realizing that she was even better in her classes than her own mother. Of course when the genius girl of Tokyo, grown-up and gifted with the added bonus of years of college, is your private tutor for several years, there was no doubt.

But as they stepped into the bus and found a seat, Chibi-Usa fell silent, watching the city go by; the Tokyo of the 21st century, a history she had learned years ago. Mercury had been a thorough educator, teaching the princess about the centuries leading up to her birth, of civilizations risen and fallen, rebelling slaves, the abolishment of theocracy. But it was a view of history that any other child in her class knew now, save that of the next decade. And it was a safe history, free of the stories of the sailor soldiers saving the world, of vanquishing their enemies and triumphing over evil. Now, as a sailor soldier in training, she felt frightened to realize that she didn't know what the future would bring for her and her kin, that her mother and father were merely to survive the decade; but of their personal losses and victories, she knew nothing. And she knew now that their bedtime stories about Sailor Moon and her battles were embellished, tepid tales.

"Chibi-Usa? It's our stop," Usagi said in her ear, tugging at her arm. Shaking the cobwebs from her brain, she followed the _odango_-haired blonde out of the bus and back into the afternoon sun, blinking up at the building looming just down the sidewalk. It wasn't a tall or imposing building by any means, but it was still prime real estate in a country where land was at a minimum. "Yare yare, we're already so late!"

"It's your bad behavior at school that causes this!" Chibi-Usa retorted, breaking into a run to avoid her future mother's roar and swing of arms. Though she didn't think of Usagi as her mother in those terms, because she was not, by this time, literally her mother yet. And it was hard to call a fourteen-year-old clumsy crybaby ‘mama.' So she thought of Usagi as an older, irritating sister, and by the sound of her feet on the pavement behind her, the thought was mutual. There was no mother and daughter, but children still living life.

They ran through the doors and the lobby, frightening the wits out of the doorman who was most likely not used to such displays – from the tenants they had seen coming in and out over spring break, it was likely that no families even lived in the building. Inside of the elevator, they squabbled over who would get to push the button, and so the beleaguered doorman finally came up and pushed it for them. "You're such a child, Usagi!" the pink-haired child huffed, turning her head resolutely away.

"Ha! You're nothing but a brat!" the _odango_-haired blonde snorted, posing again for her own approval in the mirrors. "My own kid, treating me like this!"

"_Na-ani yo_!? You pulled my pigtail!"

"Well, you pinched my arm!"

"After you knuckled my head!"

The doors dinged open, and they walked out, steadily ignoring one another's presence all the way to Alex's door, noses in the air. Knowing it was unlocked, Usagi simply opened the door, and the delicious smells of cooking escaped to envelop them both in joy. They sniffed deeply as they stepped into the unused genkan, chorusing, "Smells good!"

"Usagi, Chibi-Usa!" Makoto peered around the door of the kitchen, wearing her apron, a tasting cup in hand. "You're just in time!"

"Yeah, your lateness was anticipated for once!" Alex called from inside.

They sat to undo their shoes – a habit the tall red-head couldn't break them of, so they simply suffered to wander around in socks and bare feet on the carpet – and idled to join the others in the living room, where they sat staring, in degrees of awareness, at the TV. Luna, in front of the large screen with Artemis and Diana, said in annoyance, "It's about time, you two! Usagi-chan, did you have detention again?"

"Oh, Luna, we've come to expect that by now from Usagi," Rei sniffed, folded into a serene lotus on the armchair, still in her uniform.

"But it wasn't my fault!"

Diana bounded over to Chibi-Usa, purring as she was picked up and snuggled. "_Okaa-san_, stop being so hard on Usagi-sama!" she giggled, rubbing her cheek against her princess's chin. "I'm sure she's working hard to learn the skills of a queen!"

"They don't teach Royalty I in middle school, unfortunately, Diana." The dark-haired prince, relaxed on the couch in shirtsleeves and loosened tie, held out a hand to accept Usagi into his arms for a hug and a chaste kiss. She sat down at his feet, folding her arms atop his knees and resting her head.

"Ne, ne, what are watching?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

"The police saw another creature in the Infinity Zone. It attacked them before someone began shooting at it." Minako held the remote, turning up the volume a bit more as dishes rattled in the kitchen.

A blurred picture of the creature appeared, with a caption describing it as captured footage by a high school student filming the police for a class. It was the same grotesque, multi-legged thing they had seen at the Crown, attached in similar fashion to the back of a young Infinity boy perhaps no older than Chibi-Usa. As they watched, it reared out at the police and showed a set of sharp teeth like jagged knives, tearing into the leg of one officer. It then swung around, rampaging down the sidewalk and dragging the poor boy with, scattering pedestrians like ants.

One of the pedestrians turned towards the camera as the creature came near, pale amethyst eyes wide with something akin to surprised recognition as it bore down on her. Anyone else in her position would have been scared witless and fled, but she simply stood there, half-turned towards it and partially hidden by its body from the lens. She jerked back then as it seemed to yank itself back, twisting on its hind legs and flopping over. The camera caught the stunned look on her face before it too jerked in response as a gun went off, and the creature was driven away from the girl onto the grass. Twitching as more bullets were unloaded into it, it didn't separate from the student as it did during their fight; stopped by human technology, it simply blew into chunks, and lay there like any other sentient form, bleeding into the grass. And after a moment, the boy stopped moving as well.

The screen changed back to the reporter, who looked understandably a little green, holding her notes with a white-knuckle grip. "…ahm. Footage from the scene itself. The police have no comment as to the nature of the monster, nor to their methods of execution. Again, eyewitnesses commented on the atavistic qualities of the monster. Though Japan has been free of the unusual population problems that many other countries, notably the United States, have had with increasing frequency, many concerned citizens have been besieging the Prime Minister's office to push for a referendum on the immigration laws. Apparently blaming these unusual happenings on the influx of refugees from the destroyed island of –"

Minako made a rude noise as she turned the TV off.

Eating dinner at Alex's condo was a far more relaxed affair than one would expect, especially with no table to fit them all. With plates balanced on knees or crowding the coffee table, they dined on garlic stir-fry, pork dumplings, sesame chicken, and beef with pea pods. Rei as usual helped herself to most of the stir-fry, being not so much a true Shinto vegetarian but not a regular meat eater to begin with, which both cooks had learned early on. Minako and Usagi haggled over the pork dumplings, Mamoru and Ami and the two cooks ate a mixed plate of everything, and Chibi-Usa tried a little of all the dishes before arguing with Usagi over the last dumpling.

Leaving the dishes for later, Alex brought out some coffee, picking up a stack of printed sheets from one of her shelves. "I've been researching the Infinity Zone, seeing as these creatures seem to have something to do with that particular area," she began, flipping through the pages. "It's the unofficial name of the center of the Delta, where the aptly-named Infinity Academy stands. And not surprisingly, the management of the Academy also owns the entire zone."

"The Delta is a triangle of land, which was separated into three unofficial sections during construction," Luna came in, her speech brisk as always, "nicknamed the Kai Zone, the Mei Zone, and the Ten Zone."

"Sea, Darkness, and Heaven," Rei murmured.

"No one knows what it means," Alex took over smoothly, shuffling. "One theory is that Kai stands for water, Mei stands for death, and Ten stands for heaven; a cycle of life. Currently, we sit in the Mei Zone, if you're interested." She withdrew a page, holding it up for them to see: a diagram of the Delta marking each section off.

Ami, legs folded neatly beneath her as she sat at the coffee table, sipping her coffee, asked, "Is there perhaps significance to the number three? After all, the Delta is merely a section of the Bay recovery. Why was it differentiated in this way?"

"Three talismans…a dream I had, it spoke of three talismans," Usagi piped up slowly, touching her forehead as if to will it to think harder. "It was a scary dream…"

"A dream of the Silence?"

"…a figure, standing atop the building as the tidal wave came closer…"

"I had that dream too!"

They all fell quiet, realizing that the dream had not been so unique as they each had thought. Recalling the image of that lone figure effortlessly, the light off the curve of her glaive. And yes, the three talismans had been mentioned, those that had been combined to create the key. But what three talismans could they be?

Sitting on a barstool in lieu of any open chairs, Alex rested her hands on her knees, sighing. "So we shared the same disturbing dream. A vision of Tokyo, destroyed, a tidal wave coming to sweep it all away?" Heads nodding.

"But how could we all see that dream, sensei?" Minako asked, her usually cheerful face drawn into a slight moue of confusion. "Did you share it with us?"

"Why would I?" the tall red-head snorted. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone; gods know I've heard enough about what hell the future might be. All I can guess is that our time trip is still playing with our heads; showing us, maybe, a possible outcome if we don't stop it."

Diana, her kitten's voice far too sweet for her grave words, said, "But, Alex-sama, there was no such destruction in Tokyo, I'm sure of it. Not until the freeze." Unconsciously, she and the silent Chibi-Usa exchanged glances, both of them remembering only in the vaguest sensory memories of that time.

Alex shrugged expressively, bringing up her knee to hook her boot on the seat of her stool, holding her knee with hand interlocked around wrist. Her balance was impeccable. "Maybe not, Diana, but you have to realize that we may have disturbed the natural time line by going into the future. This could be an event destined to happen that we're destined to stop, or it could be a freak accident that we caused by being so careless. Nothing is permanent."

"But if the Delta, with its three points, and your dream, with three talismans, are related, surely this was destined to happen anyway," Artemis finally spoke up, "as the Delta existed in this fashion before we even took the trip."

"Could we ask the owner of the zone, perhaps?" The dark-haired shrine girl, eschewing the coffee, had made a small pot of green tea for herself, and was pouring another cup of it as she spoke.

"You could try, but I don't think he'd be very receptive. From what I could find on him, the guy is pretty much a recluse, an outcast scientist who broke a lot of the rules in his studies. I remember hearing about him years ago; he was brilliant, but detached. Experimented a lot on animals in cruel ways. Guess his family was also the ancestral title holder on the recovered Infinity zone – I think eccentricity ran in the blood, seeing as his great-great-whoever bought what was essentially still a chunk of the sea back then – so he owns the entire span by default."

"Tomoe Souichi, correct?" The blue-haired genius scratched at her nose, trying to cover up her unconscious move to push up her nonexistent reading glasses. It was rather impressively sly, and the others pretended as though they hadn't noticed. "I recall mama talking about him as well, and his genius. But he was short-tempered in public, cold when relating his experiments. The only joy in his life, it was said, was his wife, and their child."

Ruffling the papers with a free hand, Alex nodded. "Keiko, and Hotaru. His wife died in a fire during construction in the zone, and his daughter was left in critical condition, but miraculously recovered after months of private rehabilitation in their new home; the house and laboratory that the fire had partially destroyed."

The long-haired blonde frowned, leaning forward to rest her arms on her thighs like a boy, remembering the silhouette of the self-proclaimed god of ruin, and that sharp glinting blade; the voice, sweet, not so much detached as simply indifferent with the devastation she had wreaked. "So is the scientist a suspect? And could he even create such a creature?" She formed a gun with index and thumb fingers, holding it up at the ceiling. "When we used our powers on the creature, it released the student after it blew up.

"And there was another we know of, outside of these two," she continued, twilight blue eyes focused and serious, Venus instead of Minako taking the initiative, "but it was never attacked, it just dropped on its own, almost as if it was tired, or weak, or incomplete. And that student was left alive as well!"

"But when the police used their guns, instead of the magic of your powers," Mamoru added, cupping his chin thoughtfully, "the boy and the creature died. Almost as if man-made objects halted the release, a trigger, perhaps, that allowed the other two students to separate and live after its death."

Usagi, nibbling at her thumbnail in what was for her concentrated thought, spoke up: "Ne, could metal be bad for it? I remember in the fairy stories mama used to read to me that steel was bad for fairies."

Rei made an exasperated noise, shaking her head. Alex frowned at her, the two of them staring for a long, solid minute, before the dark-haired shrine girl simply looked down and sipped her tea delicately, as though she had let the tall red-head win. Obviously, they still had some ground to cover before they were at total ease with each other. "Though _mam'selle_ maiden over there is too delicate to actively disagree with you, _tsukimidango_, you might be onto something there. Steel is anathema to fairies, though that doesn't mean it couldn't be deadly to anything else." Alex then grinned rather disarmingly, adding, "if you want to test the theory, you could always throw some salt at it."

"At least we agree that Infinity Academy is a suspect, ne?" Artemis piped up mildly, hopefully interrupting what he thought was a silly hypothesis as well. All they needed was for Usagi – or, _kami_ forbid, Minako – going out with a salt shaker and actively searching one of the creatures out.

After a moment of mutual silent deliberation, the group nodded. How nice, for once, to have at least something of an idea about their enemy, before said enemy dropped out of the blue and attacked them. A close enemy, as well; from the condo, the Infinity Academy was a nice brisk walk down a few city blocks. A problematic visible enemy as well; if they were to attack a respectable school _en masse_, they could end up with some seriously bad press. Especially if they were wrong.

From there, the meeting was effectively over. A look at the clock told the lateness of the hour, and as it was still a school night, they had been home and in bed if they even wanted to attempt coherency tomorrow. Promising to gather at the Crown Fruit Parlor after classes, the girls and one ensnared prince and three felines made their good byes and let themselves out. Not surprisingly, the place was much quieter with only two left behind; two that cast a rather wry look over the mess of dishes in the sink, the coffee mugs on the table, and throw pillows thrown around the floor. "Tomorrow," they agreed in unison, shaking their heads.

Makoto made a cup of chamomile tea to take with her upstairs, cradling it carefully as she navigated through the living room. "Goodnight, _onee-chan_," she yawned, somehow injecting cheer into the words despite her sleepiness.

"_Bonne nuit_, Makoto," the tall red-head replied, watching Makoto disappear up the stairs. Touched by the nickname, she allowed herself a ghost of a smile as she settled into the armchair. She missed that subtle interplay with close friends – not that she'd had many whom she could call close, but many whom she could call friends – the warmth and happy understanding. Thoughtfully she glanced at the few pictures in frames atop one of her side tables, able by long recognition to spot herself out of a sea of faces. Her father next to her, or Lee hanging off of her shoulder, mugging for the camera. And the smallest one fit for a wallet, with her childhood face smiling innocently next to her brother, holding her mother's hand.

She didn't remember if she ever had any dreams of her own; if she did, they were long destroyed by a lifetime of fighting. Fighting to survive, fighting for the good cause, fighting to protect. Leaving it all behind, walking away into normalcy; she'd tried it. And it caught up with her anyway, dragging her without consent into another fight, another battle. Dreams had no place in that world, and she knew it painfully well. And now, she recognized the same problem surfacing in the lives of the girls.

Their minds were unconsciously closed to her much of the time, psychic interference she supposed from their powers, she'd had the same problem previously. But in distress – which happened often – everything was clear as day, broadcasting their woes like Dolby Surround for her to see and hear. And she disliked knowing it so intimately, always had; it was mental invasion, no matter how hard she blocked them out. She was waiting for them to come to her like in the old days, crying out their woes so she didn't have to forcibly see them.

Closing her eyes, she hoped none of them dreamed.

  
"Fate plays a role in the lives of all individuals," the girl said, crystal clear over the sound of rushing water, echoing through the ruined crevasses of Tokyo's highrises. "Fate is also interpreted differently for the individual. It is destiny, and it is ruin. Fate brought me to this climax, but it was not my fate to bring the climax."

"So what are you saying?" they cried, averting their eyes from the terror of the water. Beneath their feet they could feel the earth tremble, coming to ruin and disaster quicker and deeper than the Black Moon had hoped to accomplish. Was this irony that they had gone to the future to prevent its destruction, only to come back to the past and see it happen in their time?

And such a weapon held the power to make it happen. Even in silhouette, it was a magnificent tool, taller than the god of ruin herself. "Certain situations were destined, but could be averted."

Repetition. They knew those words, she'd said them before. "But what does it mean?"

"Certain situations were destined, but could be averted."

"Damn you, tell me! What does it mean, this can't be our future!"

The touch of the blade against their face, impossible; the girl had not moved, still yards away, and yet the cold steel was pressing into their skin. A warning not to overstep. "In any lifetime, I am merely the weapon. Suspended in a cold and lifeless realm until it was time, I knew no love. No hope. At the summons, I was released, and I sliced through the skin of the kingdom, I brought all to ruin. The collision…awakening, in a similar body. A body that had known happiness and joy. This was a mistake, and yet I carried out my mission. If you do not understand, I have no patience."

It lifted high, frozen against the backdrop of a tidal wave twice the size of the highest ruins. Screaming to wake up, they scrambled to their feet, tripping over debris and bodies to run, desperate to escape the water even as they heard it drop into the streets. Not even the god of ruin could survive a tonnage of water falling on their head in such a manner, though it hardly mattered; she had brought down her glaive.

And maybe she wanted to die.

Then it didn't matter, because the water was so cold…why, they couldn't feel…anything.

Silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This act started off way better than it starts now, but I had a bad computer crash that deleted it. Woe.
> 
> The plushies are an in-joke; all of the characters share voice actors.


	25. Act 25 : mugen deux - Interaction

He surveyed his kingdom from the immense picture window, a glittering expanse of human synthetic and fabrication. Rushing back and forth like ants below him were his people, those he was sworn to defend from enemies. And yet they had slipped in past the perimeter like a thief in the night, the Trojan horse given as a gift to the lowly peasant to ensure the door would remain open. Failure.  
  
When he had first opened his eyes and realized who he was, it had been too late. Those distant bells, the chiming to announce the approaching danger, rang in his ears as the centuries had caught up. No longer was he simply the human being, but an alien; a defender of the kingdom, gone with the passing of time and memory. And the subtle burn upon his brow…  
  
But he had no clue what to do about it, and had continued to live his life. He ran in track and field, played softball, worked his way with conviction into the seat of a racecar and won hearts. Like any other teenager, he worried incessantly about the upcoming exams at the end of 9th grade, though he was an intelligent and highly regarded student, and couldn't possibly fail any test set in front of him. His mother was proud of him as always, enough for his long-buried father's sake as well.  
  
And then the loveliest girl had walked into his life, with her perfect poise and her cool, inviting smile. Aspiring to the loftiest heights as he did, she was already a legend with her violin, having recorded two CDs and played foreign houses. He had seen posters of her on the walls, her painted image just as dazzling as the real thing. Tutored at home by an Englishman from New York, she had never set foot within a school building, and she had been at his softball game with one of those tutors to experience the energy of such a sport for a paper she was writing.  
  
He had seen her face in the middle of a play at second base and was thrown over onto his ass when he failed to move and catch the ball, and the runner plowed him down. So he could justifiably tell people she had knocked him out cold with her beauty.  
  
Waking in the hospital, his head still ringing, he found her sitting at his bedside, having waited for hours. And it was amazing how she seemed to glow as she took his hand, a translucent halo of aqua green that he had never seen before; but he had seen it, hadn't it? In his dreams, as a soldier standing next to her, meeting for the first time before the blinding light and the endless darkness… "Neptune," he had moaned, astonished.  
  
"Uranus," she answered, entwining her fingers in his. "_Ohisashiburi desu_."  
  
It had indeed been a long time; thousands of years.   
  
Just the two of them on the streets, partners against the rising enemy, seeing with their own eyes the strange creatures that were the product of evil. Then, they were not immense black monsters attached to their human wombs, trying in vain to create something new; no, those were the prototypes, smaller creatures with no hosts, escaped or released. In the first days, they had to beat the things with fists and feet, unable to release the powers they knew they had. More than once, both of them had been injured.  
  
And then they'd had the dream, and that lovely lady had told them the words to use, the magic words that would bring out their powers and transform them into their true selves. Ah, but she had been most beautiful, with hair the colour of moon beams, and eyes the same dazzling silvered grey. A true queen, with such presence…  
  
So they had reached into the sky, towards their faraway planets, and yelled into the heavens those magic words and felt themselves change, and grow. Taller, stronger, faster. Two legendary sailor soldiers.  
  
Now they could destroy the creatures with no effort, calling on those powers they now remembered from another lifetime, though they were in essence their weakest. Night after night they traveled in stealth, together, unnoticed amidst Tokyo's secretive life, reluctantly parting before the dawn to continue their own charade of normalcy. And they wouldn't admit to each other why they were so anxious to meet again at twilight, they had jobs to do. It would only get in the way.  
  
Then the unseasonably warm winter came, and they chased a creature for hours, unable to catch it – it was fast as a cheetah, even with their enhanced speed – until it disappeared into the gates of a new school building inside of the recently constructed Infinity zone. Here, space was warping beneath their feet, colliding by forces they couldn't identify. But it was alien; it was evil; here lay thy enemy. And it was also still heavily barricaded and blocked off.   
  
With such warm weather came the sudden tsunami off of the bay, an unnatural event followed by the freezing temperatures that came merely a week later, plunging the city into chaos. Fighting the crowds, they had escaped to safety within a changing room inside of a posh clothing store, forgotten as people ransacked the store and beat each other to death. Transforming and killing everyone didn't seem to be a viable option, and so they waited, falling asleep in each other's arms and awakening to find everything reasonably restored. To the point where they'd had to bribe a clerk not to call the police on them, thinking them thieves for hiding in the room together.   
  
But they still had no plan to confront their enemies.  
  
At the race track one day, she with her violin, en route to a recital, and he preparing to race, they were approached by an American with an unusual proposal; he wanted to sponsor them in their pursuits. Two talented teenagers were excellent for his business, and he wanted to entice more to his company, helping them create their careers and make them all wealthy. He would pay for their living quarters if they wanted them, fund their careers, and all for a modest fee in return, plus commercial benefits.   
  
Faced with such a prospect, the two agreed. Immediately separating from their families using excuses and promises, they took his word and had him procure them a condo each in the Delta, planning to live alone as professional soldiers. Then they vied for the right to enter Infinity Academy to finish 9th grade, and were accepted on basis on their talents and intellect. On their entrance forms they used the surnames they had taken for their new lives, having discarded the old forever; Ten'ou, and Kaiou. They had meaning; and they suited their mission.  
  
Their benefactor remained anonymous, paying for their rent and utilities, while they prepared for their new school and their true mission, remaining merely partners whenever they came together to fight. Otherwise, they saw little of each other as usual, living their separate lives and watching their personal wealth grow. In the daytime, they had no reason to speak in those lengthy halls, did they? Their true reason for even looking upon each other was the mission.  
  
Of course, when she then extended the invitation for him to come to dinner at her condo, a strange time to do so when they were both streaked with unidentifiable junk, he was not at all hasty to accept. Not at all. It was merely the extension of their business hours.   
  
And they didn't get drunk on the vintage wine she uncorked for dinner, because that would smack of ill repute. No, they had merely eaten her lavish meal, sipped leisurely of the alcohol, and talked politely of their mission and what they had to accomplish. Nevermind the memory of them staring at one another all night long, and finally, that touch of hands as they had done in the hospital, and the kiss…fumbling fingers and the tease of hair against their skin. Sweat mingling with embarrassment, and confusion, hasty words whispered in the darkness on her couch, the bed…  
  
So they weren't merely partners, but lovers now, after all that spent denial. Their secrets were nothing; she accepted him, and he cried openly in her arms. Driving at breakneck speeds in his new Ferrari, they parked far outside of Tokyo to look upon the bay, each hearing a meaning in the sounds of the sea and the sky. Teasing her as she played her violin for his enjoyment, he surprised her by joining her with the piano, pulled away as she remarked on his handy skills.   
  
Together they dreamed, seeing again that first gathering as they stood together in the vast world, having only seen it once before, and then as children. Together they completed the picture, and they turned to see another standing next to them, younger than them by perhaps a year or two, again no one they had ever seen. Wasn't that how they were to function, separated by the span of light years and empty space? Yes; and they were never supposed to meet, because it meant tragedy….  
  
"The talismans!" the third soldier said, and they watched in amazement as the light gathered. As always, the dream ended there, but that first night they awoke in unison, sweaty and rumpled, pressed together by lines of hip and thigh, they knew what they had forgotten. Mystified, they had lifted their hands, watching as the objects took shape in the air, called from where they couldn't ever understand. And heavy with power.  
  
But that was a remote concern, because they had not the third soldier, and consequently, could not summon that frightening light and oblivion. Their true mission was already underway, their infiltration successful; here were their enemies, masquerading as teachers and students, frightening in their power. And the owner of the school was just as suspicious and terrible, always staring at the student body with that one good eye like a cyclops searching for its meal, the other eye, crystal fakery, frozen on that one spot in space eternally. They knew instinctively now that to defeat their enemy was to prevent that third soldier from appearing, called by the trigger of a losing battle.  
  
Sure of their victory, he wanted to celebrate by visiting the arcade, hearing of the new racing game they had installed. It was a little joke of his, visiting the city's arcades and soundly beating them with his professional instinct; surely she'd go along with him. She allowed him his little eccentricities with that secretive smile and toss of her hair that always captivated him. Even when he allowed his eye to roam, and she hers, they always cleaved together, knowing they were perfect for each other by simple virtue of their predicament.   
  
So he had gone into the arcade, and seen the vision of the lady in his dream.  
  
But she was sunny blonde, with crystal blue eyes; but it was she! She as a young girl! He had almost faltered, but then he watched her smile, cloistered with her friends, and he felt something tug at his soul. A sensation only his lover outside had given him, that first meeting; and though he scanned the other girls, feeling the same thing, it was in lesser value. Perhaps his lover had been right; they were not the only ones to awaken.  
  
And that girl smiled so prettily…  
  
Like a princess.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Re-e-ei-cha-a-a-a-an! _Moshi moshi_!" A set of knuckles lightly rapped her on the crown of her head, and the dark-haired shrine girl all but bolted upright, gasping. Usagi shrieked, falling backwards onto the dirt and grass as Rei blinked, delicately wiping sleep crumbs from the corners of her eyes. "Mou, Rei-chan! Don't do that!"  
  
"Then don't knock me on the head like a ripe melon," she replied in mild irritation, sliding from the car seat to stretch out the kinks. Sitting in the third seat of the Expedition, crammed between a wriggling Usagi and Minako, the other girls in the second seat while Mamoru got to ride shotgun, was not very comfortable for any length of time. She had blessedly fallen asleep somewhere around Nagoya, lulled by the sound of Chibi-Usa singing in a clear, sparkling voice for Mamoru's favour. Her last conscious thought was bemusement; did Usagi have the same lovely voice, or was it Mamoru?  
  
Asleep, she had tumbled down into a dream that was less a dream than a memory; but that was impossible. Her high heels sank into the thick dust as she stared around, disturbed, recognizing the ruins that were not quite as ruined as she had last seen them. Turned to that toxic stone, yes, and blasted and toppled in places where the earthen army had viciously brought the walls down, but not completely.   
  
Voices.  
  
Turning, she had to shield her eyes from the light of the sun, with that particular side turned towards it now, instead of at the earth; dazzled, she could see only three silhouettes in front of her, looking around in the same slow, ostensibly confused fashion. "This is…impossible! How could the light of our queen be extinguished?" one of them said, a female with a husky voice; wasn't it called a whiskey voice?   
  
"Everything extinguished," another said, again a female, but with a mellifluous voice that was pleasing to the ear, utterly woman. "The collapse of Jupiter is not, however, explained by this event; where are the four guardian soldiers? If they've fallen in battle, their spirits would be free to find new hosts, and yet, Jupiter is as if dead. And Mars is faring no better. What would we witness if we were to visit Mercury, or Venus' colonies?"  
  
"I noticed it as well," the third woman agreed, her voice ringing with an air of familiarity to Rei, gesturing with her hand. "As though the spirit was not in fact released. This is all wrong."  
  
Was this still the result of that ‘time residue' Alex had mentioned as perhaps causing their dreams of the Silence in the future, and now this dream of the past? Rei had never seen this event happen, because she had been dead. Killed. Murdered, even, in the thick of battle. And this was akin to her walking over her own grave. She could see the bodies surrounding them, a disgusting tableau of death that even the black and white images of sixty years ago paled in contrast to. The Nazi party had not used demons and magic to murder.  
  
Limbs were scattered, separated from bodies by vicious ripping, great maroon geysers still marking the dust from arterial spray. Gaping holes in chests, ribs cracked open and hearts missing, eyes punctured and leaking clear fluid. Many were missing portions of their head, as though the demons had eaten them like crisp apples. The earthen army was just as badly mauled, though it looked to be the work of scavengers than attack; such creatures held no loyalty to the freshly dead. It was only the lunar army, dressed in their white and silver uniforms, whom had fared so badly while alive.  
  
She made a choking sound, and with realization came the acknowledged stench, thick and meaty and wet; a tang that gathered in the back of the throat and stuck. Spinning around to face the darkness of the universe, she could see the bodies stretching almost to the very steps of the castle, and the rainbow colours that marked…  
  
_Iie_.  
  
Stepping back, she spun back around resolutely to see those three shadow silhouettes again, hearing the mellifluous-voice remark, "How sad that we've finally met, only to pursue our secondary function. Living alone for so long on those barren worlds…"  
  
"But that was our purpose," the whiskey-voiced woman interrupted, and Rei frowned as she was reminded, perplexingly, of the game center. "Our presence is a danger. Even now, close as we are, the power resonates, eager to create the key."  
  
"Yes," the third woman sighed, sounding weary, even pained. She held herself through it all with a strange posture as if shouldering the weight of the world, leaning on a tall pole. "To defend the outer perimeter of the kingdom, that was your mission. Mine, to guard the gate, a thankless task. Those functions kept us apart, ignorant of one another's faces. We were never meant to come so close unless the trigger had been pulled."  
  
The pulled trigger.... Rei wondered what the trigger was in their current lifetime, bringing about the Silence. What could be so devastating and enormous as the death of an intersystem kingdom in the 21st century? The destruction of the United States, perhaps? They certainly qualified as a monarchial power to be reckoned with, and from their constant troubles she'd read about in the foreign papers, it could happen easily.  
  
But would a terrorist attack really be big enough to warrant the release of the god of ruin? Magic was the guiding force behind the fall of the Silver Millennium, not human weapons. And if these three were the ones who called forth that glaive-wielding form through their power, then surely it would take that sort of magical cataclysm to replay history once again.  
  
She felt it like a fist to the gut suddenly, as the magic of the kingdom ceased to exist within their frame of reference. Closed off, denied to them, she realized suddenly what the pulled trigger had been, in that far-away lifetime; the loss of the _Ginzuishou's_ primal magic. Imagine the loss of oxygen to the planet Earth; that was what Rei could liken it to. The death of Queen Serenity, and the spirit of Princess Serenity locked away, giving the crystal no heir, no body to interface, no one to work through. It was being effectively silenced, and sent away.  
  
Then, the third woman whispered, "The talismans!" and against the sun Rei could see coloured lights appear, aqua and royal blue. Holding up their hands, the two gripped their unique talisman, perhaps two weapons, or merely jeweled ornaments; the dark-haired shrine girl was unsure. Power breathed through the air as they came into being so close, most likely the first time in centuries, perhaps ever. And it was a strange magic they were summoning, neither good nor evil; neutrality. The most dangerous of all.  
  
Within the air, a body began to take shape, curled like a fetus in the womb on its side, arms and legs entwined around the length of the glaive. Rotating upward, the figure took on more definition as it stood, holding the weapon in its right hand. Glowing amethyst on its brow was a sigil, an alchemist's scrawl Rei recognized but could not interpret. "Awakened…" the whiskey-voiced woman said, for all of her strength sounding absolutely terrified.  
  
"We've done our duty. Now, the death for us, and this world," the mellifluous voice whispered, dropping to her knees.  
  
Standing tall, the god of ruin spun the glaive above her head, aiming it with one hand down at the ground. "It won't be so terrible. For your loyalty, it will come quickly."  
  
So calmly, the third voice remarked, "But my true mission is not yet at an end."  
  
Rei cried out as the weapon dropped.  
  
And then came the whirlwind; the furious blast of air and furnace heat, scouring the surface. Though it passed through her as though she were no more than a ghost – and in effect she was – she still flinched, bringing up her arms. But in that split second before impact, she saw the third invoke a power she had seen recently, summoning a door into space-time; and Pluto's face was visible in that light before she disappeared, leaving the Silence to consume the kingdom. And with it, her momentary comrades, who faced their deaths bravely, not even screaming as it tore them apart.  
  
Like a hurricane the power traveled past, leaving destruction in its wake, and she saw the unique spirits of the three dancing upward into the universe, presumably to seek out their new hosts. But they never made it past the artificial atmosphere; leaving a trail behind like the children and their breadcrumbs, the _Ginzuishou_ was just the tiniest sparkle against the blue of Earth's oceans, and it was this trail that ensnared the three spirits. Tangled like fish in a net, they followed their princess and her people to a new destiny.  
  
Surrounding the dark-haired shrine girl was ruin and desolation.  
  
And that was when she woke up.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Awake, the dream evaded her attempts to completely remember it, which was unusual; perhaps the time residue was wearing off finally, and taking these visions with them. She was not without her own powers of precognition, and would promptly call upon the flames once she was home. Until then, she thought it better to not mention this last dream, and that was easy; from her years of being regarded as a freak, she had taught herself to keep quiet anyway, as she had her last vision. Which, in hindsight, wouldn't have mattered a whit if she'd spoken of it. Hmm. Here's hoping she wasn't being cursed with useless visions.  
  
Thoughtfully, she looked around, breathing in deeply. It seemed wonderfully propitious that Ami's father had invited them all down to his show in Ise, which was nice, but it also gave Rei the opportunity to visit the Ise Jingu to mark her 15th birthday. Not to mention take a stroll through the national park as well, and perhaps meditate. Yes, that sounded appropriate.  
  
And then she was all but tackled over by Minako, who practically yelled in her ear, "Hey, _obaa-sama_, are you coming or not?" and hooked her arm through Rei's, dragging her off towards the hotel where they would spend the night. Because it was a Saturday with its half-day of school, they had left Tokyo promptly after classes, and even so it was early evening in Ise when they arrived. In a few hours the gallery would open for Ami's father's show – or rather, for the Classical Japanese Art show in which he happened to be – and they would see that, then go to bed. Tomorrow they'd do whatever they wanted until it was time to leave.  
  
Though Rei had to extricate herself from Minako's grip of death and go back to pick up her overnight bag, which was still sitting in the open trunk.   
  
The lobby of the hotel was immaculate, tastefully decorated in Japanese motif, but entirely modern. Potted bamboo stood at the doorways, a concrete pond swam with colourful fish; the workers attending the needs of the patrons were dressed in simple yukata and wooden geta. Entranced, the girls left the actual obtaining of rooms up to Mamoru and Alex, wandering like simpletons through the lobby to view all of it. Chibi-Usa in particular was overwhelmed, and she had to be restrained from putting her hands in the pond to touch the fish. Such traditional patterns had all been destroyed by the ice, and Tokyo was quite modern from what she'd seen; this was like entering another world entirely.  
  
Apologizing to the clerk, who was twitching with the effort to not become upset at the hotel's expensive fish almost being injured, they hauled ass to the elevator, escaping the poor man's wrath.   
  
"Next time, we leave Chibi-Usa home to take care of the three whimpering kitties," Alex muttered, recalling their devastation at being left behind.  
  
"Oh, Artemis can handle it! He claimed he'd never travel with me again after being almost eaten in China!" Minako blithely replied, waving it off.   
  
"Eaten?!"  
  
"Well, barbecued cat is a delicacy over there…."  
  
"_NA-ANI_!?"  
  
"Minako, you're scaring the children."  
  
On the fifth floor, they tumbled out, hauling their overnight bags with them down the hall as Alex, wielding three electronic key cards, opened three doors at the end of the hall. "Here we go," Alex sighed, tossing her bag into the room she'd unlocked last. Then she held up her hand for silence, gesturing sharply when Usagi and Minako wouldn't shut up. "Listen up: we've got three rooms, and all of them open into one another. I assume the happy couple and their darling little girl want a room to themselves, so the four of you can either crowd into the second, or share with me."   
  
Peeking in, they saw that the two rooms allotted to them were far more than they expected, with Japan's propensity for tiny cracker boxes to save on space, and entirely foreign in design. The beds were raised mattresses in solid wood frames, full size, two each. And even if they didn't want to share the beds, the couches looked comfortable enough to do justice, the rugs plush and soft to fall asleep on. Definitely world-class accommodations.  
  
"I call the window pillow!" Minako crowed, bounding through the door to gracefully belly flop onto the furthest bed, arms and legs akimbo. Rolling about on the sheets – which were freshly washed and smelling oh-so-wonderfully of fabric softener – she posed on her side, flashing the victory sign. "Ne, ne, who's with me!"  
  
"Ano…" Ami and Rei exchanged rather uneasy looks, and not altogether for the same reasons. The blue-haired genius could just imagine a night with the long-haired blonde; loud TV all night long, defeating her chances to study. The dark-haired shrine girl, on the other hand, was anticipating the snoring she had heard in the car, and icy feet.  
  
Makoto shrugged, hefting her bag and padding in, her younger years at the hellish institution Tokyo laughingly called an orphanage preparing her for one more night of sharing a bed. And this time, she assumed whoever it was, they wouldn't be so damn foolish as to short sheet her bed. She too collapsed onto the bed, stretching to test its length, unconvinced that it would be sufficient; she was mildly elated to find four inches to spare.  
  
Again, uneasily, Ami and Rei exchanged looks.  
  
Then they glanced into Alex's lone room, with its similar two beds and comfy couches.   
  
Clearing her throat, Ami ventured, "Ne, Alex-san? Can Rei and I share your room?"  
  
"_Demo sa-a_, Ami-chan, you need to share this room!" Minako pleaded. "We're in need of educational tutoring! Only the girl genius can train us to grab that easy-going future in the high school of our choice! Instruct us!"  
  
Squeaking, the blue-haired genius fled into Alex's room without another word, escaping as the tall red-head was all but on her knees laughing. Embarrassed Rei followed, taking it as assent, noting the time on the clock as being around six thirty. All of them had to be ready in an hour to go to the gallery, which she could already visualize as being a hefty chore.   
  
Brushing off the idea of sleeping on a thick, elevated mattress – she disliked being so high off of the ground, and it was hell on her back – she chose a relatively clear corner of the room to set her bag down, untying the rolled-up futon she'd brought with. Aware that Ami was watching her with some curiousity, she coolly smoothed out the flat mattress and its blanket, taking the pillows from the couch to complete her bed. They were rather lumpy, but they'd do; she wasn't about to deprive her roommates of any from the beds.  
  
Alex closed the door, scooping up her bag still flung on the floor to toss it again; this time onto the other free bed. Dressed in fresh black khaki pants, a red button-down, and black tie, she was ready to go; all she removed from her bag was the coat, unfolding it to reveal a length that reached nearly to the floor, with only a single button. Slipping it on, she said, "You two have an hour to get dressed and ready, unless your father is expecting us to be fashionably late, Ami…?"  
  
"_Iie_. He hoped we would arrive early," Ami replied, holding a bundle of pink in her hands. "If we come too late, he'll have no time to talk with us."  
  
"But this isn't entirely his show, is it, Ami? He's sharing the gallery with two other local artists." Rei stood, holding her change of clothing in her hands, black and white. With the blue-haired genius making no move towards the bathroom, she took the first steps to commandeer it; though she was not a prude, and had no qualms of changing in the main room, she doubted Ami was the same way. No doubt she would have embarrassed the girl.  
  
Though this was a girl whose approach to life sometimes bordered on the clinical. No doubt she would have been embarrassed, but it would have been more out of seeing a friend nude than seeing just the pure nudity. The breakers would have engaged, her perceptions would kick in, and she would have seen merely just skin and a body like everyone else. But the sentiment, if she knew, would have been appreciated.  
  
Turning away as the door closed partially, enough to shield Rei modestly from the bedroom, the blue-haired genius said, "Two others, yes. A young boy my father's told me of, and a _miko_ from the temple. But my father is the celebrity at this event, it's the name Mizuno that will be bringing the crowds." She spoke of her father's celebrity without egotism, matter-of-factly. It didn't matter to her that he was famous on the island for his work; he was simply her father, whom she cared about, that happened to paint beautifully. And did it matter? Truth be told, she was now – as the soldier Sailor Mercury – in a way just as famous as Mizuno the classical painter.   
  
A clicking doorknob caught her attention, and she saw Alex opening the door to step outside, a pair of sunglasses in her hand. "I hope he still has the time to talk to you. Many children with such famous parents don't have that joy." Slipping the glasses on, the mirrored lenses completely obscuring her lapis eyes, she exited and closed the door behind her. Ami, pondering the statement, wondered as to what brought that on; fingering her dress, she thought back to when her father had simply been her father, still living in the sterile jungle of Tokyo with them. Her father was as clinical towards life as she tended to be at times, yet he was also simple; being famous, seeing his name on the walls of Japan's finest galleries and museums produced little more than a shrug. And he never treated her as anything less than his only, cherished daughter.  
  
Of course, that also depended on how long she could keep her secret…  
  
…how long she could continue to lie.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Professor, I must protest this course of action."  
  
"Protest duly noted, Kaolinite. Now be quiet and tell me where we are!"  
  
"I wish you would have listened to me and taken the train. That noodle shop in Hikone is what got us lost! You had to stop for a bowl, and another…"  
  
"Kaolinite, if you do not cease and desist with berating me, I, the master of the superhuman, the god of science as now unknown, will beat your head in and throw you out of this Toyota. And your second utilization will be imperfect, and I will perhaps then transplant you into the body of a chimpanzee just to make it interesting! Now TELL ME, you incompetent assistant and magus, where in the name of the Master we are."  
  
Silence. There was a sound of paper being shuffled as Kaolinite briefly considered trying out her new trick on the professor; it wasn't very technical – mostly consisting of ramming her staff up his ass and twisting – then considered the pain inherent when their master retaliated. She truly loathed the man next to her; and for the life of her, she couldn't remember why she had even respected him in the first place, before their ascension. _Iie_, but that was a falsehood, she could recall it easily; in re-donning the identity of Kuromine Kaoli for the benefit of the herd, she knew where that respect had come from. Sometimes, Kaoli could come back to life and make her feel that useless emotion, which Kaolinite loathed.  
  
Tracing the road on the map with her finger, she silently calculated the kilometers they had already driven after Hikone, then watched the signs flying past to catch the name of a nearby town. Finally, after gritting her teeth and counting to two hundred as the professor's tapping fingers colored her world red, she ground out, "About five kilometers from Ise. Professor."  
  
"Excellent!" Now the man was all smiles and cheer, though it was a rather remarkable front in that it was entirely hollow. Rather like a bubble; pretty to look at, but see-through and empty. There was nothing there at all, nothing but a relentless calculating mind that just happened to be stuck in the body of a human being forced to do the dance of interaction with others of its species. "It's about time. I'm getting hungry."  
  
Kaolinite bit her tongue, trying desperately not to remark that it was his damned stomach that had gotten him lost just an hour ago. Instead she looked into the back seat, eyeing the two girls slumped against opposite sides of the car, deep asleep and not looking too comfortable. Both of them seemed innocent in youth, though they were of varying age, the oldest perhaps sixteen. Though they were students, the elder was also an instructor of etiquette at the school, presumably part of the program that allowed such gifted students to teach their peers if so qualified. And though some of those instructors did benefit, it was for the most part trickery.  
  
"Eudial," she said quietly, reaching back to touch her pointer finger against the girl's forehead. "Wake up. We're almost there." A black star appeared where skin met skin, and like a machine turned on, the girl's eyes opened in succession. Red as finely polished ruby, they blinked once, then narrowed into focus.  
  
"Kaolinite. You didn't have to force my awareness. I'm capable of awakening on my own." In unconscious irritation she flipped back one of her ponytails, a red that matched her eyes and was complimented nicely by her burgundy Mugen uniform.  
  
The car swerved suddenly as the professor quite cheerfully cut off a Hyundai, either unaware or uncaring of the compact's spontaneous flight across the median and into oncoming traffic. It created quite the merry bonfire as three other cars slammed into it, though Kaolinite and Eudial were too busy holding on for dear life; driving with the man was more nerve-wracking than the possibility of failing the master. Not for the first time they wished they were as used to it as the fourth occupant, who continued to sleep despite her head rolling back and forth sharply on her neck.  
  
"…you couldn't have waited until he parked!?" Eudial hissed, fingers digging into the seat.  
  
"Be quiet, witch, or your mission will be ending prematurely—"  
  
"Before or after he buries the front end into the scenery!"  
  
Once again, Kaolinite lamented the Witches' brazenness, which seemed all the worse when they were in their ‘normal' identities and they knew she couldn't just simply strike them dead. The last time she'd tried, the students had panicked and stampeded, and wiping all of their minds of the incident had been irritating. Especially when she found a couple of the boys harboring rather obscene fantasies involving her and a garden of cucumbers.   
  
"So, where are we staying?" The professor slowed down in the middle of the road to watch the buildings, paying no attention to the sudden klaxon of horns behind him and several people screaming at him to Fucking Drive His Goddamn Car, or variations on the same theme. Likewise, he ignored Kaolinite's foot pressing down on an imaginary gas pedal on her side of the car.  
  
"A hotel right by the shrine," Eudial answered, resisting the urge to leap between the front seats and slam the pedal down for him. There was no need to mention which shrine; Ise was not a place you asked such particulars unless you were a foreigner.  
  
"Oh, that one?" So saying he yanked the wheel, clipping the front of a Kia, speeding unnecessarily as he pulled into the hotel's lot, nearly killing what looked to be one of the hotel's many staff in the process. Parking in a No Parking zone, he braked, and remarked, "Drivers certainly are assholes on the road these days, aren't they, Kaoli-kun? Did you see that woman try to cut me off?" She ground her teeth, trying again, resolutely, not to say a word.  
  
Behind him, the fourth occupant yawned, opening eyes the colour of amethyst to survey her surroundings. "Ne, papa, are we there?"  
  
"_Hai_, Hotaru, we're here. Come on, let's go everyone!"   
  
The four of them exited the vehicle, making quite the little group of visitors; the professor in his usual white lab coat, dress shirt and tie, and slightly stained slacks, next to Kaoli in a tasteful red sheathe dress and heels. Eudial in her Mugen uniform, wrinkled from the car ride down. And Hotaru, in a black dress with long sleeves, and matching stockings, effectively covering her from foot to neck. The colour leeched what faint blush her skin had, effectively bleaching her to the white of a ghost, though some would call her a beautiful china doll. Her hair, cut to fall evenly at her shoulders with bangs coyly fringing her eyes, was blue-black and soft as silk, the colour of a raven's wing. But she held herself straight, her entire posture speaking of her withdrawal from society, and as such most would also ignore her outright. She was simply another demure Japanese female.  
  
Within their group she seemed lost, following like a complacent animal; but only the most astute observer would notice her eyes roaming from side to side beneath her bangs, aware of her surroundings despite her hesitancy to be involved with them. Kaoli and Eudial, walking in front of her with brisk steps, were far bolder in their sightseeing, both of them curling their right hands at their sides into readiness for a protective spell if need be. The professor ignored everything, walking with big steps as if he owned the place, that strangely empty smile on his face as they entered through the double doors and the clerk was in sight.   
  
"May I help you, sir?" the clerk asked, raising an eyebrow at the assemblage of four. If the group of teenagers who had nearly destroyed the fish had been a sight, this was worse. The red-haired woman looked as though she had a night of flirtation and drinking planned, and had dressed appropriately for it; her skirt barely reached mid thigh, and dipped almost obscenely at her breasts. Her younger counterpart in her demure uniform had caught the eye of an elderly letch across the lobby, exiting the elevator, though she seemed almost too old to wear it in an actual class. The man was at least reasonably outfitted, though there was no science lab within the local prefecture. And the raven-haired girl…how pretty she was.  
  
"I have a reservation. Tomoe." The professor pushed his glasses up with a forefinger, the crystal of his fake eye shining rainbow prisms onto the clerk's paperwork. What a strange thing. Who in the world would have a fake eye made of crystal? The clerk turned away, puzzling over it as he rapidly tapped at his computer, bringing up the correct information.  
  
Confirming the reservation, the clerk said, "Ah, Tomoe Souichi-san, we're pleased to have you with us. Three rooms, on the fourth floor." Clicking the enter button, the printer began to quietly spew out the necessary paperwork, several pages worth.   
  
Kaoli, meanwhile, had placed herself by the pond, watching the fish swim. Only Eudial saw her hand move, hearing the quiet splash of a daimon egg compound being poured into the water. The fish seemed unaware of this new development, and Kaolinite turned away calmly to allow the compound to do its work. Though the utilization of daimon was all for the Master in his name, she was allowed to have a little fun; creating daimon out of fish and letting them run amok in Ise would be good entertainment. Such tiny creatures were no doubt simple to utilize, even if they ultimately failed.  
  
Later, as they carried their baggage upstairs to their rooms – Kaoli was forced to share with Eudial, a necessity that would no doubt make her suffer – she mused over the reason behind their trip here; the lure of another genius student whom the professor was intent on recruiting for the school. As administrator of Infinity Academy, she, the professor, and Eudial made up the committee that would be visiting the boy tomorrow, though she was still unsure how they planned to go about asking his family to move so far across the island. Hotaru was simply here because she asked to come with; and because the professor wanted to keep an eye on her, with her frequent ‘fits.' Thoughtful, the imperious red-head watched the raven-haired child close her door, sparing a venomous look for Kaoli's eye.  
  
In her own room Hotaru unpacked her small bag, pulling out the clothes she would wear tomorrow, and her night gown, looking up with a frown as she caught herself in the mirror. She touched her chest unconsciously, disgusted with what she saw, as she always saw; a twelve-year-old body that resembled nothing of a twelve-year-old, taller and more developed. Her father kept telling her it was compensation for the years to come, but she hated it, seeing this body in the mirror. Peeling back her sleeves she examined her skin clinically, seeing the faint lines and tracery, everything she covered up. Disgusting. Inhuman.  
  
She could hear Kaoli-kun and Eudial – Yuuko-san, as she knew her – arguing in the next room, faint enough to be intelligible. Arguments she had no doubt slept through in the car, and for that she was glad; she disliked Kaoli-kun to begin with, and had no particular need to hear her whining. Though she couldn't quite put her finger on the source of her dislike – perhaps it was the red-haired woman's intrusion into their private life, as though taking the place of her dead mother – it was nonetheless acute.   
  
Their arguing crested, and Hotaru felt another strong pang of disgust. When would it be time to get rid of that loud-mouthed harpy? How she loathed this position! The time would come not soon enough, and then she would no longer be confined to her prison, but free in this new world… She smiled into the mirror, lips curling into the sharpness of a triangle, an utterly disturbed grin. Pushing at her prison.  
  
And the pain hit her then, slamming her down onto her knees as she cried out, huddling as she gripped her head. Her body robbed of breath, her lungs hitching as she tried to suck in air, she rolled onto her side, writhing as the fit took over her every function. Twisting onto her other side she reached atop the bed blindly, desperately searching inside of her bag as the fit grew worse. "_Ittaaii_!" she choked, finally grabbing the smooth bottle.  
  
Pulling it out, she fumbled with the cap, dispensing with any measurements and simply taking a swig. Nearly choking on it, she curled back into a ball, eyes screwed shut as she rocked, unaware of the rest of the medicine soaking into the carpet. Riding the waves of pain, feeling them ebb; crying, she felt it at last recede, though with one last spasm to remind her that it would be back. This was the price of survival, and she once more felt it too great a price to continue paying for the rest of her life.   
  
Struggling up, she leaned on the bed for support, shivering as the world came back into focus. Her fallen bottle was picked up and capped, though it was empty and useless; but her father would refill it for her. If only she could slip a bit of strychnine into the mix and poison herself, any kind of fatal drug, ending all of this suffering with one quick swallow…ah, but she was a coward.  
  
Knocking at the door. When she said nothing, her father opened the door, immediately noting the medicine soaking into the carpet as she sat on the bed, looking away. "Hotaru, are you alright? Did you have another fit?"  
  
"_Hai_, papa," she responded softly, rolling the bottle between her hands. "The medicine took longer to stop it…perhaps I'm building a tolerance to it. Could I do such a thing, papa?"  
  
He crossed the room to lift the bottle from her hands, noting the dosage. Strangely, he seemed to smile as if satisfied, though when he looked to her he had nothing but concern written upon his face. "No, Hotaru, it merely means I'll have to make it stronger to compensate. _Daijoubu_; when we return home, we can perform those tests. We'll achieve perfection, Hotaru, it's only a matter of time."  
  
"_Hai_, papa." Staring into the palm of her hand, she heard him step away, pausing at the threshold.  
  
"Hotaru, the student we've come to meet is having his work shown in a local gallery tonight. So we've decided to meet him there; would you like to come with us?"  
  
She lifted her eyes slowly to note her change of clothes, which included a black long-sleeve top with a frilly purple collar, dressy enough for such an outing. Thoughtful, she nodded, aware of his lengthy stare, and continued to watch the bedspread as though it was fascinating as he exited and closed the door. "Perfection…"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was merely a comfortable walk from the hotel to the gallery, and a nice night out. So they opted to leave the vehicle and travel those few blocks on foot, as they were all wearing reasonable footwear in which to take that walk. And it was entertaining watching poor Mamoru being literally sandwiched between two females, who were both pleading with him to take them shopping tomorrow before they left.  
  
Ami, though she wouldn't say it openly, was excited to be seeing her father's show, as the last had been so cruelly interrupted; as well, she was excited to see him in good health. Having called him that night upon arrival from the 30th century, she had been somewhat surprised to find out that a burst water pipe coupled with slightly rotten finger food had been labeled the culprit of the ruined show. He had assumed her to have left for home early, because he simply did not remember anything after Berthier's formal attack. She, of course, made no effort to dissuade him of the idea, though it wounded her to lie. A course of action she had been taking far too often lately.  
  
In a place renowned for its Shinto shrines, the gallery was of course entirely devoted to the classic beauty of Japanese painting, for which her father was renowned in such artistic circles. How sad, she often realized, that he put so much love and attention into his work that it had eclipsed his marriage and his family; though her parents had not formally divorced by law, it was effectively so. He simply never came home after leaving all those years ago for his atelier in the forest, so far from Tokyo. Ami didn't even remember the last time her mother and father had even been in the same room together.  
  
Did they even love each other anymore?  
  
Such terrible thoughts. Frowning, she banished them to the back of her mind, suddenly aware of the tall red-head looking at her curiously; she shook her head, looking up past the girls to see the art gallery coming into view. "There it is, _minna_; the gallery is just ahead."  
  
"Maybe this time we'll get through this night without someone being attacked," Alex commented dryly, remembering through another's eyes that first gallery, attempting to wrench open the doors… It was rather strange to ‘recall' with such clarity this other life she had not exactly lived. Remembering the sudden fear that her friend was in danger, like an echo in her subconscious.  
  
"But it would be so boring if nothing happened!" Makoto lamented, not altogether serious, but not altogether looking forward to a long and dreary night of staring at framed paintings of the real thing. She would have rather walked through the forest and felt the bark of the trees, listened to the birds singing, and smelt the flowers; not seeing them painted in less-than-vibrant reproduction in pigments on canvas.   
  
Beside her, Minako snorted loudly. "_Iyaa_, do we need any more trouble? It's been nothing but work, work, work for months! We need a break from saving the world. These two days are going to be our last chance to enjoy ourselves before throwing ourselves full throttle into a new battle! Karaoke, boys, all the pleasures of a teenager!"  
  
"Minako, you enjoy those ‘pleasures' no matter what the situation." Rei sounded opposed to the long-haired blonde's concept of fun, but they had come to regard that as normal; Minako did, however, brush it off with a gesture and a wink.  
  
This close to the gallery, they ceased conversation to look upon the understated building with admiration, cleverly built to resemble a feudal mansion and set far back from the road. Rock gardens and green gardens led the visitors the entire way to the door, sprinkled with clean ponds full of lotus and noisy creatures. Bamboo rustled in the gentle breeze. Makoto's cry of admiration was not the first, but it was the loudest and most appreciative; she almost opted to stand out here the entire night, begging Ami's forgiveness.  
  
But up ahead, a doorman noticed them, and slid open the screen, allowing the soft light to flood out into their eyes; they were caught. Bowing for his kindness in opening the door – though he was paid – they slipped in one by one to find that while the inside was tasteful, it was entirely modern, with track lighting and shiny floors. "Irasshai mase," he said stoically, sliding the screen shut after them. "Welcome to the Hakubutsugakusha Bijutsukan."  
  
Already there was a crowd, despite the fact that they had, against all odds, made it with half an hour to spare. The upper-class, avant-garde types who milled around with fine wine and champagne in their hands, gesturing expansively as they critiqued artwork they themselves could never produce. Ami felt her face tighten into an unconscious grimace at the sight, though she hastily put on her usual placid expression as someone stepped out towards them.  
  
It was her father's agent, a booming, large man from America who spoke Japanese atrociously and always smelt of sweat and unpleasant deodorant. "Amy!" he thundered, mispronouncing her name as always, turning every head in the gallery to witness the poor blue-haired genius being crushed against his ample stomach. Instinctively, the entire group jumped back, presumably to avoid a similar predicament. "How are you? Your father worries about you, alone in that city!"  
  
"I'm not alone Beerunarudo-san," Ami said to his chest, stumbling as usual over the clumsy syllables of his name, "mama is with me. And now, my friends…"  
  
"Friends?" Ami was grateful as he peeled her off his expensive suit, breathing in a half-lungful of fresh air; his personal smell usually permeated at least three feet around him at all times. "You have friends now, little Amy? Finally!"  
  
  
The entire gallery, having realized it was just that crazy _gaigokujin_ Bernard again, turned back to their drinks and scathing commentary. Not that he even seemed to notice they had drawn a crowd to begin with. He set the blue-haired genius aside, literally hoisting her off her feet an inch or two and putting her down at his side as one might a vase, and viewed her friends speculatively. None of them seemed too pleased at being appraised; Chibi-Usa was clinging to Usagi and Mamoru like a spider monkey, reminded disturbingly of how she had been treated back home. Scrutinized.   
  
"Bernard-san, is that my daughter?" Mizuno appeared at the large man's left, dressed in the same suit they had seen him wear at the last gallery; most likely, it was the only one he owned. He looked healthy, recovered from Berthier's attack, though out of his element. "_Musume-chan_, you look beautiful as always, in the prime of strength."  
  
Ami smiled, plucking at the hem of her dress self-consciously. She always thought her father kind for telling her what she considered a casual deception, never once accepting that she was, indeed, a lovely young woman. Gesturing towards her friends, she said, "_Otou-chan_, you've met Mako-chan, Usagi, Minako."  
  
"_Hai. Hajimemashite_."  
  
"And these are also my friends: Hino Rei, Chiba Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and LeBeau Alex." She indicated the four with a wave of her hand, and they nodded, waved, and stared at Mizuno in greeting. The painter bowed.  
  
"_Hajimemashite. Demo sa_, ‘LeBeau' is not Japanese. Are you a French woman?" Mizuno asked the tall red-head as he straightened, with a curious lift of his brow. He couldn't even guess why his daughter would be friends with a foreigner, though he, and she, were far from disdainful of them.  
  
Staring off at a painting on the near wall, she tilted her head to regard the painter, shaking her head. "American. Not that it's a thing to be proud of, nowadays." So saying she glanced back at the art, motioning towards it. "Is that yours, Mizuno-san?"  
  
They all looked where she was pointing, to see a watercolour of what looked to be, at first, merely wild foliage. But then slowly, all of the parts assembled into their proper shape, and a ruined tumble of skyscrapers and vehicles appeared beneath their blanket of greenery. Flowers bloomed in profusion, winding their way around fallen and leaning light poles, opened in a riot of colour. It was beautiful, seeing nature reclaim what had once been; but it was also terrifying as to what had led to such destruction.   
  
Lightly scratching his forehead, making the usual gestures of pushing his hat back – a hat he habitually wore, but obviously had forsaken in the name of ritual tonight – Mizuno nodded thoughtfully, slow to respond as if recalling the process of creating that very piece. "_Hai_. Though I usually paint the beauty I see around me, the wild growth and unrestrained plant life, this came to me suddenly one day. I was struck by the possibility of such an organic process, of civilization tumbling again into ruin and being swallowed."  
  
"And what a ruin that painting is, I couldn't agree more!" Bernard foppishly dismissed it, though his slurred and misspoken Japanese took a few seconds to translate. "No one wants to see that in a gallery of dull grass and flowers."  
  
"Why not?" Alex interrupted him, and he looked vaguely irritated as she spoke more fluently than he. "The world is always moving in cycle. Sooner or later, such an image would come to pass, even if in the distant future. And for nature to reclaim the planet, to clean it up and make it fresh…to fix the mistakes humanity has made." Ignoring the surprised looks she was receiving from the group, she strode forward to inspect the work closer up, Mizuno following slowly.   
  
"Exactly, LeBeau-san. Humanity is ignorant of the damage it causes this planet. For the planet to finally reclaim everything, make all green and living, it would be lovely." Mizuno smiled suddenly, though it was an innocent, naïve smile. "You like my painting?"  
  
She touched a hand to the plaque that bore the name: ‘Organic Rebirth.' Framed in simple wood, it was, as always, understated. "A lot. How much are you asking for such a piece?"  
  
Anyone could recognize the glimmer in Bernard's eye, then; it was never Ami's father who set the price on his work, he would have been happy to give them away. The large man was the one who marked them so outrageously, haggling for higher prices and bigger venues. He stepped forward, taking point as Alex turned to eye him coolly. "Perhaps a bit too much for such a young lady. Why, Mizuno's painting are works of classic art!"  
  
The tall red-head chuckled as if to say, _Poor man, you don't understand a thing_, folding her arms. Standing straight, she actually rose above his head; he reached her nose. "Bernard, we're going to have words," she said in English, bending down slightly to look him in the eye as she lowered her voice. "You know my father. I recognize your name and your…collection."  
  
All of them were surprised to see the large man turn pale. None of them fully understood what Alex was saying, but it was obvious that they were not completely kind words. "Don't underestimate me, as you did him. But as I have patience, I'll allow you to rescind those words and answer me truthfully; or your collection will be spread to the five ends of the earth within a week, I promise you this. Now," she laughed calmly, switching back into Japanese, "what are you asking for it?"  
  
Mizuno, recognizing what was most likely going to be a drawn-out haggle, turned towards his daughter with a smile, shrugging. "_Gomen ne, musume-chan_, but it looks like your friend is going to give Bernard-san the fight of his life. Go with your friends through the gallery and look around; I'll find you later."   
  
With varied and slow shrugging, the group did indeed disperse, allowing Alex and Bernard to argue. Usagi, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru went one way, hand in hand, looking like the happy family they would become, soon in the future. The girls went the other, Minako looping her arm within Ami's to pull her with, as she seemed hesitant to go. "Ne, ne, Ami-chan, you should relax! If sensei buys one of your father's paintings, that would be wonderful!" the long-haired blonde crooned, swinging the hapless Ami around the corner with her.  
  
"And it is a lovely painting," Makoto murmured, eyeing a painting that showed the serene view of a lotus pond. "But to happen from such ruin…"  
  
"But isn't that the thought of so many people? That humanity is destroying the planet? So many might think that such ruin is a blessing," Minako countered thoughtfully, slowing her pace. "With so much chaos in the world today, would a fresh start be so terrible?"  
  
The dark-haired shrine girl gestured for them to lower their voices with a swipe of her hand, purple eyes regarding the sparse crowd around them growing slowly larger. "How can we even speculate on such events anymore?" she whispered, stopping in front of a sculpture of a lucky bamboo. "We've seen what can happen in the future. Glimpses, again, of a similar fate. What would these people around us, Mizuno-san as well, say if they knew what we know? Would such disaster be beautiful then?"  
  
Sighing, the tall brunette said, "And we can no longer dream, can we?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
On the other side of the gallery, Chibi-Usa had fallen down the rabbit hole into wonderland. Wide-eyed and mystified, the pink-haired child rose on tiptoe to look at yet another painting, completely forgetting the two standing behind her, slightly anxious to move on and finding this all not anything spectacular. Usagi had produced a lollipop from a pocket and was sucking it, despite Mamoru's sighing; the dark-haired prince himself was indifferent to art in general, because it held no real interest for him. Not in this sterile mode of interpretation, anyway; classical artwork always made him think of a photograph. No imagination at all.  
  
But the pink-haired child didn't remember such things as cameras and classical painting. The ice had taken care of almost all of humanity's creations, including the museums and galleries and schools. She knew that Mercury had been instrumental in rescuing what they could from the ruined city, and that she had traveled outside of Crystal Tokyo on expedition convoys to explore the frozen world and excavate. Deep within the palace sub-floors were rooms Chibi-Usa had only glimpsed into, full of these treasures. But nothing she could tangibly remember.  
  
Here were those watercolours she had seen so hastily, oils on canvas, sculptures of bronze and marble and jade. The creations of humankind, their imagination lain bare by their handiwork. Now they still existed, undisturbed by the ice and cold, for all to see.   
  
So beautiful.  
  
"Chibi-U-U-sa! Are you done looking yet?" Usagi was tapping her foot by this time, wary of leaving the child alone, but wanting – desperately – to move onward. She played with the stick of her candy impatiently, scratching her head.   
  
"But it's so pretty, Usagi! Nothing like this exists in the 30th century….all of it was destroyed."   
  
"Not so loud, Chibi-Usa," Mamoru whispered in her ear, giving her a smile as she turned to face him. "But it's alright. Usa and I can go on alone. Just meet us at the front door after you're done."  
  
"Mamo-chan! We can't just leave the kid alone!" the _odango_-haired blonde hissed, looking from side to side. "What if she gets into trouble?"  
  
The dark-haired prince sighed, marveling at how his princess was so protective of their future offspring, yet often unwilling to admit it. "Usa, she'll be fine. We're not in Tokyo." He reached to take her hand, directing her to his front as he called back, "Remember, Chibi-Usa, the front door!"  
  
It didn't matter; she'd turned back to the painting. Waving vaguely at them, she leaned forward, pink eyes narrowing as she searched through the details of the work, finding such funny little things like beetles and worms hiding beneath the leaves of the tree and in the grass. "_Sugoi_," she whispered. "It's like an entirely different world…"  
  
"…full of the creatures we step on daily, unaware or uncaring," a soft voice said behind her. Yipping, Chibi-Usa spun around, aware suddenly that she had not thought to bring Luna P with her, that she was generally defenseless; but when she saw the pale girl standing there, looking just as hesitant as she, Chibi-Usa relaxed. "_Gomen nasai_. I didn't mean to intrude on your space," the girl sighed, turning away to leave.  
  
"_Daijoubu_! You just surprised me, that's all. You can stay!" Chibi-Usa reached forward unconsciously to take the girl's hand, to stop her from walking away, and was startled by how cold it was. Pale as marble her skin was, leeched further by the black of her clothing; but if she had worn anything bright, pastel, she would have looked ridiculous. The happiness of a sunny day was not a world she belonged within.  
  
But her eyes were so brilliant despite her pallor, twinkling amethyst that seemed alive; it was as if her body were dead, but her soul was burning with life. How unusual. And her face; it seemed strangely familiar, yet the pink-haired child couldn't place it.   
  
Releasing the girl's hand, Chibi-Usa pointed up at the painting. "You see them?"  
  
The girl nodded, hugging the backs of her arms. Clearly, she was not comfortable in the crowd, flinching as someone accidentally brushed her sleeve. Yet, there was also a hardness in her that was disconcerting, visible for a split second when she looked at the people, as if she wished nothing more than for them all to die. Her face changed, her posture; and when she looked back towards Chibi-Usa, she was gentle. "_Hai_. I often see details others do not; papa says I'm very perceptive. All of this artist's paintings have these tiny creatures, showing that there is more to the grass and trees than leaves and bark."  
  
"I think it's interesting. My teacher gave us an assignment to find some worms for a science class, to put them in a glass cage with dirt so we can watch them. And they're amazing! They change the dirt, and dig tunnels, and they have no legs and feet, but they're still so important to the earth! I've never seen such a thing before in my life," Chibi-Usa recalled, thinking back to that assignment. And she never had seen such a thing; a princess, after all, did not go out and dig up the dirt to find those crawling insects.   
  
Blinking, the girl stared at Chibi-Usa as if she wasn't sure that she was serious. Slowly, she began to smile, turning to cover her mouth as she laughed, trying to remain polite. The pink-haired child realized then what silliness she had spoken of, and began laughing too, which prompted them both to laugh harder. Behind them, a businessman and his wife eyed them as if they'd committed a sin by being too loud, frowning. That really did it; the girls were all but on their knees laughing then, despite gaining more confused and angry looks. But, for the nature of their laughter, you simply had to be in on the moment.  
  
Slowly winding down, Chibi-Usa giggled, "Usagi Small Lady Serenity. But everyone calls me Chibi-Usa."  
  
"Hotaru." They rested on their knees, looking entirely out of place amidst the well-dressed crowd, still giggling. "Do you want me to call you Chibi-Usa too?"  
  
"I'm used to it! Even though I'm most definitely not ‘chibi.'"  
  
Crawling up to their feet, they roamed together into the next wing, where a young boy and girl were surrounded by a considerable crowd. Both of them paused, unwilling to infiltrate such a group; as one, they decided to back up, choosing a different room that was filled with true plant life amidst the paintings. Most of them were amazing displays of bonsai. Above their heads, a skylight showed the pale, distant stars. "I always wished I could create such lovely plants," Hotaru remarked as she gently touched the leaf of a maple. "To bring life…"  
  
"_Hai, hai_," Chibi-Usa agreed, running her hand against a fir. "So much greenery exists here; I'm used to seeing nothing but ice and snow from my window, cold and lifeless. No one seems to understand how marvelous it all is!" She paused, looking back at Hotaru as she realized that she was rambling in the presence of a civilian, a normal human who had no idea of what the future brought; but the raven-haired girl seemed oblivious, sniffing at a miniature rose.  
  
Of course, she had hardly implicated the future; for all Hotaru knew, she could have been from a colder, northerly climate that was used to constant snow. Chibi-Usa mentally kicked herself, frowning at the small twist of a willow tree. This secret identity thing was going to take a bit of getting used to.  
  
Then again, Hotaru seemed to be friendly enough, perhaps even trustworthy. Chibi-Usa had never known such kindness from anyone close to her own age before her trip; all of the children seemed content to mock her, turning their backs on their future sovereign. But Hotaru was kind and gentle, and how could she not be? She didn't know who the pink-haired child was. Still, it made her feel good; perhaps, she had made a friend.   
  
Though there was still that feeling that she'd seen Hotaru before, even if she had never met her before this day. And she couldn't recall the raven-haired girl being alive in Crystal Tokyo, fur surely she would have seen her on the street. If she lived here in Ise, that cancelled the notion that she had seen her in 21st century Tokyo. So if none of those options, then what? Why did it hound her so badly?  
  
"Hotaru! Hotaru!"   
  
"Kaoli-kun?" The two girls looked up as Kaoli-kun appeared in the doorway, in the same red dress she had ridden down in, affecting a caring smile. Hotaru, much to Chibi-Usa's surprise, seemed almost violently upset at the sight of the woman; angry. "Kaoli-kun, what do you want? Are you giving papa the impression that you can replace mama by looking for me?"  
  
"Hotaru, how can you say such a thing? Your father has been looking for you, and he asked me to help," the red-haired woman replied, looking wounded.   
  
"You simply wish to enter a domain you aren't welcome in!" And there it was again; that spontaneous, awful twist of the face, though Chibi-Usa was at such an angle she couldn't fully appreciate it. But she could tell it was there by Hotaru's rigid posture, poised as if to laugh or strike the red-head down. "Magus," she hissed, an unfamiliar word to the pink-haired child. Kaoli-kun's expression stiffened, stilling into the contemplative bleakness of the frozen tundra; the warmth had turned cold.   
  
"H-Hotaru-chan?"   
  
As if she were a puppet whose strings had suddenly been cut, the raven-haired girl slumped onto her knees, hitting the floor with a peculiar thump of her skull against the tiles before either could catch her. Chibi-Usa tried, she did, but Hotaru fell heavily, so quickly she couldn't even hope to reach her. Instead, she dropped beside Hotaru, visibly frantic and desperate; she had no idea how to check if her new friend was alive, or how to stop any bleeding, or even prop her up. Medical knowledge had been Mercury's forte. So she hesitated in touching Hotaru, hands shaking, as she begged, "Hotaru-chan, Hotaru-chan!"  
  
This was a first for her, but not something she had planned on when preparing for her second trip into the past. She simply had not once considered anyone just dropping unconscious in front of her that wasn't a sailor soldier.  
  
Kaoli-kun, she realized belatedly, was long gone, and they were still alone in the forested room. Not too surprising; the room was small, and from the lack of direction markers, was not part of the gallery show. No help from the avant-garde herd mentality. Chibi-Usa bit back a whimper, wondering where the red-haired woman had disappeared to, and pulled back the sleeve of her top.   
  
The watch on her wrist was a piece of 30th century crystal technology, the one advancement mankind had made since the ice; in all other respects, the 21st century was superior to its future. Things like fluorescent lights, working automobiles, nuclear and coal and gas powered energy…all of it was experiencing the terrible twos all over again. Her mother had pushed instead for a new technology that would be beneficial to their rescued planet, and never ending; crystal. Luna P had been one of the first experiments with the power source. The entire palace was run by crystals, and a generator for the city had been in the final stages before the Black Moon had destroyed everything.  
  
But the watch – a chronometer – resembled a 21st century plastic toy, one that a child would find in a cereal box. Sugar pink and with the faceplate of a bunny rabbit, it flipped open to reveal a hologram of the accurate time and temperature if she desired it, or in simple analog; and it also functioned as a communicator to link with the other soldiers. But that particular hologram function was not changeable, showing a face of the person – or persons – on the other end. The desire to use it and call for help was tempting, but what if Hotaru woke up and saw it? Or worse, Kaoli-kun? How could she explain such a thing?   
  
She didn't have to wait any longer, as Kaoli-kun appeared in the doorway, along with a man in a lab coat. The new urge to get up and flee as his gaze dropped to her was sudden, and quelled just as quickly; she was a sailor soldier, for the love of the kami! Soldiers didn't run in the face of danger, or abandon their friends. But the way she looked at her, it was the same way she remembered Mercury looking at a stubborn machine; as if he were mentally stripping away her surface, imagining how to disassemble her and fix the problem. "Hotaru-chan…" she babbled stupidly, caught by his eyes – iie, she realized anew with horror, his single eye – as she knelt there, useless.  
  
"Yes, my Hotaru," he said casually, as if remarking on the sun being warm, or water wet. "She suffers from these spells, you see, after a particular accident…" he added with just a touch of remorse, as if it were his cross to bear, and pushed his glasses up more firmly onto his nose with his index. "If you will excuse us, little girl, we'll take care of my Hotaru now."  
  
"But, but…" Chibi-Usa looked from him to Hotaru's face, creased in uneasy sleep. "Will Hotaru-chan be alright?"  
  
Kaoli-kun stepped forward, taking the pink-haired child's arm uncomfortably, pulling her up onto her feet. "The professor is capable of solving the problem," she said coolly, leading her towards the entranceway. "Thank you for watching Hotaru in his absence." Unceremoniously pushed from the room, Chibi-Usa had no time to protest further as Kaoli-kun decisively turned away, effectively closing her out. And as she stood there alone, the gallery full of people who either ignored or didn't see such a scene, she felt the numbing shock wear off, and the cold, sickening sensation of helplessness overtake her. As it had, watching her mother fall. Seeing everyone she cared for beaten. Viewing her beautiful city after it tumbled into ruin.  
  
And now, unable again to aid those who had gained her heart, even in the span of minutes, she fled through the rooms despite her blurring vision and out into the night.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sunrise came with the gentle chiming of bells, and Rei felt her spirit swell with joy to acknowledge the simple ceremony of dawn. Clad in her robes she finished her mediations, vacating the simple shrine the hotel had for such guests, smiling as she released her joy in the thought of a simple haiku towards the heavens in thanks. Almost no one else was awake at this hour, save for the management, and her sandals sounded almost thunderous upon the tiles as she walked the hallways for the elevator. Behind the desk, the night manager, just finishing up his shift, nodded to her, though his eyes remained on her a bit longer than necessary.  
  
A man at the pond tipped his hat to her, carefully wheeling off with a large cart full of supplies and a stack of boxes atop, finished with his early cleaning. He had surprised her when she had gone down to the shrine hours ago, planning for a lengthier meditation than normal to celebrate her visit. Even in his work clothes, dirty and well patched, he had knelt in respectful prayer next to her, silent and still as a priest, until he had taken leave of her to do his job.  
  
Ascending, Rei stared at her blurred reflection in the elevator doors, her features slightly more pinched and worn than usual. Spending the night dealing with arrogant, disrespectful beings always wore her down; it reminded her of the parties her father had taken her to for his political party. So many faces, none of them real.   
  
It didn't help that Ami's father and his words had disturbed her, more than they should have. That he would be stricken suddenly with the image of ruin, overtaken by nature to such a degree; though the sight of the ruin frightened her, it was the fact that he had even imagined such a vision. Did it possibly mean something? Or was it her paranoia?  
  
Sighing, she exited the elevator as the doors slid open, banishing her face, and padded towards her door. As on the bottom level, all was quiet, everyone still asleep. Sloth, in her opinion, unhealthy and disgusting. She passed her prince and princess, mildly surprised to hear no snoring from behind their door, only to hear it from Minako and Makoto's room. Though it was to be expected; Minako had snuck too much champagne for her tolerance. They had been carrying her entirely by the end of the block, giggling.  
  
Opening her door, she slipped into near-darkness, everything reduced to watery shadows that seemed inconsistent with reality. In one bed, Ami was a pale blob amidst black bedclothes, an arm flung over her head; her sleep was strangely restless. Rei felt a surprising kindredship for the blue-haired genius now, effectively abandoned by her father despite his love for his only child. So she was concerned for her sleep, and came closer to gently set Ami's arm down at her side, adjusting the blankets around her body. Murmuring in syllables that were either entirely garbled by sleep, or not of a language Rei recognized, Ami rolled over.  
  
Alex's bed had been slept in, or perhaps simply sat on; the sheets were rumpled, but not much used. The tall red-head was nowhere to be found, and had been gone since Rei had woken up, hours earlier. She frowned; despite her friends and their obvious trust of the American, she still had her reservations. Having no memory of her from the Silver Millennium only justified her feelings, though a tiny voice in her head chastised her for assuming; after all, her memories from that life could fill a thimble. But it was something, a sense she couldn't put her finger on.  
  
The tall red-head always remained that one step away from them, an arm out of reach, as if she were afraid to touch them. In fact, Rei couldn't recall a time she had really set hands on them at all for any lazy amount of time, except for Pluto as she lay dying. That charming, secretive smile she wore like an old skin seemed to captivate everyone she flashed it to, though never with them; but more than once, Rei had felt that charm warm her briefly, like a flashlight turning off as it came close.   
  
She was an unknown in this world of soldiers and enemies as far as Rei had seen, and that tantalizing bit of history she had given them had been barely a scrap. Taking this room to share with her had been more of a desire to watch the tall red-head than to avoid having to deal with Minako's antics, and it galled her that her subject had managed to elude her.  
  
Washing her face for a second time in the bathroom, she changed out of her robes and into her second change of clothes; black jeans and a red T-shirt with a picture of Mr. Spock giving his famous hand gesture. It had been a silly present from her grandfather, and despite herself, she often wore it. Smiling briefly at the image in the mirror – she had read somewhere that it was actually a Jewish signal – she brushed her hair, tying it back loosely. No makeup, of course; that was absurd.  
  
Later, walking briskly towards the Ise Jingu, she watched the cars going past, life slowly waking up in the city. In centuries past, it would have been simple carts and the pounding of feet on the dirt; now, it was aluminum and rubber over asphalt and concrete. But the result was the same, she mused. Only now it was dirty and loud.   
  
As she passed beneath the red torii, she caught a glimpse of the worker from the hotel, pushing his half-empty cart in the same manner as before. She waved despite herself, and was pleased to have it returned; in this city, she was not the unusual girl with her psychic powers, but another visitor. In this shrine, she was also not the _miko_, but a safely anonymous worshipper of the Shinto faith. So for her own pleasure, she took the slow tour around the grounds, marveling at how lovingly everything was maintained, despite its size; though her grandfather often said the simplest joys were nature's intent, he would have been beside himself with envy at the sight.   
  
Ringing the walkways were spaced ponds full of elegant, colourful fish, much in the same way that the hotel had their pond; entranced, Rei squatted in front of one of them, watching the fish swim. They puckered their mouths at her, turning in slow, lazy circles as though they had all the time in the world. "I envy you," she sighed, tracing her fingertip against the stones edging the water. "You have no mission to fulfill, no duties that bind you into a new life against your will. All you have to do is swim and eat and finally die and nothing in-between."  
  
"You could resist your duty, Rei," someone said behind her, "but would it make you any happier, knowing what you know?"  
  
Angry, the dark-haired shrine girl twisted around as she stood on her feet, to face an unsurprisingly sunglassed Alex. She didn't appreciate anyone sneaking up on her, and the look on her face told of her displeasure. "Alex-san, how thoughtful of you to join me," she said pleasantly, though she was anything but. "Are you perhaps a faithful Shinto, or just shadowing me like a criminal?"  
  
Rei was slightly more miffed to see her sharp words had no effect on Alex's face, though one of her unnamed talents was for pissing people off. "Contrary to whatever vile thoughts you have about me, I was actually here to take in the scenery. I didn't expect you to finish your meditation for another hour."  
  
"I have no such thoughts," Rei replied coolly, fingering a loose strand of her hair. "I was merely curious. After all, you were gone before I even left this morning."  
  
"I don't sleep much." Then, sighing, Alex said, "You know, I expected this to be a lot easier."  
  
Eyes narrowing, Rei asked, genuinely curious, "_Nani_?"  
  
The tall red-head shrugged, folding an arm across her ribs as she re-adjusted her sunglasses with the other. "Stepping back into your lives. Being the wise mentor again, though gods know I'm not the teacher my own teachers have been. I anticipated a bit of adjustment, but not like I've had to deal with. Usagi, Minako, Makoto, even Ami to a degree; they've at least come to terms with me being here. But you, Rei, you hate me. Or at least, you seem to think I'm some evil creature with some diabolical scheme in mind."  
  
"Hardly diabolical, Alex-san. But I do admit hesitancy to trust someone who seems at a perpetual distance from all of us." Rei stepped away, withdrawing into the privacy of the foliage, reaching up to touch a branch out of need for reassurance. "Especially when you wield fire as do I, and yet you're not a sailor soldier. You obviously hold other powers as well, which you haven't told us of; and frankly, as I did Minako's scheme, I distrust yours."  
  
Alex made a sound between a laugh and a cough, muttering something oath in English under her breath. Glancing away, she watched the slow walk of a priest across the stones, head bowed in personal prayer or thoughtfulness; he stopped to confer with a _miko_ dressed in the red and white robes that Rei was usually so comfortable in. "It's habit, Rei. Just like your psychic powers that you don't exactly go out of your way to advertise. In most of the civilized world, it's not smart to let people know what I can do. And frankly, not that it's any of your business, I couldn't do jack shit with them anyway up until recently, and I'm still a bit clumsy in using them. Being physically dead for a couple centuries does that to a body."  
  
Water burbled behind her as Rei frowned, slowly digesting her words. How often did she wish she hadn't been born with such abilities? And how often did she wonder in these last months if they had not been because of her reincarnation as Sailor Mars, but because Hino Rei simply had such powers alone? It was true that she had tried to keep them a secret, but her goodwill had betrayed her when those people spread the rumours and half-lies. None of the other soldiers had such powers she had witnessed in their normal lives, and so she had not discussed her own at length with them. They couldn't know.  
  
Finding lost objects, precognition; no normal person could do such a thing. And yet, in America, in Great Britain, people were as plagued as she, headlines in the newspapers continually screamed. The Japanese scoffed, they had no such widespread problems, but it happened every day somewhere else. Was Alex one of these unfortunates, just like her?  
  
There was a louder babble of water, and Rei was hit by the sudden sensation of malicious intent; unfocused, evil. From the pond rose that humped black creature from the Crown, gaping maw wide and sharp. "In Ise, the enemy's attacking us!?" she whispered, stunned into backward motion as the tall red-head spun around.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" Calling fire to her hand, she flung it out in the form of a whip, striking it across its presumed face; burnt creature did not smell good. And by the sound it made, it was not happy to be so randomly injured. "Into the bushes, girl, transform!" she ordered, bringing her arm back for another strike. Rei, for once, followed orders, dropping into the lush greenery to flip open her wrist communicator.  
  
The creature flopped out of the water, its tiny host flopping frantically on the stones as it suffocated in the air. Despite that, the atavistic monster managed to throw itself forward, slamming into the tall red-head as she jumped back attempting to evade it, squashing her onto the ground. Teeth sank into her arm as power flooded the air from Rei's transformation, and Alex screamed, shoving at the black weight on top of her. Surprisingly – or not, depending on the viewpoint – it didn't budge, and continued to gnaw on her. "Why does my power keep failing me when I fucking _need_ it!"  
  
"Fire Soul!" Scorched flesh again; the teeth only partially withdrew as the creature spasmed in its own death throes, ripping Alex's shoulder further; she placed her hand against its forehead and this time, it flew across the courtyard, colliding with a wall.   
  
Mars bent immediately to help the tall red-head up as she held her shoulder, blood welling out between her fingers. "Shit and fuck me, this hurts," Alex growled, picking up her sunglasses from the ground and placing them back over her eyes. "Don't tell me that was one of those creatures you destroyed at the Crown."  
  
"_Hai_. Though here, in Ise? What would the enemy want?"  
  
"Besides the marvelous scenery and excellent architecture, I couldn't imagine."  
  
Whatever the dark-haired shrine girl was going to say was lost in another spray of water, as three more creatures sprang from the pond, looking appropriately pissed.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kaolinite clenched her teeth and her fists and tried not to scream as she waited for the water to resolve itself again into a calm pool. She hated being away from her scrying pool beneath the lab, which gave her crystal clear reception; this was merely a secondary means, when she had nothing else. But even footsteps in this building disturbed the water just the tiniest bit that she could sense, and it dimmed her picture.  
  
Eudial was impatient behind her, still in the guise of Yuuko down to her socks; but the look in her eyes was of a darker magic. "Magus Kaolinite, perhaps it's nothing."  
  
"Of course it is, Eudial. As a mere witch, you can contemplate the mysteries of the universe and its paths so much better than me. I'm being silly." The contempt in her voice was unmistakable, and Eudial unconsciously took a step back, loosely clutching her hand to call her lesser staff if need be. Kaolinite regarded this move with mockery, ignoring Eudial totally as she looked back into the finally calmed waters.   
  
And she saw the dim energy signatures of her daimon fish, which brought a smile to her face; but two more signatures appeared, rendering all else pale by comparison. "Masaka…here, in Ise!?" She quickly gestured, fingers moving into the appropriate twists and dips to call up a location of the source of these signatures, frowning; how could the fish have moved away so quickly? Surely they would still be in the lobby wreaking havoc, but she heard nothing amiss. A last jab brought up a picture of the Ise Jingu, rippling despite the still liquid. "Eudial!"  
  
"_Hai_?" Though Eudial couldn't properly read such scrying pools, she looked over Kaolinite's shoulder anyway, curious. To her, the picture looked like emblazoned loop scrawl on the water's surface, though the language was decipherable enough to spell out the location for her benefit.  
  
"Do you still desire to attain the rank of Magus? To reap the benefits of our crystal? To find those planetary lights and execute them?"  
  
Eudial smiled eagerly, and now she did call forth her lesser staff to exchange identities, hardly upset to lose her uniform for the dress and heels of a witch. "I won't fail you, Magus Kaolinite. If the sailor soldiers are indeed here in Ise, I will bring you their souls for the Master. The light close to the source of the Taioron Crystal as well!"   
  
Both of them paused. In unison, they looked up at the ceiling, hearing the sudden faint stampede of pairs of feet in a rush, stomping for the elevators. When it was over, they exchanged a moment of perfect agreement; they hated humans. Life would be so much simpler after their Master had arrived and claimed the planet for their new world. "_Sou yo_," Kaolinite muttered finally, slapping a hand against the rippled surface of the water to disturb it further. "Their souls will nourish the Master. Now go! And make it fast, witch; we're on a schedule." She didn't plan on sitting through another session of wrong turns because of the professor's efficient stomach.  
The red-haired witch scowled at Kaolinite's tone, but nonetheless bowed in respect for her command. Placing two fingers against the sigil of star and infinity on her staff, she muttered the intonation that bent space to her wishes, opening a door in the middle of the bathroom directly onto the grounds of the shrine. Through it, both women could see the three daimon that had risen from the water after their comrade had been destroyed, using their host bodies to leap from pond to pond in an amazing display of intelligence.   
  
One howled in pain as flames slammed into its back, flinging it across two ponds into the very last, its jaw colliding with the stones. Teeth like knives went flying as they snapped on impact, and it rose, bleeding and aggrieved, to fling itself towards a red-suited soldier. "A sailor soldier!" Eudial observed brilliantly, pausing. The theory of fighting a celestial avatar was all good and well on the drawing board, but now, actually faced with the prospect, she was feeling a little overwhelmed.   
  
But it passed, as all unnecessary emotions were wont to do, and she stepped through the door with an arrogant twist of her compact body, snapping her fingers to close the way behind her. Satisfyingly cutting off Kaolinite's clearest image of the oncoming battle as well. It was a good thing too, because she would have never lived down what happened next, as one of the daimon went airborne again. That was to be expected; but as it passed her by, the scorching flames that had sent it on its way singed off a good portion of her hair before she even realized it had followed the daimon. She froze, seeing the sailor soldier and another, dressed in an officer's uniform, and realized, sickeningly, that she was now partially bald in front of the enemy.  
  
Oh. They would pay.  
  
The daimon died in pain behind Eudial as she leveled her staff at the two soldiers, howling out an incantation. It didn't matter that she nearly killed the two remaining daimon with the blast of plasma that rocketed off, but the satisfaction she gained in seeing her enemies barely fling themselves out of the way. "It doesn't matter how you run from our daimon, sailor soldiers!" she shrieked, steadily ignoring the wetness dripping down the side of her face. "Though I'm at a lower level then my fellow witches, I am a Death Buster! I am Eudial, the warrior of flame! For the Master, I'll have your soldier's souls!"  
  
"We like them right where they are, thanks; tax purposes. You understand." The Crystal Guardian was holding what looked like a simple rock, as far as Eudial could see; but when it left her hand, it had become a glowing magenta, and the witch threw herself into the pool as the world exploded.  
  
Not that they could savor their victory, as the two daimon sprang again, sacrificing their hosts as they took advantage of the distraction and tackled both soldiers onto the stones. It wasn't a gentle landing; the impact slid them several feet back, ripping cloth and flesh before they slammed into a decorative concrete plant pot, awkwardly and desperately trying to keep those jagged teeth from skewering them. They were lucky the daimon had no claws on their multiple appendages; but it took all of their strength to hold those maw open and at arms' length.   
  
"Guardian-sama, now would be a good time to do something miraculous!" Mars choked, her arms trembling with the effort. As Rei, this wouldn't have been possible, but as Mars, even she had her limits when wrestling with huge demonic creatures. She couldn't do this much longer, soldier's strength or no.  
  
The tall red-head wasn't faring any better, though she was stronger than her student; and more flexible, perhaps, as she managed to bend nearly in half to jam her boot against its bottom lip to help her struggle. "All out of miracles, sorry. I told you," she grunted, managing to shove her other boot up into the roof of its mouth, "I was having problems. Well, this is one of those rosy times."  
  
"What kind of mentor are you!?"  
  
"Fallible!"  
  
Mars' daimon was inches away from closing its teeth on her wrists, and slowly dropping. She cried out as her left wrist began to burn with the effort, struggling desperately to hold the jaws open. Next to her, the Crystal Guardian braced back against the planter, both hands now free, and shoved as hard as she could; the daimon uttered an inhuman shriek of pain as its jaws cracked and dislocated. It reared back, dragging the tall red-head with it as she grabbed Mars' ankle; both girls were flung over its head and out of danger as the daimon threw itself onto its back in agony, its fish host unable to breathe.  
  
Eudial, still crouched in the pond, watched with interest as they collided with a cherry tree, shaking multitudes of dying blossoms into the water. Prophetic; as she was showered with the browning petals, she saw the last daimon give up the fight as well, spasming once before lying still on the stones. "Why is the utilization such a failure? They should be perfect daimon, not these unworthy vessels!" she raged, stomping out of the pond to retain her dignity and remove herself from the blast radius as she aimed her staff.   
  
The Crystal Guardian and Mars were in no condition to argue with her; both were limp in the thickest branches, unconscious from striking the very limbs that had saved them from a sudden drop. No doubt they'd be sporting some serious goose eggs on their skulls if they survived this fight. Eudial held her staff horizontal as she placed her fingers on the sigil, preparing the incantation to harvest their spirits, when she heard the crackle of electricity.  
  
How lucky that she was soaking wet.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"How could the enemy be here in Ise?" Mercury commented as Eudial did a jerking, epileptic dance from Jupiter's attack, despite its relative low power level. (They didn't want to kill her, after all, just make her hurt a lot.) Her goggles were having trouble scanning the red-haired witch, a worrisome problem considering that the goggles automatically adjusted for any problems their attacks caused. Whatever Eudial was, her body structure was evasive enough that Mercury couldn't even estimate her temperature.  
  
Venus stepped forward, power glowing in her hand like a miniature star. "Let's ask her when she's come to! Ruining our day off, that's rudeness; and attacking Rei-chan and sensei is even worse!"  
  
The red-haired witch, her remaining hairs now blackened at the tips and standing up in places, proved just how rude she was by decimating the stones beneath their feet.  
  
It was not a pretty sight, as they were forced to frantically run out of the way; Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus one way, Tuxedo Kamen, Moon, and Chibi-Usa the other. And the crater left behind was going to take a lot of explaining to the shrine management, though they were wisely somewhere safe, and doubtless happy that a hole was all they had to worry about. "All right!" Sailor Moon sputtered, withdrawing her new weapon to point at Eudial. "I was hoping to have peace for just a little longer, to spend happy afternoons with my prince, and you had to ruin it! The pretty soldier Sailor Moon won't stand for this!"  
  
"Neither will the pretty soldier Sailor Lady Moon!" Chibi-Usa added, posing in much the same way as her mother, sans heart moon rod. Unfortunately, she didn't get the reception she expected.  
  
Eudial scoffed, saying, "Lady Moon? Who named you that, you little pink-haired shrimp?"  
  
"Ano, Lady Moon?" Jupiter muttered, sotto voce across the courtyard.  
  
"That seems rather unusual for a soldier's name," Mercury agreed.  
  
Venus, in contrast, blasted the red-haired witch with a Crescent Beam, sending her dancing back about ten paces. "No matter! Whoever you are, baldy, you have a lot to answer to! And you're outnumbered," she added casually, as if it weren't obvious.  
  
Eudial sneered at this, though she unconsciously patted at her bare scalp at Venus' comment. It didn't matter, however; she was soaked, singed from the electricity, a knee scraped from her flight. She wasn't about to hit any posh after-hours club anytime soon. "My title is Eudial, of the Witches 5, of the Death Busters. Your deaths will be unfortunately quick, for my Master desires your pure souls!" So saying she twisted her staff to two o'clock, sending another blast of plasma their way.   
  
Again they scattered, through Mercury was quick to produce fog, a cold condensation that froze Eudial to the bone. Angry at this development, the red-haired witch realized she was blind, with no useful magic to sense them; she spun around and around, cursing. "Delaying the inevitable, sailor soldiers?"  
  
"Flower Hurricane!"  
  
"Venus Love Me Chain!"  
  
The blast of flower petals took her by surprise, and she was stunned to realize that they either could sense her, or anticipated her predicament; as the attack flung her down, a rope of golden links snapped around her staff, yanking it from her hand and away into the mist. "_Iie_, that's not possible!" she cursed. "Against one of the Witches 5, such power should be easily defeated!"  
  
On her feet with a decisive twist of her body, she chased her staff through the dissipating fog, unable to call any power without it. Before her loomed a sudden shape; Mercury. Neither had time to react before they collided, though the blue-haired genius instinctively grabbed her collar and rolled onto her back, kicking up to throw Eudial over her head. Wherever it came from, she had no idea, but it accomplished her objective beautifully. But the sudden shout of "Mars Snake Fire!" and the bright blast of fire that struck Eudial's body was not expected in the least.   
  
The body that dropped was charred and hideous, visible clearly as the fog receded. The gathered soldiers saw Mars and the Guardian sitting up in the tree, both looking woozy but entirely awake. "It's about time," the tall red-head remarked.   
  
"The bus wouldn't let us on," the dark-haired prince said, a bit miffed.  
  
Venus poked at one of the daimon bodies with Eudial's staff, frowning at their state; apparently, the creatures couldn't live without a host, which was an effective solution, but hardly feasible. They couldn't go around killing people. It was, however, strange to see that the creatures had managed to overtake ornamental fish, of all the living organisms in Ise.   
  
Of course, that was when Eudial's charred corpse decided to suddenly bloat and transform into something worse; another one of the creatures. And this time, there was no body attached by spine, but a whole daimon rearing on its legs and regarding them all with very obvious dislike. "_Kami-sama_, she changed into one of those creatures!" Sailor Moon gasped, staring in horror at the atavistic monster.  
  
"Sailor Moon, use your new rod!" Chibi-Usa sounded scared, which wasn't surprising; but she was trying very hard to keep it hidden, even as she inched back behind Tuxedo Kamen. Her early silent mantra of a sailor soldier not running in the face of danger seemed inspiring when she wasn't actually in any danger. "'Moon Spiral Heart Attack'! That's its name!"  
  
"It's already told me that," the _odango_-haired blonde replied rather matter-of-factly, leveling the heart moon rod at the Eudial daimon. It jerked as Venus and Jupiter attacked it with their power, turning away from Sailor Moon entirely to leave its back open. And even as she was reciting the words, she could feel her own power amplified in the weapon, and could only imagine what the effect would be: "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"  
  
Messy.  
  
Pieces of Eudial streaked the stones as the attack tore her daimon body apart. As well, the staff in Venus' hand shattered, tinkling like volcanic glass at her feet, the star and eternity sigil fading into smoke. Kaolinite, bent over her scrying pool, barely noticed the pain as she put her fist through the wall at seeing the witch's demise; though she wouldn't miss the brat, her failure pissed her off. A Death Buster, defeated by weak avatars! The Master would be displeased.  
  
Rippling, the water obscured the soldiers coming forward to stare at the remains, unsure of what to say. A name for their new enemies; and another body on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may as well say it now:
> 
> Haruka. Is. Not. A. Male.
> 
> It's meant to show how she views herself, not as a literal change in sex. 
> 
> Why do I say this? Someone was dense once on ASMR and complained about her "sex change." Sigh.


	26. Act 26 : mugen trois - Awareness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware of the formatting error, and I'm working on fixing it.

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            The enemy was a tireless machine, producing creatures like ragweed, or perhaps not having the control to keep such monsters in line; this was the third night in a row that the girls were forced to battle with another daimon after school hours.  And unlike Ise, they had to work hard not to kill the host body, which was always an Infinity student.

            "_Shimatta_, it's running for the intersection!"   This particular student must have lived clear on the other side of Tokyo from the school; they were having a tough time keeping it from escaping into the urban jungle that was Shinjuku.    Not that the presence of the daimon were unknown, thanks to those intrepid police a week ago, which made it harder for the public to simply brush off as another Weird Occurrence.   But the damage was beginning to add up, as the monster demolished windows trying to simultaneously escape their attacks and maul them like jerky treats, and no doubt any human caught in its way would suffer terribly.

            In fact, they knew it would happen, after the Crown incident.

            So Venus let loose with the strongest chain she could coalesce, and Jupiter managed to do an impressive leap off a nearby wall to put herself between the daimon and the intersection to blast it back with her lightning.  Even without their erstwhile mentor there to give them hints, they were already beginning to absorb what little she'd already told them, working like rusty clockwork instead of randomly attacking and hoping for the best.   "Now, let's try severing the connection; Mars, use your Burning Mandala just to the north-west of the boy's left scapula-I mean, his shoulder blade," she amended hastily, seeing the dark-haired shrine girl's eyebrow lift.  

            "I'm aware of what a scapula is, Mercury," she sighed, bringing her hands together to call her attack.  This was going to take some excellent aim on her part; her Burning Mandala was stronger than her Fire Soul, but rings of flame were not made for exact targeting, and she was not well versed in the magic.  And her Snake Fire was too powerful, that was obvious from Ise; she stood the risk of giving the boy traumatic burns, even if it freed him.   

            And that was the plan, as it stood; instead of having Sailor Moon use her attack and turn the creature into soot, or the girls accidentally blowing it up into Flamin' Daimon Goo again, they were going to try and get the boy out of the way before nailing it. If they could do it successfully, it meant saving a lot more effort in the future, instead of dancing around the victim.   They had nothing better, and no one telling them to do otherwise; the three cats were at Rei's temple, having been told to stay put.

            Venus, seeing Mars gearing up for her attack, crouched to leap up onto a light pole, expertly twisting her chain around the metal and pulling tight to yank the daimon up off its multiple legs, exposing the tendril of meat that connected the two.   Not liking the situation one bit, the daimon began squealing, sounding like a pig gnashing on tin foil, and thrashed in midair.   "Mars, you can do your magical ring trick any time now!" the long-haired blonde yelped, pulling the chain just a bit tighter.

            Holding out her palms to aim, Mars shouted, "Burning Mandala!" flinching slightly as the brilliant rings of fire spun into existence from seeming nowhere, arcing through the air to burn through the tendril.   It wasn't a pleasant smell in the least, and it served to piss the daimon off further; it landed on its legs next to the boy, shaking like a rabid dog on the leash.   Venus squawked in surprise as the pole was snapped in two, and she was whipped up and into the air as she continued to hold onto her chain.

            "The boy's vital signs are slipping!  But that shouldn't be!"  Mercury was staring into space again as she read her goggles, not liking the numbers.   Now entirely focused on the boy's health, she ran forward as the freed daimon began to race again into Shinjuku, rolling him over to make sure he didn't suffocate against the concrete.   "Answers, I need answers!" she demanded of the goggles as they continued to give her negative reports.

            "Mercury, what's happening to him?"  Sailor Moon cried, running towards her.   Mars and Jupiter seemed unsure of what to do; though the daimon was about to emerge into the very ward they had been keeping it away from, the boy's life was possibly at risk.   If anything, Venus was most likely running to intercept the daimon even now.

            The blue-haired genius held up a hand, stopping her princess in her tracks.  "_Iie_, Sailor Moon, all of you; go and stop the daimon, you'll do no good here!   No doubt the daimon is keeping him from living, if you kill it, he'll get better."  She disliked hypothesizing in such situations, but it was all she could do.   "Stop it, _minna_!"

            There was a time when the _odango_-haired blonde might have argued, and strove to stay.  But it was obvious that Mercury was right; and she alone had the power to destroy the daimon without wounding any innocent bystanders, whereas Mars or Jupiter or Venus would have blown it up with their attacks.  With one last glance, Moon raced to follow the two as they ran down the street, leaving Mercury to rapidly think of every intrusive scan she could as she checked the boy's pulse.

            It would have been beneficial to have the Crystal Guardian and Tuxedo Kamen, and even, perhaps, the-still-as-unnamed-as-a-soldier Chibi-Usa, but they were currently a ward away in Roppongi having dinner, two old friends and a starry-eyed child who begged to go along.   Trying to make it across two wards to engage in battle would have taken time, and it was nice to think that perhaps the daimon would be defeated by then.   So the three soldiers pushed on, crossing into Shinjuku's bright lights and screaming crowds, a ragged open path showing them where the daimon had run.   Apparently, Venus had gone either further than they thought, or she'd been unable to stop it.

            "How does it continue to live without a host?"  Jupiter questioned in annoyance.

            "Perhaps not very long," Mars breathed, blinking in surprise as a camera went off in their direction, "it's bleeding."

            Sure enough, there was a path of nasty looking black blood smeared beneath their feet by the countless shoes of the crowd, though the fire should have cauterized its wound.   It made sense when they saw it ahead, a black lump rising above the cars in the second intersection, having stopped traffic entirely; from its mouth leaked that viscous slime, as though it were internally bleeding.

            Around it danced Venus, snapping her Love Me Chain like a golden whip, looking like a pornographic circus tamer as she made the daimon spin in place, unable to move further lest it get attacked. Even in its possibly underdeveloped brain, it recognized impending pain and acted accordingly.   But her job didn't look easy, with hordes of onlookers pressing at her back for a glimpse of both the daimon and the short-skirted girl fighting it.  "Sailor Moon, hurry up!"

            "_Hai, hai_!"  With Mars and Jupiter flanking her, power visible in both their hands in case the daimon tried one last attempt to escape, Sailor Moon pulled forth her weapon to aim.  

            For the recently born, the monster seemed smart enough to recognize the gaudy weapon as its doom.   It reared back again, unheeding of the pain of Venus' frantic chain lashing at it, and leapt over the crowd so fast that the soldiers couldn't even call out an attack for fear of hitting someone.   Jupiter did, however, unleash a curse after her opening vanished, then promptly bellowing, "Out of the way!  Get out of its way, it's dangerous!"

            "_Kuso-o_, that damn thing is a masochist!"  Venus concentrated, strengthening the golden links of her chain as strong as possible, sending them up and out, praying it would catch somewhere.   When she felt it tug, she impulsively grabbed Moon's waist, and Jupiter and Mars, recognizing her split-second plan, grabbed onto her hips.  

            And then she retracted the chain, catapulting them up out of the mass of humanity and into the air, nearly two stories up in a rapid ascent that left the three girls breathless; they had never done such a stunt before, and without Venus' help, they never could again.   But only her princess saw the manic smile on her face as she, too, took glee in their flight, and halted the chain's retraction.   All of them could see the daimon down the street from this far up, and the cameras going off beneath them; then, it all swung by in a dizzying blur of colour as they dropped, gravity sending them on their way.

 

 

 

 

 

            "What are you thinking, Haruka?"  

            "That we must bring this to a logical climax soon, else the enemies will initiate their plans.   That our third does not awaken, and diversify our assignment."

            There was not even the slightest clink of silverware as Michiru cut her chicken, lifting a piece to her perfectly rouged lips.   Though tableware like this was uncommon outside of a foreign restaurant in Japan unless the diner asked - and even then, it wasn't always available - the aqua-haired beauty was adept in their usage.   Haruka couldn't even manage to touch a fork to the china without scraping and producing that irritating noise, though his lover assured him it was minute.   But it was seductive as always to watch her chew with precise movements of her jaw, even swallowing with grace.

            Taking a sip of mineral water, Michiru eyed her sandy-blonde partner over the rim of the glass.   "Of course.   Already the number of creatures in Tokyo is becoming ostentatious; not even the media can ignore them.  But that wasn't all you have on your mind...is it?"

            Haruka sighed, poking in a display of stubbornness at the steak in front of him. It was an excellent cut, Kobe beef, cooked to perfection, and on someone else's bill, and he couldn't even eat the damned thing.  He had come to this dinner party only because it was to honor Michiru's performance at the Dome, recorded live for yet another of her CDs, but he was hardly in the mood to celebrate.  And he knew his aqua-haired lover was in the same frame of mind, but she was a professional entertainer, and could act perfectly happy with her surroundings even if she wished to be anywhere else.

            They did, however, make the perfect upper-class couple; sitting in elegance near the glass walls of the restaurant, high atop one of Tokyo's many skyscrapers.  Michiru had dressed for the concert and dinner in a green silken sheathe gown that complimented the colour of her hair and in her eyes, with matching gloves that encased her arms to their upper reaches.   Her hair, left unbound as usual outside of their school hallways, cascaded down her back in a shimmering waterfall, and several women - all of them, come to think of it - had unconsciously fingered a strand of their own, feeling inadequate.

            At Michiru's side up until the concert and after its ending, Haruka was subdued in a black suit jacket and trousers, a dark blue silk shirt thrown in for colour, the top two buttons open for a glimpse of skin.   But the material was expensive, the cut exquisite, and it moved as though it were alive over his body.   Coupled with his tousled sandy-blonde hair that resisted all attempts to style, carelessly windblown and falling oh-so-boyishly over one perfect grey eye, not a single woman had managed to keep themselves from not staring.  Of course, they knew who he was as well.   His face was on many magazines these days.

            Not that any of them could ever dream of what their conversation was currently about.

            Mere mortals, all of them; not privy to the workings of their gods.

            "Those girls..." Haruka toyed with his glass instead, mildly irritated that he couldn't have a glass of wine.   Celebrity status was good for many an illegal perk, but even his biggest fan wouldn't let a 15-year-old drink alcohol, especially when he was the driver. A bit of the bubbly, even, would have sufficed at this point.   "Sailor soldiers, like us.   Yet why did we awaken without knowledge of them in this era?   And why do they seem to be involved?"

            "Perhaps because their mission is not the same as our own," the aqua-haired beauty sighed, cutting her chicken again.   "You remember, surely, that the source of our light was so far away, that we had seen it but once as children and never again.   Perhaps they were confined to their own planets as well, defending that light from a distance, as did we.  And awake in this era, surely they've been fighting these other enemies. It would be logical, then, that they view these daimon as a new threat, and are simply doing what they know is right."

            "But we still have no idea if they were truly enemies at all that caused that violent weather, or the reality warp," Haruka countered.   "And if not, it still begs the question as to what the mission is of this new soldiers; and why that girl resembles the image of our queen."

            Michiru demurred, taking another bite of meat, of salad, a sip of water.    She too had seen the _odango_-haired blonde through the window of the Crown, marveling at the coincidence, though this girl had not silver hair, but golden.  Blue eyes, instead of grey.  And she was young, too young, to be the adult queen in their dreams.  She remembered their past mission sporadically; protect the kingdom from outside invasion.   Remain separate to ensure the containment of the talismans.   Surely their queen had ruled that kingdom, in fact they were almost certain she had; and if there were a queen, perhaps, there had been a princess.

            But princesses were not sailor soldiers, and they had both seen that girl transform into a soldier.   Across the street, having returned to Juuban at the realization that a daimon had appeared, they had watched the group of six hold their hands up to the sky and summon the same power as they. Watched them destroy the daimon clumsily, and then, strangely, fake injury instead of simply fleeing the scene. When the TV interviewer had approached them, seeing their uniforms, and asked if they had witnessed the fight, they simply fudged the facts a little bit, though both of them had been curious as to why the girls had not run.

            Something golden twinkled at the corner of Michiru's vision.

            Haruka, about to mention something else on his list of problems with those girls, paused as he watched his lover's head turn to look sharply out of the window.  "Michiru?" he asked lowly, knowing she could read all of the implied meaning in that one word.

            Calmly, the aqua-haired beauty reached beside her chair, lifting her slim white purse onto her lap.   The hand mirror she pulled out was perhaps a bit too big to be carrying around for the purpose of checking her makeup, but it was definitely elegant and antique.  Fashioned out of a golden metal, a water nymph coiled around one side of the glass, stretched as if to touch the stars, paired with a scroll of flowers on the opposite side, both slightly overlapping the surface of the mirror. Everyone who saw it was usually entranced, and many had offered to purchase it for an exorbitant fee.

            Tilting it at such an angle that only she could see its surface, she showed no surprise as the clean glass gave way to a vision of a daimon still rampaging through Shinjuku, and showing no signs of slowing down despite the blood gushing from its mouth.  That was not a good sign; she saw no host attached to its hindquarters, which either meant that whatever animated them had evolved and needed no host, or it had died and still it lived on.   Whichever it happened to be, it looked to be problematic, especially when she saw the streak of colours following it; the sailor soldiers.   That had been the golden light she had seen; this far up, even though they were in the next ward, she had seen that flash of power through the streets.

            Removing a lipstick from her purse, she freshened her lips as she watched the soldiers descend on the daimon, only for it to evade them once more and fling itself into a theatre.   Lowering the mirror, she capped her lipstick and put both back into her purse, making all of the subtle signs of preparing to leave the table; Haruka withdrew a few bills for a tip, knowing that the waiters in this particular establishment had gotten used to them from ignorant foreigners. They tended to be slightly vindictive if you didn't follow trend, even if their meal had been technically for free.

            Rising, they left the table with ease; they had done their social duty, mingled with the fans, and ate their meal, and so none of the others involved bothered them on the way to the elevator.   But when they entered the empty elevator, Michiru pressed the button for the next floor down, waiting until the doors closed to remark, a bit angrily, "They've found a daimon in Shinjuku, and drove it into a theatre.  We'll have to run quickly to make it."

            "A theatre!   How the hell could they allow such an irresponsible thing?" Haruka cursed, mouth setting into a grim line as the doors re-opened into an empty hallway.  Unlike the insanely expensive restaurant above them, the one on this floor didn't take up the entire level, and retained a hallway to allow people to mingle before going in to eat.  It also gave them quick and subtle access to the stairs that led to the roof, which they headed for immediately.

            Atop the skyscraper was a violent wind that threatened to blow them over the edge as they emerged, and Michiru's dress lifted completely off her hips to expose those inner crevices as they walked briskly for the middle, though she paid it no mind.  In front of her lover, whom had seen every private fold of her body, she had no shame.   And the gown would soon be traded for something else perhaps just as provocative.   "Perhaps tonight, we'll find out their mission."

            Haruka seemed disdainful, from the expression on his face.   Instead of replying to the comment, he simply lifted his hand to the heavens as though taking them for his own, and shouted, "Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!"

            "Neptune Planet Power, Make Up!" echoed beside him, and the power lifted them from their feet, rushing through their bodies to remind them that they were no longer human, if indeed they ever had been; strength, clarity, magic surged through their bones.

            The click of heels signaled their completion, and they both poised to run, knowing that the leap to the next roof would take a lot of speed.

 

 

 

            Mars held her bleeding arm tightly, cursing again as another padded chair flew past her.    This last half-hour had been straight out of hell, and showed no signs of getting better.   Though the daimon they had chased across the Shinjuku ward was definitely weaker, unfortunately still vicious enough to cause them problems, the sudden arrival of a second from a girl inside of the theatre had been unexpected.   And, unable to get into position to free the host, they had been doing the same old dance again.

            It had been only fifteen minutes since they had given up out of frustration and finally called Alex, who was surprised to know they were in danger, and angry to be surprised.  But traffic in Tokyo was always a constant headache, and unless they took to the rooftops, they wouldn't be there anytime soon; they were on their own, and hating it. All of them were bleeding and bruised in some fashion.

            "Try another Supreme Thunder, Jupiter!" the long-haired blonde yelled, for the third time, still hoping that it would knock the daimon into the open so they could free its host.

            "I can barely even summon it, Venus, what do you want me to do!" the tall brunette snapped back, exhaustion obvious in her voice.  Her rib was giving her trouble already, and she had poured most of her energy into the earlier battle, anticipating a quicker victory, as had they all.  She simply was running out of juice.

            Sailor Moon had resorted to using her tiara, unable to use her heart moon rod with the damn monsters moving around so fast, and managed to slice one of them. Venus had ripped a leg off of the other, which did nothing more than piss it off; and Mars and Jupiter, being the ones with wide-range powers, had done nothing but continue to slam them with fire and lightning in hopes of slowing them down.   "If they would only stop moving...!"  the _odango_-haired blonde bemoaned, for the seventh time.

            The first daimon, bleeding on its feet, roared at them and charged.

            It was quite the interesting spectacle as the four girls screamed despite themselves, diving out of the way of the creature's steak-knife teeth.    But in fear came clumsiness, a trait Sailor Moon had actually been proud to show less and less of in their recent battles, and instead of doing a frantic leap into the second row seats, she misjudged the height and banged her knee on a back rest.   She managed a startled squeak before tumbling down between the seats, twisting to dangle by her heels and neck in the aisle, toes wriggling uselessly.   And just her luck that the space was too small for her to simply slid down onto her butt; she started to slip and was crushed nearly in half, squashed.   "_Tasuketeee_!"

            "Sailor Moon, keep your voice down!"  Mars yelled, and the _odango_-haired blonde had a second to realize how incredibly stupid she had been before a sudden blast of hot, fetid breath choked her from above.  Scrabbling with her hands at the seats behind her, she levered herself up just enough to see the daimon hovering over her, its head too large to fit to gobble her whole.   It was also the low overhang that extended from the projector's booth that also kept its body from proper leverage for a proper strike, bits and pieces of which rained down on her head.   "Sailor Moon!"

            The daimon wrenched its head up, diving back down for another try as she wriggled madly, unable to push herself up with those teeth coming so close, and just as unable to move sideways.   And the brackish black blood that she felt spattering on her cheeks was not helping matters.  As it snapped again, mere inches from her hair, she screamed, the heart moon rod re-forming back into her hand as if it had never left, and she jammed it up into its maw, forcing its teeth apart and away.  Immediately it tried to bite down again, and she could feel the pressure shaking through the weapon, though incredibly, it held.  "Moon Spiral Heart Attack, you disgusting monster!"

            She had never seen the results of her attack at such close range, but she had to admit that it was effective.  It was too bad that the force of it also slammed her down, jaw rattled against her knees as she was forced to fold entirely, her skull bouncing against the metal rim of the seat, and her innocent rump forced to bear the weight of her sudden trip.   Her heart moon rod went flying somewhere over her head, a sparkling star trailing the remnants of its power, before disappearing somewhere in the theatre.   "_Itaaaii_, I never want to do that again," she whimpered, rubbing her aching jaw.

            Then she heard a rumbling of the ground and a wrenching scream, and realized, like a dolt, that the battle wasn't over yet.   She managed to swing her legs to the side and stand, wincing as her back muscles protested, only to see the second daimon, its unconscious host now missing part of her right arm, doing a fair interpretation of Godzilla in front of the torn screen as it reared up, multiple legs kicking.   The three soldiers clustered around it were surprisingly looking away, as if they were searching for something entirely different.  

            Standing, she could also see the two unusual shadow silhouettes cast against the daimon's body, coming from the projection booth above.  Unusual, in that she was positive everyone had run away, and by the way the two were posed, they seemed nonchalant about a bulky black creature standing in a nice normal theatre.  One was in the act of crouching, and the shadow slowly stood up straight as even the daimon watched, puzzled.   "This is clumsiness, sailor soldiers," one of them said coldly, berating them.

            "And who are you to say!"  Venus snapped, aiming up towards the booth with a trembling finger; even she, it seemed, was fighting fatigue.

            The other shadow raised their arms above their head, and Sailor Moon's soft stunned gasp spoke for them all as the wispy outlines of a sphere of power formed around those hands, and she looked up to see it in the darkness of the booth; an aquatic blue.   If she spoke an attack, it was too soft to hear; and there was the sound of the rushing waves as the power fired past them all, too quick for them to even attempt stopping, impacting the daimon and throwing it through the screen, or more accurately, throwing what was left.   It was torn to shreds, ripped apart into a mess of pieces, no longer existent.  The daimon's host was thrown in the opposite direction, and the three soldiers were frantic to catch her.

            Sailor Moon turned back towards the projection booth, unsurprised to see both gone.   Then she ran madly down the carpeted aisle, remembering how badly she had seen the host hurt; the close-up view was not pleasant.   "_Kami-sama_, don't let her die," she whispered as she nearly stumbled the last few feet.

            The girl couldn't have been older than Chibi-Usa, perhaps even younger, dressed in casual clothing instead of the telltale Infinity uniform.  A bit bruised, most likely in shock, she was alright until one looked at what was now simply a stump, instead of a right arm; muscle and ligament was torn, hanging ragged, the bone jagged as if it had been snapped in violence like a twig.   If she survived the blood loss, she would spend the rest of her life as a cripple, left-handed in a society that was still shaking off the stigma of those few aberrations and trying to not fall back on forcing them to the right.   She would be doubly cursed.

            Venus had one of Jupiter's bootlaces, and she was tying the best tourniquet she could manage around the girl's stump, her expression blank and, to those who knew her well, completely devastated. Her princess, upon gaining her eyeful of the injury, let out a strangled cry, clapping her hands over her mouth; the tall brunette and dark-haired shrine girl, both crying silently, touched her on each shoulder in support.  "At least," Venus whispered, licking her lips, trying again, "at least she's still unconscious."

            "We need to call for help.   We can't carry her to a hospital in this condition, we could make it worse."   Mars looked around as she spoke, as if a phone would materialize right there in the theatre for them to use.   Of course, none did, and she started her walk back up the aisle for the double doors.  She wouldn't dare attempt cauterizing the girl's arm in her present state; nearly drained, she might have given the girl third-degree burns instead of neatly linking flesh.

            The sound of Jupiter's knuckles cracking was very loud in the silence that followed, and both blondes looked up at her, not quite surprised at this display.   But the look on her face was no longer sad but furious, bordering on rage as she pounding her fist into her opposite palm with a smack of fabric and flesh.   "How could they do such a thing...how could they endanger an innocent life?  We could have saved her from this pain on our own!" she hissed, her friends taking unconscious steps back as her voice heated up.   "Now she'll be crippled for the rest of her life, if she survives!   I don't understand how this could happen!"

            "Jupiter, maybe it was an accident!"  Venus snapped, her comrade's anger at their helplessness only adding to her own, "the daimon was running from us, _us_, do you remember!   We felt that attack before it was released, and we still chased it, and we could have caused this, we could have thrown off their aim!"   In fact, she was sure of it, because that moment was still so fresh in her mind, the sudden sensation of a power that overwhelmed theirs, and the sound of its release that coincided with the daimon's backward step.

            Sailor Moon was silent as the two soldiers stared in anger and despair at one another, willing to come to blows over their argument - and it wasn't even really an argument, was it? -  simply for an excuse to stop thinking of where to pin the blame.   Having missed that crucial moment in time, the _odango_-haired blonde could offer no rebuttal of her own, merely stare at the ravaged body of the student they had tried to save and realize just how badly they could misjudge themselves. Because of their naivete and perhaps even her clumsiness, this girl would be missing a part of her life. And they should have been able to save her.

            Dully she recognized the slamming of the double doors, and the pounding of feet down the carpet; Mars.  "The ambulance was called already, we have get out of here!  Now!"

            "Mars, we can't just leave her here alone!" 

            "You don't understand, I didn't call the ambulance, the crowd and the news reporters that followed us called them!"

            Oh, hell, was most assuredly what three pairs of moving lips silently mouthed.

            The three were still frozen in the act of denial when those doors opened for the third time, and a flood of lights blinded them, the overwhelming babble of questions deafening them.  So used to working in relative obscurity - even Venus, to a degree; she'd never had rabid reporters chasing her down whilst on the job, only rumour mills - they had utterly no clue how to handle the rabid crowd of journalists and reporters heading for them at a ridiculous pace, microphones and pens held at the ready, cameras rolling.   And they with a body on the floor.  

            But they were even more surprised as the entire crowd suddenly looked around in confusion, alternately slowing down in their tracks and stopping altogether to look around in bafflement, implements of the trade drooping like dying flowers.  "_Na-ani_?   Was this an elaborate hoax?" someone called from the back.  "Where did they go?"  

            "The story of the day, and they vanish in front of our eyes!" another lamented, standing so close to a petrified Moon that, had he swung an arm, he would have slapped her.   The soldiers, rightfully confused as well, exchanged looks of puzzled relief.

            "Ara, ara, talking about getting what you wished for!"  Venus muttered.

            They crept towards the other set of doors, realizing that the student, hidden from the crowd by the first row of seats, was still visible by the reporters; like sharks they swooped towards her as they caught a glimpse, even as paramedics finally arrived, trying to shove their way through.  Realizing they were in the clear, the soldiers ran like hell out into the foyer through the second set of doors, seeing a pair of very welcome faces tucked into a far corner, away from the crowd.  "Mamo-chan!" Sailor Moon cried, pausing as she felt a tug at her arm.

            Alex herded the four into the women's bathroom, pausing to lock the door after them before commanding shortly, "Power down, so we can get the hell out of here.  And maybe then, you can tell me what happened, and where's Mercury while we're on the subject?"

            "Mercu-Ami-chan!  She's still waiting for us!"  Mars stammered, shrinking every-so-faintly as she dropped her transformation and became a flustered _miko_, her hair tied back by a white headband.   

            "Oh, no, we left her on the street with the boy!" Venus partially explained, slapping a hand to her forehead as she changed back into Minako, dirty school uniform and all.

            "The daimon's host, that we freed!"  Jupiter continued, rubbing her hands in chagrin on the apron that appeared as she became Makoto.

            Their princess said nothing to end the chain of explanations as she changed into Usagi, clothed in her comfortable pajamas, her hair abruptly falling from its _odango_ as she had not bothered to tie them up after her shower.  Instead, she hugged herself tightly, bowing her head as she mourned the girl and the life they had just ruined, unable to blame it on such an unstable event as the daimon itself; no, it was their fault for not doing better.   "Usagi-chan?" the tall brunette murmured thickly.

            "Come on.  We need to leave before someone thinks of searching every room in the building for you.   Masking your presence isn't clockwork when you four were seen before I showed up," Alex interrupted, though it was a gentle intrusion.   "I'm just glad I managed to pull it off."

            "It was a neat trick, _sensei_," Minako sighed, toying with her skirt, trying to be thankful for small favours. 

            The tall red-head shrugged it off and unlocked the door, though she did a slow double-take at what Usagi was wearing.   Mumbling another of her foreign curses beneath her breath, she stared hard at their princess in concentration, and they were amazed to see her clothing begin to change, shifting over her body to become a plain pink dress.

            Of course, Alex's stumble and drop to her knees was on the whole less dramatic, but it was still cause for alarm none-the-less.  "_Sensei_!  _Daijoubu_!?" 

            "Alex-san, you can't push yourself so hard!"  Rei chastised her, realizing, after their brief conversation in Ise, what the tall red-head must have done.  "If your powers are giving you so much trouble..."

            "...and have _tsukimidango_ walking around in a pair of bunny pajamas?  Someone in Tokyo would have brains enough to be suspicious, especially with a bedraggled Shinto maiden still dressed for the shrine walking out of a foreign film!"   Alex waved them back, though she didn't look too steady on her feet.   "Now let's get the hell out of Dodge."

            They crept out of the bathrooms in a nervous huddle - though Alex, apparently more at ease with the act of nonchalance, walked out as if it were perfectly natural to be in a bathroom at a theatre - and joined up with Mamoru and Chibi-Usa.   Strangely enough, though she was usually wont to throw herself without abandon into her prince's arms, Usagi walked on by as if in a daze, head bowed and posture drooped.   Mamoru frowned, hesitating in reaching out to her, unsure if he should intrude and worried as to what was causing her distress.  He knew from being in similar states that he would have rather been left alone; and so he dropped his hand instead to the shoulder of his future child.

            By this point, the mob of news hounds had been driven back into the foyer, the sets of double doors locked tight as the paramedics attended to the student before attempting to move her.  Even in civilian clothes, the group would have looked suspicious mingling with professionals dressed to the nines, free hands holding equipment of all types, if not for fortune blessing them with pushy bystanders who continued to duck past the police as they closed off the entire building.  But those same police were also now trying to herd all of those people out.

             Alex suddenly took Mamoru's arm, snuggling up close to him as though they were indeed a couple - and as they were still dressed for dinner, the tall red-head in snug monochrome female attire for once, they looked the part - and began babbling anxiously like a frightened, empty-headed teenager.   "Maa-aah!   Oh, wasn't that awful?  And on our first big date together, that something that hideous could attack!" 

            "_Na-a-ni_-oh, _hai, hai_, it was terrible," the dark-haired prince stumbled, smoothing into a somewhat embarrassed exchange as he saw an officer turn and eye them in suspicion.  "But at least we escaped safely..."

            "Ne, ne, _onee-san_, mama is going to be angry with you!"  Minako chirped behind them, getting into the act as she practically hung off the tall red-head's arm. "You were supposed to make sure we didn't get into any tro-ouble!" she sang.   It was only her determination that kept the smile on her face, and the unbridled curiousity in her voice.  Truthfully, she felt like crying until the world just stopped.

            "_Urusai_!" Alex countered, practically stomping her foot as Mamoru looked to the heavens, more than a little surprised at the tall red-head's convincing act.  The officer seemed almost relieved to usher them out past the line, for all the world looking like a young couple on a date, stuck with her little sister and her friends, of whom three seemed appropriately chastened by the night's horrific events.  If they weren't traumatized, it certainly made his job all the easier.

 

 

 

 

            The traffic was diverted entering the Minatoku ward, and as the line of cars passed down a side street, they could catch a glimpse of another ambulance with its lights still on, barricading from view a forlorn little body on the concrete.  Kneeling next to it, the paramedic shook her head as she held a small wrist in her hand; a white sheet, as customary, was draped over the figure.   Mercury was nowhere to be found, though there was a curious spider-webbed mark in the pavement by the body's legs, as if someone had punched the concrete in a rage.

 

 

 

 

            In school the next morning, Michiru smiled pleasantly as her instructor asked again for her to show the class what she was doing.   "When you attain the level of professional, as Kaiou-san has done, then I will consider you all quality students of entertainment," the blonde perked, hardly any older than the upperclassmen she taught.   With wavy hair that just brushed her shoulders, held back by an unusual headband of pearls, and eyes of a golden hue, she should have been pretty, perhaps even beautiful.  But she had a wicked, nasty sense of humour that was often unexpected and vicious, and she treated anyone who had no talent as beneath her notice.  Even her students were the brunt of her callous attitude.

            By contrast, the cool and collected Michiru was gorgeous in the eyes of many, if not everyone.  Her exquisite talent with the violin made her the unequalled top student of their entertainment class, and her grace and eloquence, coupled with her experience in the professional music business, kept her there.   So their teacher was often calling on her to demonstrate her talents, to be her live model so to speak, though many of her classmates were aspiring stars and minor celebrities as well. 

            Call it that edge that kept her out of reach.

            So she was able to keep her calm as Hanyu-sensei, their absentminded instructor, continued to direct her into musical acrobatics like a trained dog.  Setting her violin again carefully against her shoulder, she began a simple series of scales, positioning herself on the raised platform at the front of the room as if she were at a concert.  It was the poise, the attention to her music that their instructor wanted them to learn.   Many of them still stood sloppily during their lessons, though they were talented students; they simply did not have the professional manner pounded into them yet.

            Smoothly she went into a fluid tempo she had written a few weeks ago, a light, yet determined song that she had done with Haruka's matching talent on the piano in mind.   The tall sandy blonde had somewhat jokingly suggested they make it their theme song, and Michiru had coyly titled it ‘Song of the Outer Stars.'  She had actually written three short songs in the same spirit, but had not named the other two yet.  And it seemed fitting, that they were outside of the world they were protecting, not of it entirely. That was not their mission to become comfortable, but to remain separate and aware. 

            Bow poised, trembling, she launched into the violin's last notes, acutely recalling with sudden clarity the last battle she and her partner had intruded on.  The sound of the girl's arm as it had been torn asunder like a brittle stick, the daimon wounded by the grievous injury of its host.   It was a dilemma they had recognized early in their defense against the monsters; kill the host and kill the daimon.   The daimon's injuries did not, for the most part, wound the host, but then they had not truly hurt the daimon they encountered without intent to kill it.  Of course, from what little information they had about the host at the Crown, she had in fact been badly injured by the wounds dealt the daimon before it was destroyed.  She had yet to emerge from her catatonia, and was restrained by straps and drugs, fed intravenously because she had bitten fingers.

            The new sailor soldiers were too naïve, in Michiru's opinion.  Too naïve and inexperienced, no matter what they may have encountered before.   For Uranus and Neptune, whom had perfected their aim on the monsters before they had grown into gross creatures needing human hosts, they had no need to flinch when striking them down.  They knew the risks.  They knew that the host was better off dead if the daimon was not stopped, immediately. 

But from what they had heard of the soldiers' conversation in the theatre, these were children with roles still out of their conception.  They didn't think of themselves as warriors, dedicated to stop the evil before it infiltrated their world and ruined everything.  No, they saw themselves as heroes who flinched at any danger, who considered the unimportant life of one over the combined lives of the many.  Their attempt to protect the host when a simple combination attack at the daimon could have won the day within minutes was flawed. 

           Michiru knew the girl was lucky to be alive, and though she wished, simply, that she had not lost her arm, it was a minor loss in the entire picture.  The girl lived.  The daimon died.  And it was not Uranus who had wounded that girl; it was the incompetence of the four sailor soldiers that had put the girl into harm's way.   Unforgivable. 

           And the shadow that loomed over her was thus: she, and Haruka, were not so cold hearted that they truly thought everyone worthless.  The hosts were their classmates, peers, and academic adversaries, real people who had not asked to be involved so cruelly.   To save them all was a blessing from the _kami_ and all their shades, but to defeat the enemy, they couldn't flinch.   This was a war.

           With a casual smile that could win hearts and strike fear into those very same muscles, she finished the piece with a flourish, bowing in respect to the class.   "You see?  Professional attitude!   That is why Kaiou-san commands crowds all across Japan!"  Hanyu-sensei seemed almost more proud of Michiru's accomplishments than the aqua-haired beauty herself.  Of course, Michiru had her pride, she knew she was almost unequaled with her instrument within her age group, and she made sure every single concert was unique and perfect.   But to a point, it simply didn't matter; though she wished, in a solitary corner of her mind, that she had no duties as a sailor soldier, she was Sailor Neptune, and that meant sacrifice. 

           One day, she might die in the service of...well, of whomever she was in service to.  The lovely queen in her dream, perhaps.   But it would happen.  And Kaiou Michiru and all of her skills would be sand.

           The recorded bell struck, signaling the lunch hour, and the aqua-haired beauty internally sighed with relief.  Because the school was not structured like a common Japanese institution - the students didn't remain in one class the entire day, their teachers coming to them - she had to make it back to her homeroom and her cubby to lock up her instrument before meeting Haruka.  She was always grateful for the respite, the walk across the building, though quick, an excellent time to think.   At her former school, she had to merely reach into her desk and remove her lunch. 

           Locking up everything, she took the elevator down to the ground floor - walking so many floors would be useless, and she would make it just in time for the hour to end - and exited out of the building into the common area where most of her grade was now eating.  Passing the swimming pool, she paused to admire the steady pace and strong form of two upperclassmen practicing the butterfly, only to feel a familiar pair of warm hands touch her arms.  "Ara ara, are you considering replacing me, Michiru?" a voice growled low in her ear, though there was an undercurrent of laughter beneath the harsh rumble. 

           "Never, Haruka.  I was merely admiring the consistency of their stroke.  Perhaps they will finally beat the rival swim team this year with such excellent form," Michiru replied, feeling the hands and the body move away.

           "Perhaps.  Though I do admire the form of the brunette on the right; Takashi-san, is it not?   Would she give me swimming lessons if I asked?"  Haruka laughed, dodging Michiru's playful swat at his arm.  

           They walked on together, to the wood and steel bench they had appropriated for themselves their first day at the school, situated under mature trees that had been transplanted from a construction site across the city.  Many of the other trees were not so large yet, freshly planted at the school's opening and still growing, and their spot was highly coveted; but Haruka was convincing enough to keep everyone else away.   Already both of their lunches sat waiting, both in nondescript _bento_ boxes, though they were lacquered to shine and covertly expensive.

           "A beautiful day," Michiru remarked as she opened hers, lifting her chopsticks.   "I hope nothing spoils it."

           Haruka took a sip from his can of green tea, frowning.  "You know better than to wish for such a thing, Michiru; the enemy would never wait for weather.   And especially after our last encounter!"

           "Strange, is it not?"

           "_Nani_?"

           "How we always find ourselves at a meal when discussing our important mission."   Michiru lifted a small pickled plum, eyeing her partner.  "But you're right, of course; our last encounter was not a victory by any means.   And we find ourselves with a new problem on our hands; the interference of children."

           "You put it excellently, Michiru; children.   Naïve, clodding infants.  The powers of legend, and they could hardly destroy two daimon!"   Haruka angrily lifted a clump of rice, dipping it into the sauce container in his other hand.   Eating the morsel, he then lifted a sausage before adding, "but how can we convince them to remain out of our battle?   Obviously, this is not their jurisdiction; we've both learned that much.  Invaders from outside of the solar system are our enemies, not theirs, or else we would have known of them as we did one another."

           Michiru paused, considering that very dilemma.   Their dreams had told them of their roles as defenders of the outer reaches of the solar system, confined to their separate planets lest the three talismans meet.   But the queen who had given them access to those powers, the benevolent, smiling lady with the crescent moon upon her brow, resembled the girl at the Crown.  Even she had seen it.   "I'm not sure, Haruka," she admitted finally, taking a sip of tea herself, grimacing only slightly at the metallic taste.   "Truly, if that girl were the queen of our dreams, she would recognize us.    And if she were the daughter of the queen, the princess, then we would be under her authority.   Simultaneously, we would be beholden to protect her."

           "Perhaps we should confront them.  Tell them our mission, and that they're simply too inexperienced to fight these enemies.   Especially a princess..."

           The tall sandy-blonde was caught by a sudden vivid memory of the _odango_-haired blonde in the arcade, smiling in rapt attention with her friends.   Such innocence, so obviously not a hardened warrior capable of battle.   Even her four friends, despite their soft hearts, seemed more at ease with fighting and sacrifice, especially the long-haired blonde.   But the girl with her heartfelt smile and innocent laughter seemed more the pampered, protected child.   As if she weren't meant to be a soldier at all.

           Michiru was puzzled by her partner's lengthy, sudden silence, her storm-cloud eyes staring off vacantly towards the imposing building of their school.   Far too cultured to simply shake her awake or slap her into consciousness, the aqua-haired beauty was considering simply pinching Haruka's hand when a shadow fell over them both, and a piercing, "Kaiou-san!" cut through her thoughts.

           "H-Hanyu-_sensei_," she stumbled, smoothing through into a gracious smile and demure bow from her seat.   "Is there something you require of me?"

           "_Iie_, Kaiou-san!  I just wanted to remind you of our performance tonight!  After all, it's so important."

           _As if I could not remember such a simple event myself,_ Michiru thought rather nastily, momentarily angry that their privacy had been disturbed for something so trivial.  The performance in question was scheduled for next week at the Tokyo Dome, her second of the month, broadcasting live on the radio, to raise money for the families of the students whom had been, to put it pleasantly, ‘recently attacked.'   Not that Michiru, personally, understood how money would return the Hanagawa's son to them, or aid the rich Hosoda in paying for more doctors and psychiatrists for their catatonic daughter.  But she did know why the school did it; to remain innocent.

And lucky for her, she was blessed with having to jointly perform with Hanyu, a minor idol herself and not a terribly good singer.   But they were both celebrities, and that was why they were placed together; to rake in the most cash.  And Hanyu was actually a lesser evil considering some of the underclassmen that were performing before them.    

           So she simply continued to smile, despite her strong need to sigh, and said, "Of course I remember, Hanyu-_sensei_, and as always, I will be there promptly."   A slight against Hanyu, who was perpetually late to her own concerts; but of course, she was too well mannered to insult the blonde, and so it was ignored.   Michiru preferred it that way.

           "_Mochiron_!   And as for Ten'ou-san, will, ah, he be attending?" Hanyu asked slyly, eyes flicking over to survey the tall sandy-blonde, who seemed to finally be aware of his surroundings and looking up.

           "_Hai_.  Will you?"    Haruka, on the other hand, was not quite so well mannered.

           Hanyu's face creased with a sudden anger, and at her side, her hand unconsciously clenched as if to grasp a weapon.  Both students saw it, and remained cool in the face of whom they knew was their enemy; and she, as if remembering that she was constrained by certain rules, opened her fingers.   "Rudeness does not become you, Ten'ou-san," she hissed quietly, turning on her heel to stalk away, a blonde thundercloud.

           "That was unwise, Haruka," Michiru murmured, smiling wryly.

           The tall sandy-blonde grunted, eyeing the remains of his lunch.   "She'll be dead soon enough; I'm not particularly worried.   But her untimely arrival does give me an idea."   Pausing to take one last morsel before closing up the box, Haruka smiled at his partner thoughtfully and said, "How many extra tickets do you have?"

 

 

 

 

           This was the life; privacy, Internet, and school still in session for three more hours.

 

           Yes, indeed, Artemis was in talking kitty heaven.

           The computer he sat in front of was indeed an impressive piece of hardware, small and sleeker as new trends in technology dictated, with a 19-inch flat screen that was more than adequate for his needs.  Voice-activated, he needed no opposable thumbs to work the small keyboard, rolled out of sight beneath the desk; he purred, he growled, he sang the commands and everything worked like precision clockwork.  He didn't even need to stop munching on the raw shrimp he had been given as lunch, tails and all.

            "Not even a permanent teacher list?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The excuse for the rebirth of the outer plant soldiers was the best I could come up with.


	27. Act 27 : mugen quatre - Soldiers & School Girls

##### 

[I feel the loss of another utilized soul. The perfect bodies were few; souls loyal to the creation of our new star. Magus, you must eliminate the bodies of the sailor soldiers! Bring me their nourishing souls!]

The red-haired Kaolinite, kneeling in proper respect before the statue, grit her teeth. "Master, I beg your forgiveness. But these girls are unqualified for this task, surely. Despite their perfection, they falter in their magic. If I were only allowed to awaken the last of us…!"

She had long ago gotten over the curiousity of speaking to a statue that did, in no way, resemble anything like her new body. It looked more like the oblong seed of a plant, stretched out thinly to thicken again at the base. Ridged, encircled by triangular wings at its thickest point above and below, it was truly a hideous piece of sculpture. But within hid the power of the Taioron Crystal, protected by its own magic, and it was through the link it had with their Master that she could even speak to him across the galaxies. In ridiculous stereo, considering the distance.

[No. Only when the body is properly conditioned for utilization may the last be awakened!]

"But, Master, she is the most powerful of us as well! Who cares if the body is perfect? When you arrive, and this world is ours, we will be able to return to our true forms!" That also reminded her; she had to check on the body and its progress. The medicine was doing its job, but she was impatient, even if this was the second to the Master and her superior they spoke of. Power was what they needed. She had to remember to charge up an amulet with the life force of their crystal and give it to the body.

Or not her, personally; she would give it to Germatoid, who would then give it to the body, seeing as Kaolinite did not have her trust.

[You forget yourself, Magus.] The chamber shook as the Master, in what trickery manageable for the distance, resonated with the Taioron Crystal. She felt a fist squeeze her heart, and she choked, scrabbling at her chest as she stumbled onto her knees. [Do not forget from whence your life flows, and who controls that life. Answer me!]

"_H-hai_, Master," she wheezed, all but collapsed on the floor. The pressure eased, and she was able to breathe again.

[The body must be properly conditioned. This is the power of Nine we speak of. She is the one who will lead me the final way to the planet that will become our new world. And then, across space, we will take it to the Tau Galaxy to become the center. This is a powerful magic, Magus, do you understand?] She heard the Master do what she had come to think of as a sigh, as if admonishing her for being stupid. [And for such powerful magic, the light that is close to the Taioron Crystal will be ideal. Souls will nourish my form and make me strong, and those of the sailor soldiers are ideal. All of this I demand, and you cannot yet provide!]

How she wanted to stamp her foot at her Master. Everyone seemed to think it was easy to do her job; order around five immature girls – now down to three – aid in the experiments to produce the daimon, provide suitable students in the guise of Kuromine Kaoli. She was overworked and underpaid, in her opinion. "Master, I promise you results. For these insults, the sailor soldiers will pay with their souls. This I swear."

Unsurprised at the sudden loss of connection, she finally vented her frustration and spun, reducing the nearby television set to slag.

In the light of the morning, the results were no longer kind. Haruka grimaced at the mirror, glad to be the only one privy to this particular sight.

Multicolored bruises blossoming across the ribs, shoulders, hips. Red stripes from splinters cutting tender flesh; and, as if to match Michiru's own mark, welts across the forehead from the hard metal of the absent tiara. Naked from the waist up to survey the devastation, there was also another sight to torment the eyes, but these were a problem nothing but mutilation could solve. Or perhaps dreaming them away.

Cupping her breasts, Haruka squeezed them tightly, as if to pinch them into oblivion. Useless bags of flesh she wished she had never been born with, along with the hormonal differences. In the privacy of home, he could shed his clothes, and witness her body, curving and soft instead of angled and hard. A woman's skin and breasts. The differences were not so very much, but obvious and striking.

All her life, she had hated her gender, though the full import had only struck her at the onset of puberty. Women had no opportunities like that of men in her world; they were useless objects, pretty dolls. Playing games with the neighborhood children had always been an uphill battle - her family's wealth denied her the comfort of playing rough and tumble, of simply wandering to the local park and joining the impromptu baseball games. Though her parents were reasonably indulgent, they disliked her getting so dirty and disheveled, of ruining her nice clothes by acting like a boy. But she hated sitting still, hated being told to ‘play nice' and given dolls by ignorant grandparents.

She had cut her hair short at age six, ridding herself of the heavy braid her mother insisted on doing for her. And despite them hiding the household scissors, she cut it again every chance she had until they got the hint, and took her in for proper trimming every few months.

Dresses were like torture for her, and she fought loud and hard to avoid wearing them, though at school she had no choice and she suffered. At home, she wore shirts and trousers, T-shirts and shorts. She would not even walk into the girl's clothing stores and departments unless forcibly dragged.

And none of it had struck her as particularly strange, until she woke up one morning and realized the two lumps on her chest were in fact growing, and not merely some variation of illness. They were tender, itchy as they expanded, and it was the fact she could hold them like warm, soft creatures in her hands that she knew. Her screaming had woken up the entire household, and it had taken her mother almost three hours to calm her down. Explaining to her that she was becoming a woman; that she would soon have breasts, fuller hips, and monthly bleeding, all of it for one prehistoric purpose; so she could bear children. And wasn't that simply wonderful?

"No, no, no!"

What did she want with children? That was the realm of housewives and simpering girlfriends. And she had never truly realized that as she grew up, she would be cursed with the same disease as they, the same horrible physical deformities. She had been comfortable in her neuter child's body, breast-less, hip-less, and slim as a boy; now she would be the same hideous monster as her mother. And she had always considered her beautiful.

Puberty was hell for her. After classes, she would run home and rip off her uniform, only to find her shirts rapidly becoming too small for her, her breasts hurting with their uncomfortable weight. She refused to wear the bra her mother bought her, and suffered in silence, crossing her arms to brace them as she escaped to the racetrack to watch the cars. Watching her dreams pass her by at a hundred kilometers an hour, no longer even plausible.

She became rather reclusive for a year. Her parents finally broke down and found tutors for her, as she refused to leave the house; her hair grew long and shaggy, her weight dropped, and she shunned all clothing except for a rather neutral yukata and sandals. Many tutors quit, unnerved by her blank stare and hour-long silences. All of them had suggested a psychiatrist for her, but when her parents had tried to take her, she simply picked up a knife and locked herself in her room. Extreme measures. She didn't want to live, but she wasn't exactly thrilled at dying either. No doubt she was a fascinating example of some mental disease.

So it went on, until something inside of her finally admitted that this was a worthless venture. Brooding wouldn't solve her problem. She cut her hair again, washed, took a shirt and pants from her father's closet – and their excellent fit, despite what had been clothes for a man half a meter taller than her twelve months ago, gave her strength – and left the house on her own in the first time in a year. No doubt it had been Uranus, irritated at her reincarnation, that had prompted her dazzling conclusion, taking her first few tentative steps within her new body. And it was only a few days later that the dreams had begun, hazy and surreal, though their full meaning would not come for nearly two years.

At the racetrack, she struck up the courage to shake hands with the drivers who, she found out quickly, were complete assholes. They dismissed her quickly enough, though she found immediate kindness in the mechanics that tuned up the cars. And with that came her first surge of confidence; her height, which was impressive for a Japanese female, and her deep, husky voice conspired to give them the first impression that she was a boy. Of course, as she began to visit with regularity, they soon figured out her secret – they were not stupid, merely confused – and faithfully kept it for her.

They gave her the courage to continue her charade, dressing in the shirts and trousers she wanted, learning from them all about the internal workings of a car. Even going so far as to teach her how to drive, she was soon testing out the vehicles for them, loving the whip of wind through the open window, the streaking of colour through glass. To them, she was Haruka, the inquisitive girl; to everyone else, she was Haruka, the dirt-smudged boy always eager to learn something new. Even though she went back to public school and wore the uniforms required, it was no longer a concern. Haruka the male was always freed once the bell rang.

Her parents never referred to her as ‘him' or ‘he,' and as the year passed, she began ignoring them if they called her, no longer used to the female gender; merely ‘Haruka.' And she hardly ever saw them anyway; she was always at the racetrack, steadily working her way up the ranks with talent, perseverance, and a ready smile coupled with an exchange of bribery. She was, after all, used to privilege, though it couldn't prevent her father from dying that spring.

At school, she rapidly outgrew the girl's uniform, and as winter approached, she was elated to wear the trousers and jacket of the boy's. So different did she appear that everyone seemed to forget or ignore her true gender and refer to her in the masculine; and his assured poise was soon legend throughout the hallways. She made the softball team as the pitcher, and on the track team she was their star sprinter, as dedicated as any man, or so she was continuously told. Juggling sports and racing, she became famous on the track as Ten'ou Haruka, the handsome bachelor, with dozens of sponsors vying for his approval. Her mother was proud of her accomplishments, though she continued to call her ‘daughter.'

Now, steadily, ever since she had become Sailor Uranus, she found herself changing.

She glanced into the corner of her bedroom; her mind painting the soft colours and cut of the clothes she knew hung in the closet that the dim morning wouldn't properly bring into focus. Women's clothes, skirts and dresses and soft things she had begun to buy, becoming comfortable with her figure for the first time in her life. It was a frightening yet irritating feeling to find an hour passing, only to see herself in the mirror with a skirt and blouse, properly feminine. A fancy she knew Uranus had given her, not knowing the fun of even being able to change clothes a lifetime ago, and taking the opportunity now.

Uranus had never viewed her gender as anything but an advantage, because it had given her the power of her planet, and means to survive the war despite ages of loneliness. Uranus was disgusted with Haruka's dismissal of their femininity, because to her, men were the truly weak, women the strong. She wanted nothing more than for Haruka to stop her ridiculous obsession and focus fully on the mission, no matter the cost.

The only thing they truly held in common was their love of speed, the need to run and race and take flight as fast as the wind. But Haruka was determined to win this; he had not submitted to an authority or power in fifteen years that could change his ways.

Even though she secretly felt elated at the prospect of losing.

Michiru relaxed beneath the sheets, comfortable in the soft bed as she watched her sandy-blonde lover stand in front of the full-length mirror, partially hidden by the shadows. But she knew by long practice what Haruka was doing, because the demons that haunted her were vicious, demanding creatures. This was a fight over Haruka's very essence of being.

She remembered that first night, drunk on wine obtained from her mother's cabinet and full of promise, when Haruka had kissed her clumsily, tongue searching for a connection, both of them ridiculously innocent. They knew what to do from what television and books and adults had told them, but nothing compared to the true moment when Michiru opened her lips and allowed the tall sandy-blonde in. There had been the taste of the wine in each other's spit, the salt tang of the medium rare steaks they had consumed, the sharp edge of the toothpaste they had both brushed their teeth with prior to their meal. _Kami-sama_, they had both prepared in case such an event occurred.

The lights had been set to low for atmosphere, and Michiru remembered pulling back, seeing nothing of Haruka except for the very lightest swatches of skin, like an impressionist painting of his face. Stormy grey had darkened to turbulence; Haruka had licked his lips unconsciously, and they were already swollen with the force of their exchange. "Michiru…"

Her hands slid down Haruka's arms – she had been atop, side straddle as though riding a horse, because the black dress she'd worn would allow no vulgar parting of the hips – feeling the subtle muscles flex beneath the fabric of the silk. The tall sandy-blonde had worn a casual, if expensive, slate grey suit and royal blue shirt, though the jacket had been neatly hung in the closet hours before. It was obviously new; the buttonholes were still tight, unused to being stretched, and it took some work and nimble fingers to open the first few.

"Michiru," Haruka had moaned, slightly more forceful.

And she had ignored it, continuing on down her lover's torso, careful to keep it all from falling open too quickly; this was a moment to be savoured. The softer angles were apparent, it was hard not to see them, but she thought nothing of them until the very last button was released, and she spread the cloth. And uttered a startled, undignified squeak.

Perhaps it had merely been her own inability to puzzle out the obvious that had been the true surprise. Because she should have seen it. Why else would her partner become a long-legged, perfectly female sailor soldier when they spoke the words?

But the Haruka she had known, the tall sandy-blonde who caused whispering and turning of heads when passing through the hallways, was never referred to as anything but a male. Even in Japan, where tomboys used the masculine to refer to themselves and other people, it was still obvious they were female when someone spoke back to them. Not so with Haruka; the girls considered him handsome and utterly dateable; the tabloids spoke of his trophies and victories as lustily as they would any man.

Had it simply been a matter of blindness? Had she not wanted to admit why such a change occurred? Or perhaps it had been that she had simply assumed that the spirit of Uranus had been reborn in the wrong body. The magic merely corrected that oversight.

Whatever the particular problem, she stared then at two perfectly normal, full breasts, not unlike her own, perhaps slightly smaller but just as firm. Nipples erect with obvious anticipation, they were also flushed with red that she followed up with her eyes, seeing Haruka's face so blushed with consternation and embarrassment. "Michiru, I…this isn't what…no, no!" she suddenly screamed, shocking the aqua-haired beauty with her volume. "I can see it in your eyes, Kaiou Michiru; repulsive as I am."

"Haruka, you're not in the least –" Michiru hedged, reaching out her hands.

"Get away from me!" Haruka screamed again, shoving her partner completely away. In a very uncharacteristic move, she seemed not to care that Michiru was all but thrown onto the carpet – a nice soft plush, she remembered, but not soft enough to keep her from banging an elbow. She pushed herself up to see Haruka on her feet, buttoning up her shirt with sharp jerks, covering up everything she wanted to hide. Her – his – eyes had gone almost granite grey cold, and they all but stared through Michiru as the shirt disappeared into the waist of his slacks. "_Arigatou gozaimasu_, Kaiou-san. The meal was excellent. But, I believe it would be best from here on in for us to maintain a strictly business relationship."

The aqua-haired beauty had gaped at Haruka in her own uncharacteristic way. Such an expression was not for a lady, her mother had always told her sternly; only uncouth girls, incapable of reigning in their base emotions, would allow such a slack-jawed reaction. Finally, she found her voice as the tall sandy-blonde unhooked her jacket from the coat hangar. "Haruka, what are you talking about? _Kami-sama_, allow me to explain before you so viciously close me out!"

"Is there anything to discuss, Kaiou-san?"

"Stop that! Such casual dismissal may work on the fawning girls that follow you at school, and perhaps even at the racetrack. But it will not work so well on me, Ten'ou Haruka, Sailor Uranus!" Michiru rose to her feet in a fluid motion that had Haruka pausing in the very act of sliding on his jacket. Grace was one of the simplest acts of motion that separated the women from the girls; and she wore it flawlessly, walking towards the tall sandy-blonde, knowing that with every slow swing of her hips, she had his attention. Even if she was furious.

She'd stopped within arm's reach, and reached up to settle her hair back behind her shoulders, straightening its tangled nest. "Haruka," she began, with deliberate calmness, "I apologize, simply. Nothing I can say will erase the humiliation I no doubt caused you." With the clasp of her hands in supplication, she bowed low. "As your partner, as Sailor Neptune, I beg your forgiveness."

Haruka, she had known by the weight of eyes on her head, was merely staring at her. And why not; she had been correct in her assessment of the tall sandy-blonde's life. With his poise, he gained more than his fair share of admirers, all of which he ignored almost completely outright. He had no use for gawking girls, foolish in what they no doubt considered love. And, though Michiru did not know it, but was beginning to guess, he had no need for someone who could not understand his dilemma.

And from the lengthy silence, it was indeed a large dilemma.

Several minutes passed.

Finally, she felt a hand smooth back the stray hairs on her head, sliding down her cheek to come up under her chin. Her head was tilted up, their eyes meeting; and Michiru was positive it was not her imagination that Haruka was on the verge of crying. "You should never have to bow to me, Kaiou Michiru," he murmured. "A beautiful woman should always stand tall as the men bow to her."

"Ara, but a woman is allowed to beg forgiveness when she's in the wrong," she bantered back casually, though they were both trembling with emotion. "And surely, I deserve to beg. I should have anticipated…iie, I should have known."

Just that like, the ice, instead of being broken, grew thick as the glaciers. Haruka withdrew his hand, his body pulling entirely away. "And why, Kaiou-san, should you have known? I am a mistake, and cleverly crafted. Because the _kami_ did not place me properly in this lifetime, I am forced to create the illusion of man."

"And is what why, when we are transfigured by the magic, you are a powerful woman? Those are our true forms, Haruka; we were merely reborn into this life, to complete our mission. I, thinking you were indeed the man in this life, was under the impression that you had indeed been improperly reborn, but not as you think. And why does it matter?"

The tall sandy-blonde had turned entirely away, fists clenching at his sides. "Because it isn't right! Because I have always wished, longed, to be the man, to be rough and respected and to have the power of men in this world! And I created my illusion, and I was mollified, but I knew I could never share my sorrows or cry on the shoulders of a lover, because I go against nature! I am a freak!" He slammed his fist into the wall, neither of them flinching as a beveled mirror fell and shattered at his feet. "And then I saw you, and I longed for you, as a man longs for a beautiful woman. But I couldn't have that happiness! I could never, ever aspire to such heights!"

Another blow of his fist brought down a small framed photograph, and another would no doubt send the neighbors to the telephone. "And then, what does life do but taunt me? Sailor Uranus, a powerful soldier indeed, but a woman! A woman! _Kami-sama_, why did the fates curse me in such a way, to reveal to me this existence? So close to you in ever battle I can smell your skin, dream of touching it, and it can't be, it simply is not going to happen! This is the reality, Michiru, the disgusting, horrible truth!"

So close…yes, that was the decisive moment. The aqua-haired beauty had watched it all in silence, Caribbean eyes unfathomable, churning as she listened. She felt an inner ache for her partner, a distillation of sorrow and joy and fear and anticipation, marveling at how she could remain still so calm. Knowing then that she had nothing left to question, that it was never about her fears, but Haruka's; she loved him. She loved her. It didn't matter that their bodies were incompatible, that beneath the sheets, they would find similar softness and curve.

On the last word, Michiru pressed swiftly up against the tall sandy-blonde, opening her mouth to swallow the harshness of Haruka's rant, pulling them together. Back she stumbled, both of them tripping over each other's feet, and the aqua-haired beauty found herself pinned against the wall, fingers tight in the collar of Haruka's jacket. Lips seamless, tongues meeting, it was all a matter of passion in that moment.

With another jerk, they switched positions, and Haruka grunted as his back hit the wall this time. But he was quick to fumble with Michiru's hands as they dropped again, pulling at the buttons of his shirt, both of them quick to anger again. "Why are you doing this now? I told you—"

"Shut up, Haruka," Michiru snapped, slapping his hands away. With a quick yank, she had ripped the rest of the buttons apart, a few falling between their feet, and lowered her head to kiss first the right breast, and then the left. Her arms wound around Haruka's waist to keep her from fleeing as she nuzzled into the softness like a kitten, slowly tugging them both down onto the wood of the foyer.

So their first act of true passion had been on a hardwood floor, hardly the comfortable scenario she had always envisioned, but most memorable. How many times had she writhed in bliss, her thighs locking tight around her lover's head, desperate to hold her in position? And she, never imagining she would love a woman, but quick to learn and eager to please, had been in the same grip several times as well.

Now, they were entirely attuned to each other's bodies, knowing exactly where to touch and how hard, how soft. They had a small locked cabinet at Haruka's condo of embellishments, though they were hardly used; they simply shed their clothing and fell into an embrace. And for Michiru, at least, it was enough.

But she had seen immediately that, even though she had accepted Haruka despite her posing and pretending, the tall sandy-blonde still had not accepted herself. And as Uranus grew stronger in her soul, as Neptune swelled in her own, she watched Haruka become confused. Was she truly happy pretending to be a man? No, not any longer; or at least, not as much. There had come days when Haruka had primped herself, borrowing her lover's makeup and, for a time, clothes, going out as a beautiful woman. And though she seemed at first to not entirely be aware of what she did, gradually she was shedding her male clothing more and more for skirts and blouses and heels.

None of her racing sponsors knew this of course, nor their fellow students; indeed, if they ever ran into some, they thought Haruka to be someone entirely new. Her poise was so different, her features subtly changed by make up and the fit of her clothing, that Michiru had been asked by more than a few male students if ‘she' was single. It was, frankly, a disconcerting game of identity, one that the aqua-haired beauty was adept at playing, though she was beginning to grow weary. Not that she wished her lover ill by refusing to cater to her/his needs, but never knowing who would answer the door, or arrive at their dinner date, was stressful.

She watched Haruka disappear from the bedroom, no doubt searching for a late night drink, and thus free to move, she shifted to prop herself up. Her own bruises ached in response, and she flinched, touching one particularly vicious pain on her hipbone. And all of this from merely one of the enemies! _Kami-sama_, what would happen when they faced the next one, most likely upset and vengeful over Hanyu-san's death?

With a gesture she called forth the mirror, tilting it to catch a stray sunbeam to see her face; as expected, she looked like hell. Her lips were dry and cracked, her forehead bore a nasty cut, and her eyes seemed rather vacant, like that of a shell shock victim. And she felt like one, too, considering that this had been the worse battle of her life as a sailor soldier. Daimon were not habitually nasty, or vindictive; they simply attacked and died quickly, too stupid to run away from the force of their powers. Mimete had been intelligent enough to hurt them, and badly, and she could have quite possibly killed them if the gaigokujin hadn't intervened.

Her frown looked twice as harsh in the glass. The woman had known their names, an entirely unexpected occurrence. And when the rest of the sailor soldiers had arrived, as well as a dark-haired man in a tuxedo – most assuredly Chiba-san – they had seemed unsurprised that the woman was even there. Not even children, such as they, could be so stupid as to talk about their mission in front of an innocent bystander. Though she was hardly even that; without using magic or even a change of identity, the woman had fought Mimete without pausing to consider the risk to her life.

"Michiru, you look beautiful as always in the morning light." Haruka's voice was low and faintly tired, drifting from the open door. She looked up to see her lover standing there, legs and torso visible by the stripes of light coming through the blinds, the rest of her merely a dark shape that assumed human form. Clad only in tasteful blue silk bikini briefs, the colour brought out the bruises and marks on Haruka's body as she came fully into the light, a serving tray in her hands. Two glasses of orange juice, and some fresh strawberries – a favourite of both, though hideously expensive – sliced on a plate was their shared breakfast.

Taking a slice, Michiru ate it delicately from her fingertips, not too entirely beaten to not tease her lover with the tiniest lick at the soft fruit. "_Arigatou, anata_. But surely you're stalling; why I would have my mirror out, is what you want to ask me." She gestured to the elegant object, which nestled in her lap looking harmless.

Haruka paused in sitting on the edge of the bed, the tray set on its legs properly between them on the covers. She deliberately took up a glass, taking a healthy swallow of juice before saying, "I was assuming it could wait until we were finished eating."

"Why wait? After all, we are not only constrained by time, but by a lack of. We need answers and the solution, quickly." The aqua-haired beauty touched her fingers to the silvered surface of the glass. "Mimete called herself one of the Witches 5, yet that woman refuted her, saying they were now 4. Assumedly, with Mimete dead, it is now down to three of them. That also leaves their masters, and the child, all of whom still live."

"Has anything changed?"

"_Iie_. She still is as sickly pale and weak as ever. Many times I've seen her collapse in the hallway, complaining of headaches; but they have not gotten noticeably worse. If we work quickly, it will no longer be a problem."

They ate for a few minutes in silence, fingers nimble and reddened as they devoured the soft fruit. Haruka stared past her lover and out the window, watching the birds fly by as they sang lustily into the morning. Normally at this time, she would be alone, getting ready for school by herself, cinching up into her costume and mask, knowing Michiru was waiting for him outside. Just this once, they were being slothful and taking the day off, able to breathe easily outside of the stifling confinement of Infinity.

And no doubt, it was a jail; if it were not the undercover operation of enemies trying to overtake the world, it would be perhaps easier to breathe. To feel safe. Instead, every minute of every day, they knew they had applied to the elite academy not for grades and educational status, but to vanquish the enemy. Both of them had managed to evade the physicals the school nurse insisted on giving each student, which was no doubt the method they used to turn the innocent into monsters. Michiru was a surprisingly excellent hacker; all it had taken was a few hours at the keyboard to enter them in the school's files as ‘tested.' And it was a trial to enter each day and know that potential enemies surrounded them.

These new sailor soldiers had no idea what it meant to sacrifice so much for the mission. Promising careers and dreams come true; both of them had these. Both of them would give it all up to succeed.

"As long as our third never comes in contact with us, it will never be a problem," Haruka remarked at last, feeding Michiru the last slice. "So we need merely make our move."

"_Hai_; but before we can, we have to neutralize any threats. These new sailor soldiers are too innocent, too childish to fully recognize the trouble they've gotten into. But this woman…the one who called us by our ancient names…" The aqua-haired beauty held up the mirror for both of them to see, the glass showing nothing more than tousled sheets and bruised, wanting bodies. "Deep Aqua Mirror, show me…"

The glass went opaque, wiped clean of everything as though Michiru had drawn her hand across it. Then it rippled, swirled, and gave them the image they wanted; the tall red-head in an unrecognizable place, looking angry. But she was talking to someone, that much was obvious, making the situation impossible. Without bothering to ask her partner, Michiru released the image and allowed the glass to reflect them once more.

"How lucky for her," Haruka murmured, touching a hand to her lover's cheek.

"Yare yare, Haruka, surely you aren't glad we're forced to stay our hand," Michiru sighed, setting the mirror aside. "It will have to be very soon…"

"_Hai, hai_. But not quite yet; this _gaijin_, then the enemies and the completion of our mission will come in time." The tall sandy-blonde nudged her lover back, smiling devilishly as she slid her other hand lower. "After all, exercise is essential for a healing body."

"Haruka…"

  
"Ami, really, I'm fine! See? Nothing rattling loose in my skull, everything's still working half-ass like it should. Stop poking me with that thing!" The tall red-head squirmed as Ami attempted to listen to her heart for what seemed to be the hundredth time, wielding one of her mother's old stethoscopes.

"Is it so terrible for me to be concerned, Alex-san? From what you described, you could have suffered a concussion from the impact with the wall, and which could have been compounded by our fainting spell!"

"We did not faint, we were knocked out by the loss of equilibrium in our inner ears!"

"_Hai_, sailor soldiers don't faint!" Minako piped up from the corner of the yard.

Ami threw up her hands in a mild pique, removing the stethoscope from her ears. "If it's any consolation, Alex-san, you're one of the healthiest people I know. But it doesn't mean you're superhuman and impervious to injury!"

The tall red-head snorted, touching the back of her skull and the small bruise that had taken up quiet, if firm, residence. "Believe me, I know, I've gotten my ass kicked enough back in the day to be reminded. I just didn't hit nearly hard enough to warrant this much fuss."

"It can only take the smallest tap, Alex-san," Luna said at her feet.

Alex glared down at her, dropping her arm back onto her knee. "Don't you start."

Around the courtyard, the girls tittered, though their amusement was darkened by the event that had brought them to Rei's temple, all of them skipping school defiantly. They had been lucky enough to endure only the sucker punch that Uranus had given them, but the repercussions had shaken them to the core. It had been interesting, definitely, to find out that they were not the only people fighting the Death Busters; but to realize now that they were two new sailor soldiers, and that they had attacked them? Even Pluto had remained to give them a reasonable explanation for her actions.

The cats had not had the time to really tell them about their revelation, that perhaps Neptune and Uranus were awake and active in this time. Considering that, as Artemis rather flatly pointed out, their last meeting at the parlor had been spent talking more about cute boys than their mission. Minako had argued that it had been an important discussion, because it kept their minds sharp and tested their ability to be discerning about any possible undercover enemies.

None of them, amazingly, had gained any bruises; a first. But they had not wanted to spend another day in school, unable to discuss or even puzzle over this new mystery, so the tall red-head had done a quick race around the city to ‘convince' their teachers that they were in fact attending. Their parents thought them in class, though Rei's grandfather, having brought them some tea, seemed to be ambivalent about her playing hooky; finally, he seemed to decide that she was grown enough to make her own choices. And though she wouldn't admit it, or even say it, Rei looked to be much more at ease once her grandfather did so.

Dressed in their respective uniforms, even Makoto and Mamoru – they didn't have to pretend for anyone, but it was a strong habit to break – everyone sat or stood on the porch or on the scattered wooden benches sitting out for visitors. So early in the morning, they had only seen two come up the steps, ritual attendees to the shrine whom had greeted Rei with nothing more than a bow and gone on their way to ring the bell and summon the _kami._ With the Meiji shrine taking more foreign tourists every year, the lack of revenue and loyal worshippers was dwindling slowly. It made it an excellent place for the soldiers to meet, but a terrible burden on Rei and her grandfather.

"Uranus and Neptune," Makoto remarked quietly, after Alex's examination was finally finished. "Why would they attack us so cruelly?" She lifted a hand to her head, remembering the explosion of wind and force that had hit them, and the sudden nauseating sensation of their inner ear being shaken. "We didn't offer them violence."

"_Hai_; as fellow sailor soldiers, why were they so angry with us? Surely our mission is the same, no matter what! To protect the innocent and stop the enemy!" Usagi rose to her feet with the force of her statement, a soft fist clenched against her chest. It was a familiar pose to see, one that they knew meant she was getting deeply passionate about the topic. "That was our reason for accepting fate, and giving up our happy lives!"

And giving up more, though she didn't mean to imply such. Their freedom, their future, their comfortable civilian identities; perhaps that was the reason those two were so upset.

Ami, thoughtful as always, remarked, "But for new soldiers, they were remarkably excellent with their powers. Uranus used her attack to disrupt the equilibrium in our ear canals, by adjusting her wind-based power to upset the pressure around us. The slightest miscalculation could have blown us into the walls, or even caused our eardrums to explode and permanently deafen us."

"That is true, Ami," Artemis agreed, glancing towards Luna, "they could have hardly awakened, we've heard nothing of them in this time, and yet, to have such control!"

"They did call us clumsy," Minako snorted, flicking back her hair. "In the theatre. Acting all superior, as if I didn't work alone for a year as Sailor V! Longer than anyone else, I've been a sailor soldier!"

Chibi-Usa, nibbling from her box lunch, remarked, "But I've never heard of Uranus or Neptune. Mama and papa never mentioned any other sailor soldiers protecting the kingdom, except for Pu and Venus and Jupiter and Mars and Mercury."

The tall red-head frowned, bowing her head, arms lax on her knees, as the others exclaimed in astonishment at this. "Chibi-Usa, you know you shouldn't be telling us anything more about the future," Mamoru said rather sternly, folding his arms. "We know too much already."

"_Gomen nasai_, Mamo-chan," she lamented quietly. Next to her, Diana gently licked her hand in support, knowing how much it bothered the pink-haired child to be chastised in the least by her parents. Even if he was completely right; they knew far too much of their future to be assured that it would continue on its correct course. Though none of them ever voiced the concern, they were all constantly on edge every single day, still worrying that the bus they might've missed, or the test they passed or failed had changed the course of events. As time went on, this worry began to fade; but for now, it was still quite fresh in their minds, brought back in force by Mamoru's statement.

And was it something they had done that had awakened these two soldiers' souls?

Perhaps the very thing they had done to bring about the Silence they all dreamed of?

Diana, noting someone's thoughtful look, queried, "Alex-sama?"

"'The sea is joyless…no longer does heaven's wind blow…'" Alex murmured to herself, remembering the poem on the wall. She shook her head, running a hand back through her tangled hair. "I remember reading a poem on the palace wall, in the hallway where they had painted an effigy for all of you. It was dedicated to the fallen heroes; ‘the sea,' heaven's wind,' instead of the obvious titles: Neptune, and Uranus. You never knew of them, Chibi-Usa, because something happened to them before you were born or old enough to remember. So perhaps we didn't cause their awakening by visiting the future; it was meant to be."

"But even so," Rei interrupted coolly, gesturing with her hand, "why and how did they awaken without the help of Luna or Artemis? They had to come to us personally to give us our pens and our identities; is there another cat out there, or someone else reborn helping them?"

Alex slouched back on the bench, grimacing. "Not that I know of. I honestly don't even know how they were even reborn; I never had a chance to meet them the last time, so I didn't bring their spirits with me to Earth. Though it's also possible that they never even died."

"Never died? You mean, they're thousands of years old? Like Pluto?" Usagi gaped.

"It's possible. After all, once you truly become sailor soldiers, you'll live forever; that is, unless some evil monster kills you before then. But it doesn't make much sense. If they had lived through all these years, they should have shown up before now to try and destroy Metallia. And even more, if they claim this to be their mission solely, that means these new enemies are from outside the solar system; they should have either destroyed them or died trying."

The blue-haired genius raised her hand, as if in class, to call attention to herself. "Is it possible that they indeed died, and two new soldiers were awakened and trained without your knowledge?"

"In a crisis, a soldier would awaken entirely in a new body, accelerating growth if need be into maturity," Alex answered, palming her forehead. "Though I never witnessed such a thing; when I was at court, you girls had been born into peaceful times, and grew up rather normally. But the way they said it was their mission, that they had failed…I don't believe they were born entirely new in this time. Reborn, most likely, or still alive these years."

Alive for so many centuries…all of them unconsciously shivered at the idea, a long life they had avoided through death and rebirth, a life they would gain after an icy cataclysm. For Usagi and Mamoru, who would ascend to the throne, it could hardly be so bad; courted as royalty, living as king and queen for a millenium. But for the soldiers who faced possible eternity evading violent death and wracking injury while in the service of the kingdom, it was a terrible vision. The _kami_ knew how Uranus and Neptune would have fared after so long.

Relaxed against a supporting post, his leg beginning to grow uncomfortably warm beneath the weight of his princess as she leaned against him, Mamoru gestured in much the same way Ami had, saying, "Even so, they call themselves sailor soldiers. The soldiers of our galaxy answered to the queen of the Silver Millennium, or their respective planetary royalty, correct?"

"_Hai_," Luna answered. "Even as soldiers, ranking above the armies—"

"I'm not finished, Luna." The dark-haired prince cut her off gently but firmly, holding up a finger. "So, if not any queen or king in this time, would they not respect the figures of their fellow soldiers? After all, Sailor Venus is the leader of the assembled sailor soldiers, is she not? Or am I wrong in assuming that Uranus and Neptune, being mere perimeter detail, would still be under the rank of Venus?"

In a moment of comedy, everyone turned and looked at the long-haired blonde, who seemed partially elated at this time of clarity. "Would they truly? I mean, I know I lead the five – ah, six – of us," she corrected, looking hastily at Chibi-Usa's widening mouth, "but would I really have authority over them? And, maybe, even Pluto?"

Artemis muttered something beneath his breath that must have been a doozy; he went rather one dimensional under his loving and attentive ward's fist.

Eyeing the flat feline, the tall red-head said, "In times of crisis where the three outer system soldiers would have to be called to defend the kingdom, yes, I would place them under your authority. Separate and while working on their own mission, they have no actual leader; they answer to no one unless an enemy evades them and enters the galaxy proper."

"But this is a crisis, and we must make them realize this," Luna interrupted smoothly, as she did so well. "A crisis in which all of you must work together."

"Exactly," Alex agreed, taking back the reins just as easily. "It ceased being their solitary mission once the enemy became engaged on Earth. Now, it lands under our jurisdiction, which means everyone will be involved to stop them."

The comfortable silence that fell in the lull was broken by the loud crunch of a cookie. Usagi was merrily scavenging breakfast out of her own bento box as well, as she had gotten up too late – again! – to grab some toast on the way out. Next to her, Chibi-Usa had long since demolished her own, and was stealing some cucumber as stealthily as possible with her Hello Kitty chopsticks. The resulting squabble as Usagi caught her was becoming familiar; the pink-haired child seemed convinced of her own maturity and mocked her future mother, whilst the _odango_-haired blonde argued the point and her future daughter's lack of respect.

Everyone left them to it. Ami pulled out the architectural blueprints she had been asked to find for the Mugen Gakuen building, a veritable sheaf of schematics. She unfolded them amidst the clacking of chopsticks in deadly battle, placing small rocks as Rei handed them to her to pin the edges. "The building is a complete educational complex, containing grades kindergarten through graduate. It also houses a rooftop garden and greenhouse, as well as a telescope and observatory." With a rather comical gesture she whipped out a pointer, extending it with far too much ease – and putting a bit of fear in Makoto and Minako as she wielded it – and pointed to the appropriate areas.

"Though it is such a complete educational system, it is exclusive and expensive, and class sizes are appropriately small to compensate. In times of fire or earthquake, the building is also adequately prepared, and can be evacuated quickly." Gesturing to the various doors and pulling out a second diagram to show them the fairly wide stairways that ran the entire height of the building, as well as its flexibility overall, it was obvious that if it came down to a pitched battle within the school, the students would be safe. Not only was it made overall for safety, but the small class sizes would ensure less time wasted evacuating the student body in a hurry.

"Entry into the school, even if you happen to be a registered, paying student, requires an ID badge and a solid reason for being there. Such IDs are usually given out to non-students if they have been approached with an application for the school. Almost no other reason exists for any non-student to receive such a badge."

"They don't want anyone poking around in their business that won't be harvested for their insidious plans," Alex muttered under her breath.

Ami touched her pointer to the basement diagram, pulling out her reading glasses with another practiced flick of her wrist and sliding them on. Squinting was bad on her eyes. "The basement is, on paper, mostly storage facilities. Entry in and out solely through the building corridors itself. Chairs, desks, equipment, and various other extras are stored down there, though, according to the building plans I've uncovered, the mass of the building, as well as the amount of dirt unearthed for the foundation, leaves the area of almost an entire floor unaccounted in public records." Not that it was required for proof, but she picked up the notebook pages on which she had scribbled her equations and shook them.

"An entire floor? _Kami-sama_, they could hide anything beneath the school, and no one would know." Minako sounded horrified, no doubt envisioning the sleeping babes of the daimon they had encountered, waiting to be placed within an innocent student. And with so many questions left unanswered, it was hard for the rest of them not to imagine the same.

Rolling up the top few layers of blueprints, Ami discarded them neatly to the side to reveal an entirely different building schematic; the veritable mansion that resided next door to the school. Once again pinning them down with the rocks, she waited the span of a minute as a sheepish pair of _odango_ appeared in their huddle, as well as their dark-haired prince. "This is the blueprint for the Tomoe Research Labs, home of the professor Tomoe Souichi; by land grants and funding, he owns Mugen Gakuen. Again, as with Mugen, the mass of the building and the dirt unearthed for the foundation leaves almost an entire floor unaccounted on paper."

"Possibly a tunnel connecting the two buildings underground?" Makoto queried.

"That would be almost a certainty. They would need ways to exit and enter without being seen if the floor beneath Mugen contains their secrets. And for easy access to a laboratory that they no doubt cooked up their little monsters in." The tall red-head frowned, cupping her chin. "What about the labs, Ami? Any civilians to worry about?"

Another blueprint hit the dust, and a rather glossy poster of three faces was unrolled; obviously, Ami took pride in her work. The damn thing looked professional. "Only three people reside in the labs, as the front half of the building contains living quarters. Tomoe Souichi, the owner and scientist, widowed, workaholic; his assistant and acting principal of Mugen Gakuen, Kuromine Kaoli, an unfinished major in genetic science; and Tomoe Hotaru, the daughter, who attends the school in the sixth grade."

Next to Usagi, Chibi-Usa straightened suddenly as she heard a name she had heard twice before; but now, seeing her face on the glossy paper, recognizing the two who shared her world, and that hideous single eye and peculiar smile…she knew. She covered her mouth with a hand as though she would be sick as she realized that the lonely girl she had so casually, easily befriended, was the daughter of their possible enemy; also, perhaps, an enemy herself?

"_Iie_!"

It was several minutes before she noticed everyone was staring at her in surprise, considering her sudden cry. Ami had a look of visible annoyance, like the proper scholar she was, at being interrupted. "Chibi-Usa, what is it?" Rei asked, breaking her rather contemplative silence at last. The pink-haired child pushed through the ranks to pick up the glossy poster, as though to confirm close up what she had already discovered.

"Hotaru-chan…Kaoli-kun…sou yo, the one-eyed man…" she chanted softly, pointing them out in turn. "Usagi, I told you about this girl, I met her at the gallery that day. The one who fainted."

"You met Tomoe Hotaru? All the way down in bloody Ise? What the hell would she have been doing there?" Alex asked above her.

"I don't know…but they were all there, this Kaoli woman, and her father, too, with his terrible eye."

They could see what eye she meant so clearly, for even in polite company Souichi never seemed to bother concealing it. And that alone was surely a mark of madness, for no one would walk around with such a disturbing embellishment plain as day on their face. There was no public documentation to explain why he even had such an eyepiece, for every medical record they had uncovered listed his vision as a perfect 20/20, which created an even worse puzzle.

"She was so nice, and sad," Chibi-Usa explained as she handed the poster back to Ami, "not at all evil. We could be friends. Surely, she can't be the enemy!"

"No one is calling her an enemy yet, Chibi-Usa-chan," the tall brunette soothed, reaching out a hand to pat the child on the shoulder. "The fault lies almost certainly with her father, if any of that family. Ne, minna?"

"It would explain why Mugen Gakuen is so heavily involved," Mamoru mused. "After all, how easy it would be to use the students as experiments when you own the entire building, able to come and go as you please, trusted by them all."

"Which is why we need to go undercover and investigate as soon as possible!" The long-haired blonde made a fist, punching the air furiously. "We'll discover the secrets of the Death Busters, and the Witches 5!"

Rei, on her right side, coughed delicately. "Ano, I believe it's the Witches 3 now, Minako."

Shrugging, Minako pulled forth her crescent compact, doing a rather interesting trick of rolling it up and down her forearm as she said, "Numbers don't count until the enemy is vanquished, Rei." Flipping her hand, she transferred it to her other arm as she did a quick little dance to keep her balance, inadvertently stepping on Ami's blueprints. Apologetically smiling, she added, "maybe we should go today, sensei, I can then secure a date with Ten'ou-san while we're there! Then it'll give me incentive to fight the enemy harder, and spend my summer in bliss."

The girls gave up a mixed reaction of laughter and sighs – that sounded like Minako – though Alex began to chuckle, and then slowly stopped, her face drawing into a frown. Even though the girls had not taken any serious injury, they were most definitely not ready to encounter any more sneak attacks. "Tomorrow, Minako, we'll go," she said thoughtfully, holding up a hand to stave off any arguments. "Tomorrow. Today is a day for rest, especially after the shock you've all had. If we encounter the enemy, we'll need to be prepared."

Minako sighed loudly, though she knew the tall red-head was right, and spun around to capture Makoto's arm. With a grin of pure glee, she pulled the hapless brunette away with her, saying loudly, "So, then, Mako-chan, tell me more about this Sommers-san! He sounds so handsome, I'm almost tempted to sign up for classes myself!"

"Minako, you never have enough allowance left to even pay for such a thing!" Artemis protested.

"Ignore the wet towel, he doesn't know what he's talking about! Details, Mako-chan, everything juicy! Doesn't he train you personally, in private, all alone with no one to hear you scream?"

"_D-demo sa-a_, Minako…!"

"Me too, I want to hear everything!" Usagi cajoled, latching onto the tall brunette's left arm, Chibi-Usa her hand.

They dragged her off towards the shrine building proper, followed at length by an exasperated Rei, yelling at them to not disturb the serenity and peace of the shrine, and Ami carrying her blueprints, intrigued by Makoto's projected love life, but unwilling to admit it. She was muttering something about preventing Rei from uttering a curse on the two blondes – she had done it before, triggering an even louder argument – and sped to catch up. "It always amazes me how they manage to turn a simple meeting into a nonstop gossip contest," Luna sighed, her whiskers drooping.

"Minako does have some amazing talents," Artemis said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

The tall red-head slouched down onto a nearby bench, laughing underneath her breath. "You two are worse than their parents. At least they aren't fighting tooth and nail, trying to kill one another." She stretched her arms above her head, ignoring both felines giving her a rather annoyed set of glares. "Besides, they're just kids. Let them have their fun while they can." A shadow passed over her face, and she sighed. "Just for this time."

Mamoru looked slowly away from her to watch his princess and their radiant child, laughing as they egged Minako on to new heights of craziness. It was incredible in how they acted like twins, even doing the same adorable little dance from foot to foot. And yet, centuries spanned between them, their lives so radically different. "Are you afraid that we'll never have the time to enjoy our lives?" he asked quietly, having long ago calculated himself how many years they had until they took the throne. Not so many, considering how long they would reign afterwards.

"I don't know," was the answer, after about a minute. "No; I do know, and that doesn't inspire confidence. I lived that life, I played the hero, and I watched people die. I lost…I saw my friends die, and I couldn't save them. I watched the world end, and rebuild itself minutes later, and my father comatose at my feet." Alex clenched her fist atop the back of the bench, obviously remembering that particular event. "Anything can happen. Already they've sacrificed themselves, and even though they were given a third chance, it can happen again."

A particularly loud laugh had them all glancing back towards the building, where it looked as though Minako and Makoto were mock sparring, the long-haired blonde flat on her face; and Luna whispered, "I don't ever want to lose her again."

"None of them, Luna. Not a single one."

  
The pain was wretched, spinning her body airborne, twisting in the agony it sought to avoid. Centered in her forehead, like a migraine gone horribly wrong, it felt as though something were trying to free itself from skin and bone; an alien birth. Sometimes she thought she could even feel her flesh moving beneath her hand as she touched it.

This time the attack had caught her just outside of the bathroom, damp from the shower; though not always, the intense heat she preferred while bathing seemed to bring forth the pain. She couldn't understand it – her prosthetics were waterproof and virtually heatproof to nearly incalculable levels – and her father had no ready answers. So she finally just gave up and screamed.

She felt the footsteps coming rather than heard, her arms so tight around her head that it effectively deafened her. Lying on the wood floor, her body twisted, she looked nearly dead, and she wished at the moment she were. It would stop the pain forever, and she would be free of her shell. She wondered, briefly, if reincarnation was possible for someone like her, who had cheated death unfairly instead of staying at her mother's side.

"Hotaru…? I thought I heard a noise, and I came to see – Hotaru! Professor, she's having another attack!" Soft, cool hands came down around her shoulders, lifting her up; she kicked, flailing, only partially fighting the pain now. She could always tell Kaoli-kun was touching her by the feel of her palms, so dry and bloodless, much like her own skin. Not at all warm and gentle and living like she remembered of her mother's hands.

Her father had a moist, unpleasant touch, but then, he hardly ever handled her except during examinations, and in a clinical manner she disliked.

Against her will, her head was levered up, her mouth pried open by two powdery fingers; she gagged, inhaling convulsively and felt the rush of relief flow through her body. The fingers withdrew, allowing her to breathe again – no doubt they worried about her biting her tongue or choking, which had happened multiple times – and she opened her eyes. Her father, as strangely amused as always, patted her on the head. "There now, Hotaru, are you feeling better? Much better."

"_Hai,_ papa," she murmured in partial disbelief, compacting her body like a turtle into its shell. Kaoli-kun got the hint, quickly for once, and released her from her suffocating hold, standing up. "But papa, what did you do? I wasn't given any medicine."

It was then that she realized that something hung heavy around her neck; puzzled, she looked down to find a strange, finned seed pendant half the size of her fist. She fancied she could see it glowing, a pulsation of light that ebbed and beat in time with her heart. It was beautiful in a way, but entirely not of her liking; she wore no jewelry, and was not allowed to anyway within Infinity. "Papa, what is this?"

"It's an amulet, Hotaru; a special amulet. Hold it, and feel comfort from your pain, and perhaps you will need no more medicine. You'll be whole and well again," her father explained calmly, touching the amulet's point with his finger, as if bestowing it with power. And he was right; she did feel comforted and calm, her forehead no longer aching to burst. But what kind of magic could ease her pain by mere touch? Perhaps magnets and copper, as folk healers had prescribed for ages? Though magnets always acted strange around her; she could not even touch a computer, or its hard drive would erase.

She hefted its weight in her hand, standing solidly on her feet; yes, she did indeed feel better. "_Arigatou_, papa," she whispered, rubbing its strange ridges against her cheek. "I'll carry this amulet with me wherever I go."

So saying she retreated back to her bedroom, shoulders hunching against Kaoli-kun's whispering, as if she couldn't hear her! "Professor, perhaps I'm too sudden with her; does her mistrust of me make it worse?"

"_Iie_, I believe it makes the body strong, for the coming challenge," her father replied just as she closed her door, his strange, careless laughter cut off in mid-exhale. She frowned, wondering what he could possibly mean; did he think her attacks would get worse before he could sufficiently work up a cure? She hoped not, she couldn't take any more of the pain of living like a monster.

Within her room, however, she felt safe, perpetual twilight hiding her infirmities, softening her body. She could look into her mirror and not be repulsed by her shocking skin, her abnormal body, the scars, the web of tracery beneath the flesh. But as she looked now, she saw only a robe askew on her limbs, baring the deceiving softness of her breast and hip, covered by the cloth of her underclothes. She pulled it shut and tied it properly, grimacing at the thought of Kaoli-kun seeing her in such a state – though the red-haired woman had seen her in far worse. A sight her mother should have been privileged to see.

Nimble fingers turned on a few more lamps, and she luxuriated in the sight of so many tiny lights surrounding her, like fireflies in the night; like her name. Soft white incandescent bulbs within lamps of every description – Tiffany, Art Deco, cheap glass – small enough for her to lift with a hand. When her father had rebuilt after the fire, she had asked him to accommodate her treasures, and so the room did not even have a conventional overhead light. No single switch flooded the room with luminescence; she chose which to turn on herself. It was a tiny bit of power, and she wielded it with grace.

When she had the proper lighting, she shed her robe, avoiding the mirror, and pulled out clothing; all black, all long and concealing. She never showed her scars in public, hardly even in private, and her wardrobe reflected it. And what else could she wear but such somber shades? She had no joy in life, nothing to make her appreciate it. So she pulled on her opaque tights, noting idly that a small run had started near her hip, and smoothed them. Over that she pulled a plain dress with long sleeves, light enough for the weather, if still uncomfortably hot in the sun. Nothing could make black tolerable outside of proper shade.

Brushing out her hair, she let it air dry as usual, hardly concerned with its style. It had been kept in the same shoulder-length cut ever since her childhood, and always managed to arrange itself properly out of her face. No doubt she looked like some shade of Death, walking down the street searching for a victim. She made a face in the mirror, and nodded slowly; yes, Death walked among them.

What small allowance she had – for her father usually just gave her a few handfuls of yen when the urge struck him before entering his lab – went into her pocket, a pair of somewhat large sunglasses over her eyes. The sun still hurt her delicate cornea, making them burn as though they were in fire; it, too, would pass, her father said. Transition. She exited her room properly prepared and hurried for the front door, in no mood to encounter that red-haired harpy again. She didn't even bother leaving a note, her father would never read it. If he were finished in the lab before she returned, it would be a miracle.

In the genkan, she slipped on a pair of walking boots, wriggling her toes to ensure their fit before walking into the outside world. Like entering a different world in a fun house, the world of her father's lab and school was entirely separate from the rest of society. She so rarely left the one for the other that she experienced a bit of culture shock every time. Even now she marveled at how unusual people looked. Though she supposed they would look unusual to anyone; Tokyo was a city of transition. Fashion changed by the hour, and radically, ignoring all concepts of morality or even taste.

As it was after school hours, the bus was crammed with students going home, and she was forced to share a seat. Even with people she didn't know, who didn't know who she was, she effected them; they inched away from her touch, stared relentlessly at her body. She imagined they could read her every trauma emblazoned on her forehead, even as she stared resolutely ahead. Even as new passengers came on, old passengers exited, she was the center of their prying eyes. Even when her seatmate left, his forced touch lingered.

She had no set particulars, only a reason to get out of the stifling house and allow the stress of her attack to lift from her shoulders, so she continued to watch the stops go by. Perhaps she would switch buses and visit HMV; perhaps the CD she had been waiting for was in. Or she could find herself a quiet noodle shop and indulge in some dinner, a rarity in her house; her father was not what anyone could call a culinary master. He ate enough for five people, and often joked – though she was almost certain he wasn't joking at all – that he was in fact eating for two. And Kaoli-kun…she grimaced at the window in remembrance of her latest attempt at cooking…it had started out life as instant curry, but somewhere, turned into what had tasted like sewer mold.

How anyone could destroy instant curry was beyond the raven-haired girl, but it was apparently possible. She herself was a frequent take-out connoiseur, preferring even the gummy, lukewarm meals that they often arrived as instead of one of her father's strange attempts that resembled a living organism. But when she could muster up the mood to mingle out among the living, she went to a restaurant, and the more she thought about it now, the better it sounded. Though she needed to eat soon; the pressing of another headache began to grow behind her eyes. Not all of her attacks were violent, but still painful.

The bus stopped, accepting two more passengers; and she was aware of a warm, wonderful feeling suddenly, like joy; amethyst eyes lifted, and she was stunned to see the girl from Ise. But surely this was the sun come down from the sky, the radiance she and her companion all but exuded, an older girl with golden hair in much the same bunny-ear style; Hotaru realized dimly that she was cupping her heart, to capture the sensation. It was so intense!

"Hotaru-chan!" the pink-haired child said happily, sounding just as surprised. And just as surprised were the several passengers rude enough to watch her and her blonde companion walk up the aisle, though some of those roving eyes lingered a bit too long. "Hotaru-chan, I can't believe it! You really do live in Tokyo?"

Hotaru didn't answer immediately; as Chibi-Usa came closer, she could feel that radiance creeping into her own bones, giving her something close to pleasure as it sank in. Her head no longer hurt, her aches and pains vanished, and she felt…she felt…content? Appeased. She was able to concentrate again on her new friend, who was looking at her with puzzlement. "In the Delta," she answered, smiling. "Papa and I were in Ise to escort a new student to Mugen Gakuen; it's an exclusive school, also in the Delta, that papa owns."

Usagi made a choking noise, her attempt to cover it up not quite a cough, or a sneeze. Hotaru eyed her oddly as Chibi-Usa replied, "Your papa owns a school? Hotaru-chan, you must be rich! Can we share your seat?"

The girl was an angel.

Hotaru was dumbstruck now; surely, this was a dream. Meeting the pink-haired child in Ise had been like a momentary gasp of air above the water, leaving her to quickly submerge again once they had left. How coincidental was it that Chibi-Usa lived in Tokyo, that she would run into her on a bus, and now, that she would still want to talk to her? Even share her seat? No one in Hotaru's memory had ever been so kind to her, save for her mother. Her papa was simply always too busy, Kaoli-kun an intruder, the children at school cruel and abusive.

"…_hai_," she finally whispered, sliding across the worn vinyl. Both girls were so slender and small that they fit with room to spare, which left Usagi, with her growing hips, partially off of the edge. She sulked, folding her arms, her shopping bags rustling and banging in an annoying staccato against her leg.

"Oh, yeah. That's Usagi." Chibi-Usa glowered at the _odango_-haired blonde, irritated at her childish attitude; both of them stuck out their tongues.

"Is she your sister? You look so much alike," Hotaru remarked, amethyst darting markedly between their heads, noting their similar hairstyles and facial features. Something like a shadow seemed to pass over both of their faces; to strangers they said they were cousins, since telling them they were mother and daughter was obviously out of the question. But many had also made mention of their faces, so alike as to be uncanny, and it was true; Usagi saw herself, not even five years ago, in Chibi-Usa's face.

"We're cousins," Usagi said finally, giving Hotaru a subtle once-over of her own. Though the girl could be an enemy, she seemed so forlorn and sad that Usagi's heart still went out to her. It did seem entirely possible that she could be innocent of her father's treachery, just a young girl wounded and never recovered. There was no reason at all she had to be mean or cruel to her. "I'm Tsukino Usagi. Chibi-Usa is visiting my family, and she needs lots of new friends to keep her company." She laughed, smiling, as Hotaru blinked. "You're Hotaru, ne? The pretty girl Chibi-Usa met in Ise. She was so sad, she thought she would never see you again."

The pink-haired child gaped at Usagi; she had assumed that everyone would be on guard against the enemy, even turning a cold shoulder towards Hotaru if they ever met her. This open acceptance was something of a surprise, though the kami knew it shouldn't have been. Neo Queen Serenity could be so heartfelt and unconditional as well, but a queen also had a bit of freedom in that respect, whereas a soldier did not.

She felt her nudge against her hip, and she turned back to smile at Hotaru. "_Hai_; I thought you lived somewhere so far away! I'm so glad you live here in Tokyo, we can be best friends now!"

"A-ano…" The raven-haired girl flushed, unsure of what to say.

Of course, tender moments are always broken by something completely different.

A girl in the very last row of seats screamed, drowned out just as suddenly by the obvious rip of vinyl. Everyone turned to stare back at what was a rather amazing sight; a daimon, rising fully formed, shucking its human body like a snakeskin. No longer was it attached and hobbled, but perfect, and hungry, its rows of teeth gleaming like knives before they buried deeply into the girl's chest.

The bus stopped so violently half of the passengers were thrown over the seats, tumbling into piles of painfully bent limbs. Hotaru had the breath knocked out of her as she slammed into the front seat, her stomach and torso taking the blow; Chibi-Usa, smaller than her, buried her face in her arms, but the sound of her forehead hitting the metal beneath the vinyl was loud. Usagi was flung into the aisle and half into the seat across, her brooch aglow like a star. Again, a loud noise; the daimon had found another victim.

People were screaming, stampeding out of the exit, running despite fractures and injuries, bodies dragged. Hotaru watched them run with a dim fascination; they were sheep. Soon enough, she too would be one of the perfect, able to scare them with a smile. Even now, she had no reason to be afraid, and she pulled herself upright to look around at the daimon.

Metabolizing souls had not yet been properly accomplished by the daimon, as they had not even been properly utilized yet, and while this one seemed to have reached the first step, the second was beyond its reach. She watched it worry this second victim with its teeth, its multiple appendages twitching, as it tried to draw out the soul, and succeeded only in giving the body mortal death.

The boy had not needed to die…what was she doing, taking pleasure in his pain? Horrified, she stared as the daimon reared up; smiling, she reached out a hand. Terrified, she snatched it back, realizing how close she had been to losing it; frowning, she crooked a finger, and the daimon turned towards her.

Chibi-Usa was conscious of a scream right in her ear, and she blinked away the stars and fog to sit up. Hotaru collapsed just as she stood, huddling on the vinyl seat with her arms wrapped around her head, soles kicking the metal frame of the bus. The daimon's roar followed in the wake of her scream dying into whimpering, its body landing on all its appendages shaking the entire vehicle. "Usagi! Usagi, wake up!"

"Mmaah, my head…_nani_!?" Unprepared, the _odango_-haired blonde rolled off the seat, landing hard on the floor. She gaped at the sight. "Daimon? Another one?"

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" Chibi-Usa cried, lifting her brooch high; it didn't matter to her at that moment if Hotaru witnessed her transformation. The pink energy lifted her, spun her in its hold, wrapped her up in her sailor soldier suit.

"Moon Cosmic Power! Make Up!" The sight of Usagi standing, translucent almost within her own energy, shifting in the span of seconds to Sailor Moon, was an awesome vision. Both of them smiled ruefully at each other; the pain of impact was gone, leaving them refreshed, and ready to do battle. A heady addiction indeed.

The daimon seemed to flinch in the wake of their power, maw opening wide for them to see down its gullet; gobbets of flesh clung to its teeth. "How terrible," Chibi-Usa whimpered, taking an unconscious step backward. However, seeing Hotaru still curled up tight on the seat, completely vulnerable, stayed her motion.

Sailor Moon reached out, grasping the heart moon rod in her hand as it simply appeared out of the air. "_Hai_; to punish such evil creatures…even they must have hearts that know what evil they inflict. The Death Busters are terrible people for causing such suffering!" She held up the weapon as the daimon roared, or made a noise approximating it, rearing up. But before her lips formed the first word, it dropped its large body back down, shaking the bus again, throwing both girls down.

And then it charged them.

Both of them screamed, performing a rapid backwards roll to their feet they never could have done in gym class when pressed, scrambling onto the closest seats. The daimon ripped down the aisle, missing them by inches as it lunged. Skidding, it slammed right into the dashboard with its jaws wide open, prepared to chomp down on a tender leg; instead, it closed on metal and live wires. They watched dumbly as it began to writhe, jerking its large body as electricity juiced through its limbs. Smoke and rancid smells began to waft towards them.

Unable to watch even a daimon electrocute itself, the _odango_-haired blonde raised her heart moon rod again, closing her eyes as she murmured, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack," feeling her arms jerk as the power spun out to obliterate the creature. Nothing remained; when she opened her eyes, only the snapped wires and teeth marks showed that it had even existed there. She lowered her arms, feeling so suddenly tired; how amazing was the power of the Ginzuishou that it could still destroy even these new enemies?

She turned to see Chibi-Usa shaking Hotaru, begging her to wake up; it was past her that Sailor Moon walked, stopping just at the edge of the carnage. A shed human skin looked not unlike a cartoon mask, something not quite real, and she was almost unsure that it was in fact real. But she couldn't bring herself to touch it – she felt sick at the very idea – and so she just stared at it, feeling disgust and loathing and a growing anger towards the Death Busters. Such dangerous, unforgiving enemies; would it even be safe, knowing that these creatures were fully formed where once they had been incomplete, for Minako and Alex to infiltrate?

Behind her, the pink-haired soldier was succeeding at her task, as Hotaru moaned, rolling on the vinyl. "Chibi…Chibi-U…"

"Sailor Moon, she's waking up! Hotaru-chan is waking up!"

"…Chibi…Moon…Sailor Moon?" Amethyst eyes rolled up, unfocused as they stared. Her hands reached up, gripping at the brooch and bow on Chibi-Usa's suit for leverage to pull herself upwards.

"_Hai_, Sailor Moon," the _odango_-haired blonde said softly, coming into view. "And perhaps, Chibi Moon as well."

"I am not Chibi!" the pink-haired soldier groused under her breath.

"We're glad you're all right, Hotaru-chan," Moon said, undaunted, smiling as Hotaru seemed to focus and recognize her surroundings. An unusual smile graced her lips as she pulled back, settling on the seat; abruptly, then, it vanished, drawing down as she said, "Chibi-Usa-chan? Usagi-san!"

"Everyone escaped, except for you," ‘Chibi' Moon answered quickly, "and you should be resting until the police arrive. Your papa will be very worried about you."

The police; ambulances and nurses and doctors! Hotaru surged up, suddenly frantic to escape. The fact that the mysterious soldier had correctly pegged her as being motherless was missed entirely in her fear. "_Iie_, I can't! I have to get home, I have to tell papa I've been hurt! My head…" She pushed Chibi Moon away sharply, a dark scowl crossing her face as she ran down the aisle. Her body jerked; for a moment, she had to all but throw herself forward to escape.

"Hotaru-chan!"

Oh, _Kami-sama_, would the pain never leave her? Even as she exited the ruined bus, aware of the two soldiers following her, the migraine surged, and she felt anger. The light of their power had been so remarkable, and yet she ran away! Cowardly! But she had to escape before she was caught, before the ambulances arrived, and she ran full tilt into a nearby pet store, ducking behind the racks of glass aquariums to cower and writhe. The pain was splitting her forehead apart, growing worse as she thought – _iie_, she knew – that the two soldiers and their beautiful light were moving further away.

Sometimes, she didn't believe her father was joking.

Sometimes, she wondered if she herself wasn't hiding another person inside.

  
Smoothing down the fullness of her hair, Michiru wondered if finally their mission would end. Surely tonight, they would have answers.

It had been a week since Hanyu-san had died, and their scheduled concert had been hastily re-organized as a solo event at Infinity's own Commemorative Dome, touted more than ever as a fundraising social event. After the attack and mutilation of another Infinity student on the crowded city bus – as well as the skinning of a second, of which a body had not been found – the school seemed desperate to alleviate the fears of their parents. There was no reason to leave; the school was still prestigious and accepting applications, and the students hurt and killed so far could be counted on two hands. Barely a drop in the pond. And wasn't the academy doing its best to pay the families back for their suffering?

Michiru felt nauseated. She was about to go out and perform musical acrobatics so their enemy could keep up pretense, harvesting souls and bodies without a hitch. But what could she do to unveil their plans? Go on stage, take the microphone, and describe the Death Busters and their familiars? She would be laughed into the insane asylum.

Leaving the dressing room, she wandered onto the curtained stage where the accompanying orchestra – all graduate students, and thankfully talented – was fine-tuning their instruments. Many of them bowed in respect, though she could see more than a little disgust and anger in their eyes; she, a first-year high school student had achieved what they still dreamed of. But she was used to their attitude, and merely bowed in return as though she had no idea of their hatred.

A white-gloved finger parted the curtains in the middle, thick folds of velvet and damask unfurling so she could see the thickening crowd. Though it was a fundraising event, and outside had the atmosphere of a small carnival with booths set up to sell all matter of baked goods, the people taking their seats wore nothing but their finest European. Suits, ties, evening gowns, and expensive jewels were everywhere, even on the youngest child. And what they had paid for the pleasure to see Kaiou Michiru in concert demanded it.

Of course, the group she was looking for wore not exactly expensive finery, but what looked to be their best; even the blue-haired genius Michiru recognized as Mizuno Ami wore something tasteful but hardly Hollywood set. Though her mother could afford affluent clothing, Ami had picked out her soft blue dress herself, and disliked useless spending.

The other girls wore pretty dresses as well, with the dark-haired shrine girl finding a second occasion for her white birthday dress, though she had removed the somewhat gaudy flower decoration. All of them seemed excited about the concert, except for the dark-haired prince; she smiled; he seemed thoughtful, unsure of what the night would bring. Watching them find their seats, she noted that the image of their queen was going back to the lobby, all alone; she waved away what were presumably offers to go with her.

Outside the doors, the tall sandy-blonde stood at ease, watching the crowds mill around before the performance. He had already done his courtly duty and wished his lover well, knowing she would make it a memorable evening as always. Now, he waited, flirting with every young pretty thing that crossed his path, noting the time by the ornate clock over the doors. That is, until he saw Usagi emerge into the lobby, a lovely vision in pale pink and white, her shoulders scandalously bare. Everything receded in his sight as he watched her walk through the crowd, heading for the outside booths.

Truthfully, though food and erstwhile snacking was her ultimate goal, Usagi's mind was as far away from Tokyo as it could be. She walked right past Haruka, even though he had carefully paced right over to the front doors to put himself within sight, a careful frown on her face as she considered what her prince had told her. Because he had avoided the ax the day he had been given the tickets, she had casually asked him who his friends were who had given him so many before they left his apartment; and his pause, his obvious consideration, put her ill at ease immediately. "Kaiou-san," he said finally. "I spoke to her outside at the Crown, that day that Ten'ou-san was inside racing Minako. And we met again on the bus before I came to the Parlor, when she gave me the tickets."

She had felt jealousy first, though she mentally chastised herself for even considering his roving eye; after all, they were destined. So what if he had spoken to such a beautiful girl, accepting such gifts? He was her prince. He was being a gentleman.

But then she really thought about what their destiny had done to them, bringing them together without so much as a by your leave, really, giving her – a hopeless romantic with more dreams than reality – almost more than she bargained for. And though she did love her Mamo-chan for his entire studious manner, his cute habits, and mature sensibilities, she had almost hated him enough to push him in front of a bus before he revealed himself to be her mysterious phantom. She had crushed hard on a masked rescuer before she had even considered the possibility of romance with Chiba Mamoru.

Had she loved the dream more than the man? Was that her worry? After all, they had been given so little time together before their past lives had dictated their star-crossed love be given a second chance without even bothering to ask Mamoru and Usagi what they thought. And sure, it had been wonderful afterwards, after defeating Metallia and being awakened by a prince's kiss, to be held in his arms and be told he loved her. And the future, where their love was true and stronger than ever, was a marvelous fortune.

But for the love of the _kami_, she was a clumsy, hardly intelligent teenage girl who pigged out far too much and wasted her allowance on junk and couldn't cook or clean or even read a novel without feeling sleepy. And her prince, her handsome eternal love, was a self-sufficient boy on the cusp of manhood, about to enter college, smart as a whip, efficient and mature. What kind of wife would she even make for him? Saving the world in a short skirt, while her husband cooked and cleaned in an apron? Fighting evil with her newest weapon as her husband worked a steady job to pay for their house or apartment? And she didn't even want to imagine how their future as king and queen would begin. No doubt she was given a brain operation and a dose of intelligence before then.

And here was a beautiful, talented girl, this Kaiou Michiru, who no doubt possessed the maturity and intelligence to match wits with Mamoru any time she chose. Minako had deluged the table with information on Ten'ou Haruka's girlfriend – though the popular media also admitted that neither of them had even firmly stated their relationship in such terms, preferring to remain rather mysterious about it – and there seemed to be nothing Kaiou-san couldn't do. Usagi couldn't hope to compete with that. And while Mamoru said he loved her, even though Kaiou-san was as firmly attached to Ten'ou Haruka as a true lover, the _odango_-haired blonde couldn't help but feel inadequate and concerned. Even though Ten'ou Haruka was hardly a man to let go…

"Ah, _odango_-chan, we meet again."

"…ne?" Crystal blue lifted as she saw the shadow blocking her path; up, and the shadow turned into a Mugen Gakuen suit of burgundy and green plaid, and a devil's smiling face; Ten'ou Haruka. "Ten'ou-san! _Gomen nasai_, I didn't see you!" She bowed properly, so low in an act of forgiveness that she teetered on her feet. "That is your name? Ten'ou Haruka? The famous racer?"

"The unforgettable." He gave her a smart European bow, arm across his waist, and smiled at the pink staining her cheeks. "And I must have your name, unless, of course, you prefer _odango-chan_? Or perhaps _koneko_, for you are just as adorable."

"A-ano, I'm not so adorable!" she laughed, tugging at a ponytail. "I'm Tsukino Usagi. I'm so surprised you remember me, Ten'ou-san; after all, we've met only once!"

Would it be too much for him to tell her that he practically dreamed of her every night? The image of their queen, or their princess, with her innocence and smiling face. Aware that he was staring a bit too long for propriety, he said, "How could I forget such a hairstyle? Not many girls wear _odango_ on their head, instead of properly eating them."

Not these jokes again. She pinked even further, shuffling on her feet; she wanted to move on, to buy her snacks, but was not rude enough to simply walk away. Surprisingly, the tall sandy-blonde moved for her, walking towards the booths, obviously meaning for her to follow. His longer legs moved at a quicker pace than hers, and she was forced to practically jog to keep up. "Why, Ten'ou-san, are you outside, may I ask?" she huffed, lifting up her skirts a bit.

Noticing her problem, Haruka slowed down, attempting to match her pace. "Why am I not inside with my lover, is that what you mean, Tsukino-san?"

"I didn't mean…not in such a way…."

"No, you would never be so bold, nor so rude. Innocent, really. You're a true innocent," he murmured, storm grey drifting away. "She is my lover, Michiru, but we have a free relationship in regards to our restrictions. I've given her luck and best wishes, and now, I'm simply standing outside to watch the crowd and perhaps find myself a pretty girl to console myself with." He leaned closer, near enough to kiss her face. "Tsukino-san, you walk with a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"You would never do such a thing!" Usagi said admonishingly, though she seemed frozen momentarily in the gaze of his eyes. "If you love Kaiou-san, you would never be so bold."

Haruka smiled, though it was darkened by the shadow of his hair as he all but kissed her mouth, her head turned just so. "I'm the wind, Tsukino-san. Nothing binds me but the sky."

They stood on the path in such a manner for what seemed like hours, separated by a hair's breadth between them; crystal blue had widened, soulful, almost daring Haruka to cleave to her simply by her innocent assurance he would not. He lifted his hand instead, cupping the baby softness of her cheek, amazed as such a simple touch set his nerve endings to tingling. By the look in her eyes, Usagi felt it as well; and though it was intense and new, it reminded her of the warm comfort of her prince's arms, shielding her against the Arctic winds. Mamoru…

She stepped back sharply, gathering up her skirts and fleeing back down the path, forgetting her snacks. Haruka watched her go, a range of emotions warring on his face; plainly, whatever he felt in the strange madness of passion for the girl, she felt some of as well. Or perhaps she was just so fresh and virginal she would have felt it for any man. He clenched his fist, savoring her lingering warmth, and looked at his watch for the time. The concert had begun fifteen minutes ago, his lover no doubt launching into her first solo.

At the thought of Michiru, he felt slightly ashamed – they both knew they were free, tethered only by their mission, but he knew that he was doubly chained by his need for acceptance of his dual nature. No one else would be as understanding as she, even, he assumed, his transitory queen. Even if she was as beautiful as a goddess.

He hustled around the building, looking around intently for any stragglers copping a quick smoke – the Dome was smoke-free – or simply bumming around. With the coast clear, he pulled open his coat, pulling out the antique hand mirror and wiping a fingerprint from its silvered glass surface. He wasn't entirely sure he could even use it; it wasn't the talisman of Uranus, but Neptune. But she had explained that there seemed to be no reason at all for any soldier not to be able to focus their thoughts through it. It was a passive instrument for the most part, a scrying mirror to predict future calamities and to sense their enemies.

Like now.

Holding it in both hands like a baseball bat, Haruka demanded, "Deep Aqua Mirror! Take me to the woman I seek!"

The glass rippled, forming the face of the tall red-head, distractedly staring off into space. Though the mirror couldn't show it, she was actually in the process of tuning a guitar, her step-father's old acoustic, though she had stopped to watch CNN. She'd hated America for its predictable greed, two-faced lying, and all-around bullshit, but she'd been born there, lived much of her first life near New York, and was unfortunately pigeonholed into admitting it. So despite herself, she took interest in what happened in the country, though today seemed thankfully quiet of any major trauma.

She thumbed the remote, allowing the screen to go blank. Giving the guitar one last strum, she set it aside on the couch; then she stared curiously at the TV, which, being something of a distorted reflective surface, was now showing her something out of place. A person, accurately, who wore a sailor suit of royal blue, and slouching boots of the same hue, arms folded aggressively across her chest. "Uranus…?"

"Wrong answer." The tall red-head turned, only to bend nearly double as the wind slammed into her, throwing her backwards into a hasty tumble over the glass coffee table and back onto her feet. "Please, allow me to give you the correct question," the blue-suited soldier snapped, striding across the carpet.

Only blocks away, Michiru poured her soul into her music, ripping her bow across the strings in a controlled tempest of sound, the audience nearly swooning, crying with emotion. The _odango_-haired blonde, she could see, was indeed quietly sobbing, though she was racked with genuine anguish and needed no real trigger. No doubt Haruka had intercepted her, and, if she knew her lover and his sometimes forcefully charismatic ways, had sent her into that spiral.

Haruka…no doubt he was now interrogating the foreigner, gaining the answers they required. They took no pleasure in the need for violence, but sometimes, it was necessary; and they had no room for treachery. If the woman knew their identities, she was a risk, which was why they had planned this all ahead of time. She seemed to be allied with the other sailor soldiers, but not a soldier herself, and even so, they were so naïve and thoughtless they would no doubt leap to defend her. The time to strike had been now, with them all safely far away, entranced by her music.

She plunged her bow up into the last chords, relishing the echo as they lingered in the air even after she lowered her arms. The audience applauded with passion nearly a full minute after she'd finished, still stunned by her performance, and knowing they had yet more to look forward to after the intermission. It had not been a very long first half, but the school had scheduled this with her as a sort of…tempting morsel, as the director had explained, driving the people who had already paid exorbitant amounts to see her outside, hungry and impassioned. Then they would buy sweets and all manner of food from the vendors, who were students themselves; essentially, donating more money.

Whatever the means, it gave her a refreshing fifteen minutes of relaxation, and she hurried to her dressing room to set her violin in its case. Primping quickly, fluffing her drooping waves, and dotting the sweat from her upper lip and brow, she exited down towards the lobby, though she was deluged almost immediately by classmates and gentleman fans. A great many of the students of Infinity were planning musical careers, and those who dreamed of conducting an orchestra someday came up to her regularly in the hallways to beg her to work with them. She always brushed them off as gently as possible, though this time, she was virtually surrounded.

So many autograph boards were thrust at her that she lost count. The school had wanted her to charge a fee for signing anything, giving a portion to them of course, but she flatly refused. Why in the world would she charge them more money when they'd already paid to see her in the first place? Besides, knowing that she had such fans was wonderful; they deserved recognition. Some of them took it a bit too personally – one man had taken out a full-page article in the national papers proclaiming their upcoming marriage – but for the most part, they were simply ecstatic to have her signature.

She chuckled at the memory of that particular man as she wrote on an elementary student's Hello Kitty board; Haruka had sought him out and personally cold-cocked him in his 23rd floor office building – he'd been a prominent lawyer – because of ‘principal.' That had been in the early days of their relationship, and his actions had started the rumours of their true love. A day later, an American tabloid had trumpeted her pregnancy and his upcoming fatherhood. She'd laughed herself sick.

As the crowd finally began to thin, allowing her to walk again, she spotted the prominent blonde _odango_ near the front doors, along with those of her friends. But as she got closer, she saw another person she recognized, talking to Mizuno Ami; and she scowled. It was no surprise to her that the school would entice the ‘Genius Girl' of Tokyo, but that they hadn't attempted sooner. Of course, the country was full of intelligent, bright, easily malleable children. A reputed genius was like a raindrop in the ocean.

"…it truly is ideal, Mizuno-san. As a genius girl, surely you can appreciate such an advanced, unique curriculum, specific to the needs of the intelligent." The girl pressed closer to Ami, smiling coldly, though it was obvious she meant it to be entirely inviting. "Our prep school can give you a sample of our excellence."

Around them, the other girls looked wary, which Michiru found surprising. Obviously, they had surmised that Infinity was indeed the threat, and to treat the students and faculty with kid gloves; there was no other reason for the long-haired blonde to look suspicious, or the dark-haired shrine girl to be staring daggers. Very interesting indeed. Even Mamoru, standing close with his princess and their daughter, seemed on edge. Yet he had accepted her gift, not knowing if she were an enemy as well.

Inwardly laughing, she came close enough to speak comfortably, and said, "Bidou Yui-san, what a surprise!" thoroughly startling the girl, and the others. Yui, a sweet-faced girl with long hair the colour of the winter sky, was just as cold in demeanor, and nothing could thaw it. They disliked one another intensely, though Yui took it as a personal problem stemming from a class experiment; Michiru wanted to kill her badly, because a single Death Buster left breathing was a threat. So perhaps it was personal for her as well. "But isn't the science convention tonight as well? I thought for sure your model of the star system was entered."

Twist the knife a little deeper; she smiled pleasantly as Yui seethed. The creation of the model had encountered several problems, not the least of which was the fact that it was not a recorded system at all, and the teacher – who miraculously was not a Death Buster – had argued that it was not a legitimate experiment. When he had gone missing, not even a daimon could be blamed. "Kaiou Michiru-san. Yes, it was. Tonight."

Not an excellent answer, and rather vague; Michiru's eyes narrowed slightly, giving Yui a once-over; the ice-haired student was dressed in her school uniform, perhaps to work a booth. In contrast, the aqua-haired beauty wore a sea green sheathe to match her hair, and full-length white gloves to accent, a picture of elegance. Was something planned for tonight? Most of the attendees were not even students or parents, but civilians. The daimon had been implanted in the unfortunates chosen, but they had all attended the school proper; was it something else? Perhaps an experiment to test a new creature? "Mm. Well, Bidou-san, why are you here instead of with your…creation? Surely it can't be to watch me play."

"To work at the information booth," Yui said flatly, which answered why she was trying to entice Ami; no doubt she'd been given a wad of pamphlets to give away. "The staff is slightly short at the moment, with Hanyu-san's…dismissal."

The aqua-haired beauty watched with interest as the group visibly seemed shocked to hear the name of the recently departed witch. Perhaps they had not even known her name, but it was actually a bit unnerving to hear an enemy's name mentioned in what was everyday life; it gave them personality, a void to fill, instead of thinking them as vanquished nothings. "Ah, a shame; her class has been postponed until another teacher is hired," Michiru sighed, putting the appropriate amount of sadness into her voice.

"Indeed. Another time." Yui's cold dismissal hung in the air long after she'd walked away, though she looked back once to shoot Michiru a glare of utter loathing. Smiling back sweetly, the aqua-haired beauty blew a kiss, and turned away.

"_Gomen nasai_; the intrusion seemed necessary. Once Bidou-san begins to speak, all else fades in comparison, like a slow freeze in the middle of winter," she explained, bowing properly. The girls paused a beat; then, they seemed to get the joke, and giggled, though Usagi hesitated to show her appreciation. She was staring at Michiru as though she was an exotic creature, amazed someone could be so proper and elegant. On impulse, she grabbed her prince's hand and squeezed tight.

"Ara ara, Kaiou-san, we should thank you! She seemed ready to talk all night!" Makoto replied blithely, and Michiru was slightly startled as she turned towards her properly; _kami-sama_, the girl was tall, nearly Haruka's height. "And your performance was wonderful; you play beautifully!"

"_Hai_, Kaiou-san, you're a marvelous musician," Rei agreed, sighing. "Classical music performed with devotion. I have one of your live albums, your show in Vienna."

Michiru smiled, touched; though these girls were perhaps just as dangerous to the mission as any idiot civilian, the fact that one of them was a fan warmed her heart. "_Arigatou gozaimasu_; it happens to be one of my favourites."

Someone called her name across the lobby; turning, she could see one of the attendants waving his hand at her, pointing at his watch. The intermission was nearly over, and she had to be prepared to begin before everyone re-seated. Sighing, she turned back, and bowed again, smiling as she stood up. "My fans await. Please, enjoy the rest of the performance. Perhaps I'll be able to discuss with you again afterward."

They parted ways, and as she walked back to open the ‘Private: Employees Only' door, she noted Yui disappearing into the control booth. So the enemy truly was planning something insidious; on this, of all nights, when her partner was already engaged. It would be Sailor Neptune alone tonight, and she would have to move quickly to make sure the children didn't interfere.

If only they could have met under pleasant circumstances, they could be friends. It would have made this so much easier.

Prepared for a fight, Uranus gathered power to her hand as she stepped forward, remembering how bravely the foreigner had taken on Mimete. It would be disastrous to even release the energy as it stood, accumulated to the strength of perhaps a small bomb; but killing the woman would be just as effective at keeping their mission secret as interrogation and intimidation. Not entirely a humane thought, but she of all people understood what dangers could lurk beneath the easy guise of a human.

But, Alex remained crouched near the television, seemingly in no undue alarm. Her relaxed pose and sleepy, calm stare reminded Uranus of a housecat her neighbors had owned, nearly a decade before. It was the look of a predator that knew it ruled supreme, and didn't have to rush to get what it wanted out of life. The damn thing had been pampered and spoiled, and merely had to wag a paw to be the center of attention, but she'd seen it stalk mice. No amount of fat and leisure had destroyed its instinct; it waited like the Sphinx, letting the poor things creep so close it could smell their cheese breath, and then snapped.

Remembering those sharp teeth made Uranus pause, considering her options. Though she was a sailor soldier, possessing the power of a planet, it was never good to become cocky. And the woman had managed to stop Mimete, where they had entirely failed; indeed, she had saved their lives, and the mission. That in itself could have been a perfectly orchestrated trap, luring them into trust and relaxation.

The slow, deliberate movement of the tall red-head had Uranus tensing, arm pulling back in preparation to strike. But all she looked to be accomplishing was standing straight, reminding Uranus that the woman was in fact nearly half a foot taller than her. "I wouldn't do anything silly, gaijin," she said coolly, lifting her hand to prove her point. "In fact, all you have to do is answer my question."

"Only if you answer mine first," Alex demurred, and the tall sandy-blonde, lips parted to respond strongly in the negative, paused. A slight dip appeared between her eyebrows as Alex continued, "because too much useless chatter gets us nowhere, right? Just talk, and talk, and most broken furniture, such a shame, really, cost me a bit."

Stepping closer and closer as she talked, hands held up in a gesture of peace, she merely smiled serenely. Uranus, strangely, made no move to stop her, or even to order her to do so; she simply stood, her posture slowly slacking, the power dissipating from her hand. "And I know you girl are more action than talk, far too assured of yourselves and your powers. Always ready to make with the magic and whip the lesser into submission for the good of the solar system, neh?" By now, close enough to embrace, her words died on the air as she watched Uranus slowly lean forward, as if desperate to hear her talk some more. She cupped the tall sandy-blonde's cheek, tilting her head up gently to look into her eyes. "Ah, _chere_, you don't understand it at all, do you?" Alex murmured. "I'm not the enemy. And I could be your friend."

Releasing her cheek, she took some steps back and waited, watched, as the knowledge flooded those stormy eyes of what had happened, and Uranus shuddered. "_M-masaka_…how did you do that? I couldn't…I couldn't look away…." She shook, unsure of herself for the first time since she'd felt the magic change her, give her the truest confidence in her body. The enemy thus far, save for the nearly-fatal encounter with Mimete, had never entranced her so thoroughly, nor even spoken to her; not a danger at all, merely a vicious animal. Not a thinking, creative, canny human that even her power as Sailor Uranus fell victim to.

"It's nice to know I haven't totally lost my touch." Alex smiled wryly, leaning back to rest her thighs against the top of the couch, reaching up to pull a strand of copper out of her eyes. "Makes a girl feel useful."

"Lost your touch…? You can do more than charm a person into submission? Then you had better be a friend, as you claim to be," Uranus said angrily, tightening her fists. "I still have no reason to trust you, after all."

"Well, yes. I could, if I wanted to, destroy you several different ways before you took a step. But I merely have more training in my powers than you; if you learned to focus yourself, and take those successive steps, you'd give me a horrible time. Maybe." The tall red-head shrugged infuriatingly, resting her chin on her fisted hand, elbow secure atop her folded arm. "I can train you. You've barely even tapped into your potential as a sailor soldier."

Uranus frowned, glancing rather pointedly at Alex's comfortable attire, then down at her own soldier's uniform. "I hardly think a normal human could train a sailor soldier," she said finally, turning her head away. "As it is, you're most likely a liability to those young girls."

"Mm, yes. Of course."

"And those girls are themselves a problem! They have no idea how to properly fight the Death Busters or their daimon creations, no concept of the risks such a mission entails! That is why it is our mission solely, to destroy the invaders." Uranus slapped fist to hand, closing her eyes for a brief second to recall the horrific sight of the younger classman's arm being violently torn from her body. They couldn't begin to understand what it meant to risk such innocent blood in the face of the enemy.

She turned around to face the tall red-head, who was staring at her with an odd expression of nonchalance, one eyebrow raised on high. "Of course. Because Neptune and Uranus operated alone, the sole line of defense against outside invaders who would attempt to destroy the Silver Millennium. And duly protected from inside attack by jealous kingdoms by rumours of your destruction."

The tall sandy-blonde paled. To hear the kingdom of her dreams given a name, to hear it described in such a manner by a stranger; there was no mistaking now that the woman told the truth. Impulsively, she whispered, "Iie. Not rumours. Truth. But still, we survived, braving our solitary worlds alone, and then, when our planets grew too turbulent, watching it all through the windows of our lonely castles." Like a sudden recollection of a colour or a shape, came the images of that life. But it was scattered, like the pages of a story ripped into pieces and thrown into the wind. Had she been mad, alone in that place?

"Not surprising; Serenity would never tell me the truth. I believed she might not have known herself what had happened to Uranus and Neptune's soldiers, but proof of no invasions, no external enemies; well. Why bother telling anyone you two lived?" Alex replied, sounding bitter.

"Serenity! Was she…. was she the queen? Silver hair, like the beams of the moon, and lovely eyes to match…a regal presence."

"Queen Serenity, yes. With silver hair and eyes, yes. And so very beautiful, no matter what the time of the day…" The tall red-head stared off as her voice trailed, though they drifted right back to Uranus. "You remember her?" She stressed ‘remember' strongly.

Frowning, Uranus shook her head slowly after a long minute. "Iie. I don't remember her from that life. But she came to us in our dreams, telling us the sacred words. That was how we became the sailor soldiers again, on our holy mission."

Now, Alex was the one frowning. "You don't remember her from that life…? But if you were reincarnated, how the hell did you come forward in such a way? You weren't on the Moon that last day, I didn't bring your souls with me. This shouldn't have happened."

"What do you mean, being on the Moon—" Uranus started tersely, only to pause, somewhat fascinated, as a watch fob hanging from the tall red-head's belt began to beep frantically. She glanced carelessly over to where she'd seen a clock sitting atop a speaker; it wasn't ringing in a new hour, but something else. "You have such communication devices?" she asked carefully.

"Of course. Not everyone can be a multi-talented psionic." Alex didn't even bother to check the watch, knowing where the girls had gone. She simply looked across to Uranus, jerking her head towards the stairs. "Well? Going my way, _chere_? Or would you prefer to sit this one out?"

  
The beautiful music had gone on forever, though it had a dreamy, insubstantial quality to it. Like a solo violinist, and she, the only witness, it had been for her ears alone, a sad melody that simultaneously rushed the blood to her temples, quickened her pulse; but of course, she'd then opened her eyes. "Setsuna," she muttered at the ceiling, "you always spoil the climax."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite proud of my interplay between Haruka and Usagi.


	28. Act 28 : mugen cinc - Les Trois Belles Fleurs

##### 

"A beautiful night, ruined!" Michiru declared angrily, ducking behind the curtain quickly. She was going to kill Bidou-san, the moment she escaped to her dressing room.

The damned witch had done exactly as she'd suspected, taking over the intercom system and appearing on stage in her gaudy, silly black and blue outfit, wielding no staff, but still dangerous. She'd ignored Michiru entirely as she announced to the crowd that they were the selected harvest for the next stage of indoctrination. As mostly parents of the intelligent students of Infinity, they were perfect; their souls would nourish the coming of their Master. Her hands lifted high as the audience, though many were struck dumb with fear, began to stampede towards the doors, pounding them with their fists. No such luck there; Michiru had no doubt every single Infinity student working the booths was long infested with the school's peculiar brand of dogmatic disease.

Not wasting a minute, the aqua-haired beauty had made her move towards the curtain, and now stripped off her heels to make the dash. But she'd underestimated Bidou-san – or Viluy, as she'd called herself – and was thrown back against the wall by one of the trombone players, and the lone sax player. Her violin, thank the __kami__, fell safely into a pile of discarded velvet, which had been used that very night to trim the orchestra boxes. "Yare yare, Kaiou-san, were you thinking of leaving so soon?" Viluy's voice purred from across the stage, and the ice-haired girl stepped into view. "Perhaps you haven't seen the perfection that the lessons of Mugen Gakuen have given you."

"You mean the brainwashing you've attempted to give us?" Michiru laughed, her breath catching in her throat as one of the boys twisted her arm to shut her up. "_Iie_, witch."

"Interesting." Viluy walked closer, hands on her hips, like some sultry siren stepping from an old black and white American film. Only this one was dressed far more scandalously then they, with her outfit resembling a lace-trimmed swimming suit more than a dress. "You resist our doctrine. Any imperfect soul that resists us is useless as a vessel, but you can just as easily be nourishment for our Master the same as the others." Her hands lifted, and her skin began to sickeningly crawl over her palms, twitching as though bugs squirmed beneath the flesh. "_Sayonara_, Kaiou-san."

Michiru twisted, suddenly frantic as she realized she was trapped, unable to become Sailor Neptune and free herself; and Viluy merely grinned, showing teeth as perfect as a predator's as she reached out.

Ami's head rung like the klaxon of church bells as she struggled up. She must have been quite the sight, crumpled on the floor as she was; no doubt her dress was stained terribly, if not ruined. Her mother would have a fit, though that was hardly a concern at the moment.

She looked around the room, wondering what was taking the others so long to return, prepared to fight Bidou-san – wherever she had gone – who was obviously the next of the Witches 5 to try and succeed where the others failed. Appearing so suddenly, it was been properly planned; the doors were barricaded tight against escape, and even now she could see those who had not been infected still trying to break through. Everyone else…shivering, she recalled the tiny little creatures, like mechanical mites, pour from Bidou-san's outstretched palms in increasing volume, swarming to attack.

Rei had pulled forth one of her temple's painted paper wards, chanting rapidly until the words blurred, became so much music and repetition, snapping the ward around in front of them in a perfect circle. Still, they all screamed and flinched automatically as the tiny creatures slammed into the air inches from their faces, unable to come any closer. So close up, the blue-haired genius had recognized them to be not living at all, but entirely mechanical, with the tiniest flickering lights.

After the swarm vanished into the bodies of their victims, with Bidou-san strangely engaged behind the curtains and unable to send forth more mites, Minako announced, "We've got to transform and stop this madness! No matter if anyone sees us."

"But that won't do any good; look, look at the people!" Makoto had gasped, pointing a trembling finger towards a woman stumbling across their line of sight. Her body was half-eaten away, glowing blue as a star; but that colour was fading as they watched, along with her flesh.

"Begone!" A ward shot past them, slapping to the woman's forehead securely, and she shook like an epileptic. In a visible cloud, the mites disengaged from her body, falling to the floor useless; but she was next to fall, obviously long dead. "That was her soul; those creatures, whatever they are, they were eating her soul!" the dark-haired shrine girl whispered, sounding incredibly pissed. And as she was their authority on all matters spiritual, they didn't even bother to argue with her.

Minako waved her hand back at Rei, asking, "Can you do that for everyone? Using your wards to knock those things dead before they eat everyone's souls?"

"_Hai_; but I can't guarantee their health afterwards. The loss of even a fraction of their souls could have terrible repercussions."

"We'll worry about that later! Now, we have to get out of sight; up to the balcony boxes would work perfectly." The long-haired blonde pointed up towards the elegantly decorated balconies, which they could reach with a bit of effort by climbing the heavy draperies that lined the walls. And there was no question that they would have make it; they had to. Though it seemed somewhat silly to be concerned over secret identities when most of the room was either close to death or escaping it, the possibility of Bidou-san seeing them transform was harrowing.

"Now!" She shot up, running down the length of the seats, trusting everyone to follow her. Mamoru, carrying Chibi-Usa on his back, led his princess by the hand, as she picked up her skirts high. Makoto, Ami, and Rei followed closely, the last holding a ward, which multiplied as she chanted beneath her breath. She spun around sharply, releasing them as a cloud of paper and ink, not in the least concerned with aim; they landed true, attaching themselves to each victim.

By that time, Minako had hustled their prince and princess and their daughter up into the first box, literally hoisting Usagi high enough to be hauled up. Makoto was strong enough to climb herself. Ami, however, stopped in her run, allowing Rei to pass her up and climb up into the box; she was unable to leave these people. So many wounded and dying, just like the boy she couldn't save; without even warning the others, she ran back to the closest, checking her pulse.

"Ami…? Ami! What are you doing!?" Minako called, waiting for the last of their team to make it to safety. She hadn't even considered climbing up until Ami had done so; a leader would make sure of everyone's lives. "Get over here!"

"I can't just leave these people here! I could save some of them!" Ami whispered, tilting the girl's head so she wouldn't choke on her tongue; her injuries were serious, but not entirely life threatening. So intent on her job, she barely noticed when Minako began to pull her arm, attempting to haul her away. Then, she looked around, to see twin twilight staring at her in confusion and anger, and argued, "Iie, Minako! Leave me! You'll transform and fight the enemy; I'm needed out here!"

They stared at one another for a long minute. Then, surprisingly, Minako released her arm, and turned away, running and leaping onto the curtain, crawling up like a monkey into the box. Trusting Ami not to be hurt in the few seconds it would take them to transform, while she saved lives in her own way. And it made sense, she firmly agreed; she was most likely the only person in the room who could medically attend to the victims. Even those seconds could be a life lost.

With the girl breathing properly, she had stood to move onto the next victim. And she was surprised beyond measure to find a hand grip her ankle and yank; she barely had the time to bring her hands into position to cushion her fall. Looking back, she saw the vacant, shadowed glare of the girl as she clawed at Ami's legs, snarling with menace. And, belatedly, she realized that no ward dangled from her forehead; she had been trampled and kicked, not infested. Rei had either improperly prayed, or the girl was an Infinity student, the enemy awakening evil inside of her body after the wards had been released.

Ami twisted, kicking and slapping at her hands, biting her lip as her fingernails drew blood. This was what she got for being a concerned medical student, being hurt by the patient instead of attending! "Let go!"

"For the Master," the girl intoned, her voice several shades deeper than she logically should have been. It sounded like the bass had been turned all the way up. "Your soul, for the Master!"

"_Iie_! Let me go!" Ami flinched as her kick connected with the girl's skull, producing a rather hollow, ripe melon sound; the girl dropped like a rock, and Ami was left to shake her hand off, and look around, wondering where everyone had gone. Trying not to think about what she'd just done.

The floor began to shake.

Disbelieving, Ami stared up at the balcony, watching as tendrils of living green snaked their way out and down, trailing to the floor. Several stalks grew tall, lifting the bodies of her allies high within the alcove, entangled tight by small vines and leaves. And an Infinity student stepped out from behind them, carrying a potted plant that was no doubt the root of the growth. "Ara ara," she laughed, stroking the greenery, "someone got away. Viluy will be so upset to find that her plan didn't work."

Her hair was as green as the plant itself, tied up into two loose buns on either side of her head, matching the colour of her eyes. But as Ami watched, her burgundy uniform dissolved into a black, clinging dress, its hem jagged as a Halloween witch's, her arms and legs twined with black pearl strands. And then, she realized as well that the girl was looking directly at her.

Everyone was fighting unconsciousness, smeared with green sap from trying to fight the vines, and Ami was alone. She backed away on her hands like a crab, rolling to her feet just as a thick stalk slapped at the carpet where she'd been. "Come, come! Allowing your soul to be freed from your heavy, useless body is a joy! To service the Master and allow for his renewal and life on Earth, that would be your purpose!" the girl crooned, hopping up to sit, legs dangling scandalously over the edge of the balcony.

"My soul is perfect where it is!" Ami rebutted, dodging a vine. "To be helpful and considerate to everyone, that would be my purpose! Not as food for your Master!" She felt a chill run through her body as the girl suddenly tilted her head, eyes narrowing to slits. Unaware of the fact that her quick swish of fingers visualized the colour of the blue-haired genius's soul, a corona and cascade not unlike the aurora itself.

"Ah, but I see a soul brilliant with the power of planets! Unlike the lower level witches Eudial and Mimete, I feel your power like a star. A sailor soldier!" The girl gestured back with a flourish, including everyone. "All of you, and as well, the light close to the source of our crystal! The witch Tellu will succeed in this task, and give the Master your life!"

Ami heard a shuffling sound, like a hundred feet dragging across carpet, and she slowly turned to her right to see that it was in fact about twenty, perhaps the entire orchestra. Vacant, shadow faced, the students of Infinity came closer, hands outstretched to capture the blue-haired genius. "_Shimatta_," she swore faintly, for once deeming it preferable to screaming.

Behind the curtain, Michiru struggled and swore herself – though not out loud, she was a bit more proper than that – as Viluy came near enough to touch. It was enough to sicken her, the sight of Viluy's hands writhing with its promised death, a few of the mites peeking out their heads. "Kaiou-san, you should be glad to release your burden! Along with the others who have sworn to the cause of our Master—"

"—those you've brainwashed and forced into an earlier death!"

"—your talented soul will be sublime. That was always the reason of education, to refine the souls of such worthy students, to make them top level. Unworthy souls are for the daimon." Viluy's smile grew strangely dreamy, as the aqua-haired beauty ceased her struggling to stare up at her captors. "Once they've been properly perfected in this world, the daimon will feast. Until then, all is for the Master."

"_Kami-sama_; those students…there was no saving them?" Michiru felt dizzy, hearing a hollow ringing noise in her ears; hadn't she read somewhere that it usually signaled a fainting spell? "Their souls…"

"Not all of them. Merely those whose souls were given up to the Master, they remain nearly perfect, suitable instruments in our mission and experiments." The ice-haired girl gestured towards the two holding Michiru with merely a slide of her eyes, their own vague, unfocused stares roiling subtly with the power of her influence. They were puppets on strings, forced to dance until they died. For the love of the _kami_, was the entire school damned?

Rage coloured her world.

Turning slowly around towards Viluy, Michiru focused on the rounding of her former classmate's chin, imagining her foot smashing straight through. Though as a sailor soldier she was supremely gifted, she was nothing more than human as she remained now, and she had taken several self-defense classes to fortify her body. It had also helped to channel her helpless anger at her looming task, knowing she could likely die in the attempt to defeat the enemy. How appropriate a test of her skills.

Dropping her body weight suddenly, the boys found themselves holding her entire upright; and while she was slender and supple, she was no featherweight. They nearly dumped her on the floor in their surprise, and Viluy reared back slightly, just as startled, positioning herself exactly as Michiru had estimated.

Taking advantage of the opening, she wrenched herself forward and heard her dress rip as one of the boys tried to catch her, instead snagging a handful of fabric. She launched a high kick perfectly into Viluy's chin, wincing slightly as her thigh muscle protested the stretch – learning the kick, and being properly relaxed to carry it through were two different things entirely – and immediately ducked as the boys dove again to restrain her. It was an interesting fact that Viluy apparently could not control her soulless slaves when she distracted; after their sloppy move, they stood there as if they had nothing better to do, teetering ever so slightly on the balls of their feet.

Fine by her. She swept her violin up, kicked off her heels, and imagined herself as the wind as she ran, heading for the empty dressing rooms. Almost immediately she heard Viluy scream, "Capture her!" and the sound of heavy shoes pounding the boards. Michiru cursed, realizing she could have thrown her heels at them to slow them down.

As she came to the left-hand turn, she could see a shadow growing large, a hand raised above its head. Throwing herself down into a slide, she twisted to hit the wall with her back and shoulders as Uranus spun around over her to let loose with a snarl of "World Shaking!" without a single motion wasted. Neither boy had a chance, but neither was the tall sandy-blonde anxious to kill them; as Michiru watched, they both flew backward far enough to land in the pile of discarded velvet that had recently saved her violin. It was quite the distance, but both of them wriggled feebly, obviously alive.

"Nice shot," a familiar voice remarked behind her, and Michiru was visibly surprised to see the American standing there. "You've got an excellent eye for distance." She smiled charmingly down at the violinist, extending a hand to help her up.

Uranus shoved them both back into the protection of the hallway as Viluy's mites slammed into the wall in a cloud of writhing bodies. A spate of fire enveloped them, turning them into wispy ash before they had a chance to home in on the flesh they'd been seeking. "Michiru, who is that woman?" Uranus queried, turning away from the sight of the fire towards her lover, who was, along with the tall red-head, seemingly unperturbed about being pushed around.

"Bidou Yui," she'd answered flatly, opening the first door she found and carefully setting her violin on a padded chair. "Another of the Witches 5, she calls herself Viluy. She explained to me that the students they've been using as their servants are bereft of their souls, already given to their Master. And from what I understand, the daimon we've fought are not only imperfect, but also soul eaters in their perfect form."

"You mean, all of those students we've saved are lost?" Uranus sounded openly horrified, not an easy trick to accomplish. Most of her emotion in regard to the Death Busters and their work was anger.

"_Iie_; the souls were removed from their bodies, I assume, to make room for the daimon to gestate and grow. But those souls, many of them, were given to their Master, and are entirely lost; those soulless students are their servants. Many more can be saved."

"Or not," Alex interjected, peering around the corner to see where Viluy'd gotten off to. "I don't know how much information you're privy to, but Sailor Moon encountered another daimon on a city bus last week. Not only did it entirely evolve from the student, but she was positive it was actively seeking out victims." She turned away from her task to stare at them both with cold lapis, letting them both absorb the meaning of her words. "Whatever the risk, these crazy fuckers have to be stopped. With or without your help, Uranus." Nodding her head towards the aqua-haired beauty, she added without preamble, "Neptune."

Michiru stared straight back at her as she lifted her hand, her reply unwavering.

  
Ami was alone, unarmed, and strangely not terrified as her possible death came closer and closer. She crouched on the carpet, her brain running its cogs to expiration as she tried to come up with a strategy that was plausible to save the day, and though simply transforming into Mercury was tempting, she wanted to try and keep the element of surprise. The girl may have marked her as a sailor soldier, but not a specific soldier, and for the love of the _kami_, what exactly could she accomplish on her own? Spread a thick fog and run for cover? Perhaps freeze them; she knew she had gained such a power after their newest transformation, the simplest application of cold to the sparse condensation she'd wielded before.

There was also the plant to consider, and her friends, who stared at her in visible despair, struggling to loosen their bonds. But she could see them drooping, growing ever more weak; no doubt the plant itself was some demonic mutation, sucking their energy or their souls dry.

Scooting back further, her hand smacked into something coarse and lumpy, rattling faintly. She looked down to find a ridiculous purse, one of those silly fashionable designs the very rich and rather insane spent their money on; it resembled the inside of a trash can, with wadded and shellacked clumps of paper, foam packing peanuts, and splashes of thick red paint. A few items had fallen in the initial drop – lipstick, a lighter shaped like Buddha, a compact, a full assortment of condoms, and a bottle of cloying artificial perfume. She grabbed the lighter and perfume, pulling off the cap.

Much to her surprise, the Buddha spat fire from his mouth instead of the usual hole at the top.

The plant was amazingly flammable, though it could have been due to the alcohol content in the perfume. As she used her makeshift torch to alight the green vine attempting to snag her again, it burst into flame instantly and shot back up towards the root. All of its tendrils and branches withdrew, attempting to escape the heat, dropping Ami's allies down into the balcony's pit. The green-haired witch shrieked her outrage as she flung the pot aside, allowing it to disintegrate rapidly into ash between the flight and floor. "You…you…! How dare you!"

"Excuse me." A finger tapped the witch's shoulder, and she turned, fury still etched on her face.

Ami was caught between gaping and cheering as Rei clocked Tellu in the chin with a powerful right hook, sending her backwards over the railing. The orchestra, all of whom had wobbled between seeming indecision and single-minded devotion once Ami had torched the plant, stopped completely once Tellu hit the floor. "You for ruined my birthday dress," Rei announced as she rubbed her knuckles, "and it happened to be my favourite."

"You hit her because of your dress?" Makoto laughed cheerily beside her.

"_Iie_; I hit her because she deserved it. The dress is simply extra."

Tellu lifted her head and snarled, glancing sharply in the direction of the still orchestra. "Kill her," she directed, pointing towards Ami. "I'll have her soul before it exits the corpse!"

"Ami-chan!" Chibi-Usa cried from the balcony, rather uselessly. Without thinking of the transformation, she withdrew the string of black beads from around her neck, tossing them up. "Luna-P! I want a slingshot!" Incredibly, the beads changed, elongating into the familiar forked weapon. She wasted no time in shooting stones at Tellu's head.

It was an absurd showdown, but it took the green-haired witch's attentions away from the orchestra mob, and without her they stopped. Ami breathed a sigh of relief and clambered to her feet, still holding her own makeshift weapon ready. Past them, she could see the survivors huddled by the locked doors, having realized they were trapped and most likely doomed. If she transformed into Mercury, identity be damned, she could kick open the doors, or freeze and shatter them.

Of course, what she didn't expect – no one did – was the sudden flutter of the heavy velvet curtains on stage, whipping as though a minor tsunami had landed. The remnants of the gale blew out the tiny flame on Ami's lighter, diverted one of Chibi-Usa's shots, and Tellu laughed in triumph as she summoned her staff. "Pitiful children," she sighed, angling the staff and flicking her fingertips against its symbols.

Ami dove back into the cover of the seats just as a blast of magic ripped through the spot where, a second earlier, her head had been. She heard her dress rip further as she slid on her knees, and summoned her own magic hastily as she yelled, "Mercury Planet Power, Make Up!" to transform, identity be damned. No one would see her, crouched on the ground, and Tellu had already revealed her as a soldier anyway.

The green-haired witch was laughing, and she heard another spate of magic; her friends cried out in surprise and pain, and she could imagine easily where that particular attack had gone. Clenching her fists, she slowly stood up; she knew exactly what words to share with the powerful witch.

"Shine…"

Tellu spun her staff around widdershins, twisting to aim at Mercury; above her, the balcony was shredded, Usagi and Chibi-Usa lost in the bodies who had stepped forward to protect them. Mamoru in particular sported a long gash across his forehead.

"…Aqua…"

"Mandragora!"

Wood snapped as the balcony's supports finally gave out under the stress, and it was a long fall to the floor. No one had transformed, though she could see them trying desperately to do so before they hit, to change into their powerful forms and land safely.

"…Illusion!"

"Buster!"

Magic erupted, blinding the two in their standoff, and not all of it was theirs.

The sailor soldiers slowly stood up, Tuxedo Kamen gallantly holding the hand of his princess, to stare at the ice-encrusted statue of Tellu, frozen in the act of releasing her attack. And it had gone off, all right; Mercury straightened her head up with a little jerk, glancing over her shoulder to see half of the curtain ripped away, several meters behind her. "_Sugo-oi, Mercury_!" Chibi-Moon said in awe.

"That was impressive, Mercury; you bluffed her like some American cowboy in the movies!" Jupiter idled over to tap a knuckle against the ice, several centimeters thick.

Venus came close, to clasp the hand of the blue-haired genius; when Mercury finally blinked, looking at her, she smiled, flashing her the victory sign. "I knew you had an amazing plan up your skirt to defeat the enemy!"

"That's ‘sleeve,' Venus," Tuxedo Kamen muttered, touching his fingers to his wound. Though the transformation had healed it some, it had been deep, and caused by magic; it bled still, a sluggish paste against his skin.

He'd forgotten entirely about his audience, and when he opened his eyes again, he was startled to find them staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"Ma—Tuxedo Kamen-sama, you're injured!" Sailor Moon pointed at his forehead, as if he couldn't find it himself.

Chibi-Moon blinked, frowning up at her parents. "But the transformation magic should have healed such a wound! Mamo-chan!" she cried, grabbing his arm for emphasis. Though her time as a soldier had been brief, she had already learned the basic ritual of the magic they used; anything not healed by it was, to her mind, undoubtedly serious.

"Mercury, is Tuxedo Kamen-sama going to be alright?" the _odango_-haired blonde queried, over her daughter's whimpering. Though he seemed steady on his feet, she couldn't shake off her concern either.

Mercury shook her head again, as if she'd gone back into a daze, and answered, "He should be." Tilting her gaze in appraisal of the wound, she spread her hands in forgiveness. "Perhaps it simply is conflicting magic; there's no reason such a cut should heal, perhaps on its own."

The long-haired blonde held up a hand, a sign that all of them recognized, and their loose, happy conversation ceased entirely. After all, they were still in danger from the enemy; Tellu was merely frozen, not dead, and the unnatural wind was not something they wanted to inherit. Rotating on a heel, Venus dropped her arm as she realized that the victims were no longer clawing at the doors; they all looked to have collapsed, perhaps from exhaustion. "Mercury, investigate the healthy. Mars, stay with her, in case someone is used by the witch."

Both soldiers nodded, circling around Venus to jog towards the fallen people. She quirked a smile, losing it just as quickly as she turned around again to survey the stage. "There's been no more wind since that first time," she remarked, twilight intent on the ripped length of curtain. "Was it perhaps only Tellu?"

"But wind…" The _odango_-haired blonde knew how that felt, and, catching the eyes of her fellow allies, knew that they did, as well. "The wind, coupled with the trembling of the earth…"

"Uranus," Jupiter said flatly. "Those two, surely."

Just then, the wind roared again, more powerful than the last time, muffled behind wood and insulation. Tuxedo Kamen drew both his girls into the safety of his cape as Jupiter and Venus shifted just as quickly to protect all three of them. Whistling violently, the wind ripped out a section of the back wall of the stage, infinitely louder as it carried chunks of plaster and other constructed pieces far into the middle tier of seats. Out of the hole leapt Michiru first, her lovely dress ripped high up on either thigh to allow her freedom of movement, her forearms dotted with blood. Behind her was Alex, and lastly, hands raised in defense, Uranus.

The glitter of nanotechnology behind the tall sandy-blonde had Alex lifting a hand as well, and Viluy's attack slammed into an invisible wall, sending them back to their maker. Viluy howled her anger, and all anyone heard was a chant of gibberish before magic blasted all three. Alex screamed, a hand to her head, and was lifted airborne along with Uranus and Michiru, though they only flew as far as the plush front row. "_Sensei_!" Venus cried.

"Alex-chan!" Sailor Moon echoed, gripping her prince's sleeve in anguish. Blonde hair whipped across her line of sight as the orange-clad soldier twisted to aim, power called to her hand. She smiled grimly as she shouted, "Crescent Super Beam!"

Viluy howled as the golden energy ripped across her cheek and left ear, barely missing her eye and defeating Venus' true intention; not that an exploding head was a pretty sight, and she was almost glad to not witness it. The witch had simply turned too fast, even though her attention had been focused solely on the trio still sprawled in the front seats. "You golden-haired bitch! How dare you destroy such a lovely face!"

The floor trembled, and this time, the ice-haired witch was quick to dodge as a golden sphere ripped through the space where she'd been standing. More of the back wall was destroyed, expensive instruments exploding and tumbling in the split-second vortex. "_Chikusho_…and here, I thought Bidou-san had hated sweating and exertion," Uranus remarked as she straightened, pulling Michiru up to stand.

"Well, perhaps a witch is more accustomed to such physical labor," the aqua-haired beauty mused in return, flashing a taunting smile towards Viluy. "And as a sailor soldier, I'll more than match it; Neptune Planet Power, Make Up!"

Summoning her delayed transformation was heady and quick, as well a collective shock; the violin genius, Kaiou Michiru, as Sailor Neptune? The other soldiers were wide-eyed with astonishment, watching as the power receded to show her, clad in a sea green sailor suit, with Sailor Uranus ready at her side. "_Uso_…Kaiou Michiru is Sailor Neptune?" Tuxedo Kamen murmured, remembering those shared moments in the bus, the electric touch; had it always been anticipation of a soldier's power?

"But if Kaiou Michiru-san is Neptune, then, of course…Ten'ou Haruka-san! Sailor Uranus!" Venus gasped, lifting her hand to her lips as though she'd uttered a sacred oath. "_Kami-sama_…."

"Two such popular students, sailor soldiers? Shall I call you burrowing worms in the ripe flesh of the fruit, and dispose of you to prevent further infestation?" Viluy mocked, raising her arms to call forth the shimmering gold of her staff. "Ten'ou Haruka, Kaiou Michiru. How terrible that your fate will be to die, your souls as mere nourishment; ah, but all of you carry the power of planets!"

"But why? Why the souls of your students, innocents? What is the ultimate purpose of the Death Busters in gaining these bodies?" Mars shouted from the far back, standing protectively, as was Mercury, in front of the fallen victims who had finally given up in their escape. Most of them had fainted, a few of them were praying, and absolutely none of them dared to even look up at their defenders, nor their executioners. At her words, they also began to quake.

The tall red-head, curiously still in civilian attire, added, "And why those creatures, those daimon? None of those students were atavistic, merely hosts, weren't they? Completely unaware until we separated them."

Viluy sneered, gripping her staff at fore and aft, holding it out straight in front of her. "The truth is wasted on the dead. Does it matter why our students, why those innocents? All of you are inferior beings! All of you have no clue of the coming era! We will use everyone as we see fit, and in the Master's eyes, we will be as master and lord ourselves!"

She was laughing, her infinity sigil glowing bright, as everyone prepared to attack before Viluy could finish her incantation, when the plush chair slammed into the front of her legs. Her mouth froze on quite possibly the last word, and she fell forwards over the cushion to slam her chin on the stage. "What? It's better than blowing the entire building up, isn't it?" Alex snorted, as Uranus and Neptune stared rather angrily at her.

"Oh, yes, completely better than simply destroying a dangerous enemy," Uranus growled.

Groaning, the ice-haired witch lifted her head, gazing past them and towards the frozen Tellu. She hadn't counted on the botanical student to even show up at the concert, though it did make a certain sense; with so few of the Witches 5 left, and the title of Magus still hovering over their heads, it paid to take every opportunity. Viluy despised the green-haired witch – not that it mattered much, they all hated each other rather equally, being an opportunistic, Darwinian group of girls – but she could, as much as she hated it, use the help.

"And I suppose the other innocent people that could be crushed in the ensuing insurance nightmare are of little consequence too?"

And ice was a simple enough element to overcome. Gritting her teeth and gripping her staff tighter, she crawled up onto her knees, anticipating the soldiers' reaction. Not surprisingly, the tall sandy-blonde, angry at being circumvented the first time, and the tall brunette, who was quickest, released their attacks at Viluy. Even with the pain of her shins, she managed to pirouette around the nearly debilitating power that flowed through the air, shouting her quick spell and melting Tellu's prison.

But she hadn't counted on the sailor soldiers being smart enough to anticipate her as well.

Even as she crowed in victory, Tellu blinking in confusion but free, she spied a flash of aquatic blue out of the corner of her eye. She turned to catch the vicious kick of Neptune across her face, equally scarring the right to match her left, and reeled back. A fist sank into her kidneys, and as her arms came up, her staff was snatched away. The tall red-head rolled out of range as Sailor Moon, holding the heart moon rod, said, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

"See? Now wasn't that better than destroying the walls around our ears?" Alex remarked, holding the staff over her shoulder despite its rapid disintegration. Even as she finished speaking, it was nearly dust in her hand with Viluy's death, the witch a similar cloud of smoke and particles in the air.

Tellu, still disoriented, but smart enough to flee in the face of adversity, did exactly that. It also severed the strings of command she'd kept on the students, and though her frozen condition had stilled them, her departure had them now circling in confusion, whimpering. "We need to open the doors, Mars, Jupiter, Venus," Mercury commented softly.

"_Hai_; those students need to be freed, before the authorities come," Uranus agreed, taking Neptune by the shoulder as the aqua-haired beauty came to her side. "This is your department, sailor soldiers. Our mission is merely to prevent and destroy."

"But as sailor soldiers, your mission is also to help and defend!" Chibi-Moon stepped clear of her father's protective hand, her own hands clenched into fists. "Even in the future, the sailor soldiers fight for justice, not merely vengeance; why are you so cold to us?"

"And truly, Kaiou Michiru-san, is this the path you desire? To be alone in your battles? All of us, together, can defeat the Death Busters; yours no longer has to be the path of solitude," Tuxedo Kamen said. "Trust in us, in Sailor Moon."

Alex shook her head atop the stage. "As I've told you, Uranus, you've barely learned your potential as a soldier. I can train you, as I trained the four guardian soldiers in the Silver Millennium, to be strong. Don't turn away from us. Even if not as partners, but as friends, perhaps. You can't always be the mysterious ones."

"And neither can we hesitate," Neptune said simply. "Ours is a burden we can never dare to share with you, innocent soldiers. We failed in preventing the enemy from infiltrating the system; and so we shall carry out our solemn duty in reparation." Nodding in unison with her partner, they turned and walked away and up the side aisle, exiting the room proper without even saying good-bye.

"How terrible it must be for them," Sailor Moon whispered. "Ten'ou-san…Kaiou-san…why will you not accept our help?"

  
And again, the music was silent in her ears, and Setsuna realized she'd been staring at her textbook without actually reading a word for the better part of an hour. It was a basic physics text, child's play in regards to her studies and upcoming paper, and she could have truthfully written it in her sleep. But her professor wanted quotes, hard proof that they had indeed read the pertinent hypothesis and formulated their own, and so she'd settled onto her futon to take down her notes. Then, she'd heard that music again, the very music that had woken her in the first place, keeping her aware and awake as though ice water had been dashed into her face.

Not that it was the first time she'd heard the beautiful melody, but it was usually so soft and subtle and easily ignored; not the stuporous music that was depriving her of sleep as of the stroke of midnight. And she needed her rest, because she'd already been staying up far too late at the college to help the American professor, poor man couldn't read hardly a word of Japanese. But he was fluent enough in speech, which is why he'd gotten the transfer in the first place. His research into anti-gravity and its spontaneous appearances across the world – though he had laughably confided that America was full of spontaneous humans and not so much gravity – had him recognizing a considerable disturbance within Tokyo itself.

Setsuna had to admit that it was strange; why would the Delta, so freshly rescued from the bay, suddenly become so spatially abnormal? For the past week now she had monitored the space within the Delta, helping him calculate its possible effects and cause. Nothing they came up with made sense. Everything literally defied science. And it was only growing worse, its frequency steadily alarming her, quickening her own pulse to what she felt had to be some sort of climax; but of what? She felt as though she had to…

…prevent it?

But that was absurd.

Without bothering to look, she reached across to the small bamboo chest that served as her bedside desk, taking down a small statue her mother had sent her from somewhere in Europe; a somber, cloaked Death, holding forth a small working clock. Her mother had written that she'd thought of her when she spied it in the window. And it was an exquisite piece, though wholly foreign and rather silly to a woman raised on the concepts of ancestral worship and the natural order; a man in a robe, taking away the dead! How very European indeed.

It was a joke to her, Setsuna's mother, that she collected such images of reapers and old men. "Honestly, Setsu-chan," she'd said once, on a rare occasion when she'd been home, "The name isn't meant to be literal. You're too unhappy with life!"

And what did her mother understand of the state of her happiness, she would've liked to know. She was the very antithesis of _obaa-san_'s belief of happy homemaker and housewife, and was frequently gone on some ‘wild runaway trip into the hands of the demons,' more at ease with strangers than family. At sixteen, she left school, after only two months of the tenth grade she'd studied so hard to enter against her mother's wishes, and hitchhiked to Tokyo from Izumo, still wearing her uniform. Meeting Setsuna's father, a struggling businessman almost fifteen years her senior, she had moved into his apartment and promptly got pregnant.

Sometimes, Setsuna wondered if her birth certificate was correct as to her parentage, as she knew her mother was far too anxious to remain even the remotest bit loyal. But, in a moment of common sense, she married Meiou An'an, and so Meiou Setsuna was legally born into a cramped, ridiculously small box that remained her home for ten years. It took her mother perhaps two to realize she hated it, and begin her lone wandering again, not even bothering to seek a divorce first.

But her life was otherwise pleasant, with her father working hard to provide for them both, helping her with her studies, and praising her constantly. She spent summers in Izumo, taking the cheap seats in the train both ways, learning proper etiquette and manners and the correct way to put on a kimono from her _obaa-san_. Coming home, she became used to the presence of a new woman in the apartment as her father moved on with his life, and the packages from foreign locations in the mail as irregular as a dying man's pulse. Letters, snatches of personality from her mother. Return addresses that were constantly being rerouted.

When her mother sent her a postcard on the mixed mythology of the Roman and Greek pantheons, Setsuna's imagination was aroused. She went immediately to the bookstore to find a book explaining them.

Her own name was a passing reference to the god of the underworld, Hades, or Pluto, for whom the planet was named; writing it out, she added the last character and read it aloud: Meiousei. Dark King Star. Pluto. Fascinated, she read everything she could about the realm of the dead as the ancient cultures had imagined it, amazed to find the references as well to Chronos and Saturn. But it was all merely interesting, as anything imaginary would be, not quite the childish obsession her mother would make it out to be.

And yet…at times, she was sure she'd spoken those names before, even though she'd never once, even after poring over so many books, recited them to herself. She wasn't even sure she could pronounce them properly, for the Japanese approximation of the names couldn't account for single consonants. But the sensation was so real.

Her mother, coming home for Setsuna's birthday one year, gave her the gift of a leather bound notebook, with its cover a replication of a painting of Father Time. And after that, any object of the bearded old man, or of the scythe-wielding figure of robed Death, that struck her fancy was sent home; over the years, Setsuna had acquired quite a collection. She even had a ridiculous plastic lamp from America made to resemble a Tiffany, with a terrible grinning skull that lit up by the touch of her fingers.

But why her mother assumed that she had an obsession with death was beyond her reasoning, when it was the sight of the clock and its dwindling minutes that she loved. In a way, such machines were immortal; they were always sixty minutes to every hour, sixty seconds to a minute, and as the hand turned, it both lost and gathered those allotments of time. Digital clocks were even more amazing, because you couldn't see the time as it came, it was always a vague surprise to know a minute had passed. Chronos, god of time.

So she collected her images, studied dutifully, and rather upset both her _obaa-san_ and her mother when she decided to continue on to high school. Only her father and his girlfriend, a mainstay in Setsuna's life for almost two years by that point, stood by her decision. And why shouldn't she continue her education, for the love of the _kami_? What else could she do in life with only nine years of school?

Her _obaa-san_ denounced her decision, disliking public education and what she saw as a waste of Setsuna's prime youth. She could so very easily become a refined lady and a fine wife for a man, a respectable life of honest labor in the home and financial control. _Obaa-san_ herself had barely the minimum education, and had married extremely young, hardly ever leaving the house for lack of desire; too much washing, cooking, cleaning to be done. Why couldn't her daughter and granddaughter realize what potential they were giving up? Educated women worked too hard for too little benefit, in her opinion, with no time for raising children properly or managing the house.

Her mother was upset primarily because it tied Setsuna into a routine, and kept her from what she considered freedom. She had expressed the wish that her daughter would finally join her on her wandering trips, even though she never really bothered to even visit her. What was an education when you could stroll through the great museums of the world? Did it mattered if one knew their times tables whilst hiking up to the summit of a mountain? No, she was not at all pleased that her own child would want such drudgery. After all, hadn't she chosen that path herself, only to promptly find happiness in another?

Setsuna had essentially shrugged and prepared for the exams, her father's girlfriend helping her study – she was an accomplished architect, and natural tutor. Even as she had taught her to memorize her kanji, she was planning the first of a trio of condominium towers to be built in the reclamation project. "Setsuna," she'd remarked once, nibbling at her pencil, "What shall I name these towers? No one appreciates art in this city, not in their staid buildings. I need something unique."

"After the planets."

The girlfriend had laughed. "Oh? And which three?"

"The sea, the sky, the darkness…the three kings."

Passing her exams and entering the prestigious high school she'd dreamed of, Setsuna was a quiet student, intelligent in a sea of intelligence, and cheerful enough to have several friends. Though they were more casual acquaintances than close friends, not people she spent any meaningful amount of time outside of school with. No, those hours were spent on homework and casual reading, preparing a quick dinner for the three of them when her father was working late, or his girlfriend.

Science in particular held her passion, with its attempt to explain the world and everything in it, providing hard-core evidence instead of romantic, religious slop. Though she often went with her father to light incense at the family's ancestral shrine during O-bon, as his parents were long dead and the home sold, it was more a ceremonial event than honest celebration. She had no belief in the spirits of their ancestors coming back to visit, or their need to welcome them with their sticks of incense. The multiplication of cells, creating large and varied organisms, the rotation of the planet sustaining an electromagnetic field which in turn protected them from solar radiation and excessive heat, combinations of elements and isotopes and chemicals to create such interesting man-made devices…that was her religion.

Her decision to try for acceptance at the private and exclusive KO University, made whilst she was still a tenth grade student, was again regarded with disdain by _obaa-san_ and her mother. Again she ignored them. She felt as though she could make it, she could have the answers to so many questions; the possibilities were endless in such an environment.

Then, as she reached the cusp of her twelfth year, the examinations looming large over her head, she began to feel as though her time was running out. And it was utterly ludicrous to feel that she had to work faster, overcoming some destined shortage of time. She was not even in the prime of her life yet, she had decades in front of her, and no need for concern. But she simply could not shake it.

Lying in bed at night, she often half-dozed instead of honest sleeping, seeing the most lurid fantastic visions; colours blurring together as though the paint had been dashed with water, the sensation of someone holding her hand. People crying, and the sense of time non-existent. Many mornings she opened her eyes to find herself curled into a fetal ball on her futon, the sheets twisted around her feet. Drenched in sweat, her fingers digging into the mattress. And she never remembered these dreams!

Motionless at her window, she had watched the world go mad, knowing somehow that it was connected to her dreams, to the strong impression that she could, if she wanted, attempt to stop it. Stop… But stop what? Even the hurried explanations afterward, that it had been unprecedented storm activity, ocean swells, temperature; no, nothing known by science until then could have coldly and precisely told her what had happened. Looting and riots were not caused by temperature. And the weather had been so mild up until then, illogically so, only to suddenly and rapidly drop into inhumane conditions. Somehow, she could have intervened. That had been her strongest impression.

And that was when she could swear she heard someone tell her, clearly, "…and when we become involved in human affairs, we do more damage than good, because the human animal is precisely that. Temperamental and thoughtlessly passionate, they cause the illness. They prevent the cure. And you can never ignore the rules that bind us."

Who had told her that? She had a sense of blonde hair brushing her face.

No consequence at all, her mysteries. Life returned to normal, at least for a month. And then the dreams came back worse, beating her psyche with their impressions, questioning her own existence in the wee hours of the morning. Why was she sleeping? She had no need to sleep, nor gasp for water, she was defined by the very fact that time did not define her at all. How very strange that she was dressed in these mundane clothes, defenseless. But perhaps it was all a clever plan to separate the three…

She forcibly pushed it all to the back of her mind. Her exams went brilliantly, and she had entered the university as an eager freshman. Because of her father and his girlfriend, she received a penthouse in the Meiou complex, her large living room window facing the mysterious Mugen Gakuen. Behind it, she could see Ten'nou complex, and to the left, Kaiou. A triangle, with the school at its heart. And she was taking the bus thirty minutes away every morning for classes with an excellent educational system in her own back yard.

But when she began to help the professor with his studies, recognizing that abnormality right where she lived, it forced her to remember that sense of the clock ticking, winding to zero. Losing minutes, when it had always gained them in turn. She was Meiou Setsuna, freshman and solitary student, but for how long? How long until…

  
Kaoli didn't know how long she could stand this.

She glared at Professor Tomoe across a sea of beakers and test tubes, listening to him cheerfully record the life span of a young puppy that had rather violently died during his experiment. Why he insisted on using animals was beyond her, as they could have simply found some runaway or drunken sot off the streets for a proper test of the daimon. The creatures would not manifest in dogs, they blew them up rather spectacularly in her opinion, but he seemed to find some worth in creating a mess.

Earlier that day, she had ‘fed' their Master through the link all of their accumulated souls, hardly concerned with the fact that every single student she'd taken them from was now no better than dead without them. Once the daimon were properly incubated and grown, they would devour the souls of their victims and survive in such a manner, infesting hosts with eggs that would grow to maturity and feast. And while baby daimon needed the host to have their soul, to slowly gorge upon it and gain strength, their current daimon were too weak and confused to grow within a host properly. The soul had to be entirely removed for the daimon's own soul to take up residence.

It was a painful process, and Kaoli's nerves were growing shot every day she had to bind a student, enspell them to forget, and deliver them both to Tomoe and back to the school. She was a witch, a Magus, and not a damned courier service. But the professor was positive they were achieving glory; the news reports about the daimon attack on the bus confirmed his hypothesis that the daimon were fully manifesting. It was a sign of fortune that their only obstacle was to nurture them into the last stage, to fully feed upon the souls of their victims and so survive.

Too bad the Master didn't see it as entirely fortunate, due to the failure of the Witches 5 to capture even a single sailor soldier. [Still the light so close to the light of our crystal remains out of your grasp. Magus, you continue to fail me, and lose our valuable utilized souls!]

She'd like to see him try to do it. Those damn soldiers were harder to kill than cockroaches, and she had no doubt even they would survive a nuclear holocaust all the same. Eudial had failed miserably, Mimete wasn't even worth discussing, and now Viluy had been destroyed, Tellu barely escaping with her life. The green-haired witch refused to even talk to her, locking herself up in the greenhouse to most likely plot her revenge, and the _kami_ and their shades knew how far that'd get her. Probably just as far as the previous three.

Tomoe was muttering now, shaking a test tube and holding it up to the light to examine its contents. Though he took his job seriously, creating the proper daimon was taking time away from his true passion, the very mad plan he had been initiating all those years ago that had caught the Master's attention. And he was beginning to grumble about it in an annoying, jaw-grinding sense. Kaoli hated listening to him whine. Who cared about his dreams of creating a superhuman? Soon, the Master would make this their new world, and humans would no longer properly exist.

"Kaoli, have you captured any sailor soldiers yet?" Tomoe asked suddenly, though he was still investigating his tubes and wasn't even looking her way.

"_Iie_. The power Sailor Moon wields, with its light so close to that of the Taioron Crystal, has been destroying our failed daimon and the witches so very easily." She watched him pick up another tube, shaking it vigorously. "But I will obtain those souls, somehow."

He shrugged, tipping the tube over into a cloth handkerchief; this he used to clean his eyepiece, not the strangest thing she'd seen him do, but enough to lift an eyebrow. "The sailor soldiers…excellent specimens. To find the source of their strength would be a perfect experiment, in fact I've devised a hypothesis that they could be close to the superhuman I've envisioned."

Kaoli leaned on the edge of the table, no doubt flashing him her ample cleavage through the folds of her lab coat, a sight wasted on the scientist, and snorted. "They gain their strength from magic, Professor. Superhuman perhaps, only by enhancement. But then that's your mad plan, isn't it? To create such a person through augmentation and unnatural means."

She was goading him, and she knew it, and she was bored enough to continue. "Perhaps your continuation of the superhuman is false. After all, for such tests, you've chosen a subject we can hardly afford to sacrifice—"

The breaking of glass was such a dull sound, being so small; a test tube, cracking within the scientist's furious grip. Within seconds, the bright shine of blood appeared between his fingers, a few droplets sliding from his palms and onto the tip of his shoe. A careless gesture dropped the shards and a large piece to the floor, and he nonchalantly looked up at Kaoli. "You question my devotion to the Master? The one who gave me a second chance at my prize? Even now, I feel the potential in myself to become that superhuman, but who better to become that person than…"

He trailed off, an unusual frown twisting his mouth. His good eye became glassy, unfocused, and Kaoli recognized his warring emotions; after all, it happened so very rarely. Professor Tomoe had never been a very emotional person, even before the utilization, more interested in the effects of science and experiment than family or personal life. It had been the driving force behind the last experiment that had nearly decimated his entire family, killing his wife, putting his child on the brink of his death, and himself into physical therapy. But of course, it had also been the catalyst for his ultimate experiment, when opportunity had given him a willing, weak body to use.

The sight of any true emotion on him was always something of a treat to watch, and so she waited. It never took very long at all; he was never a man used to such a war, and often quickly squashed anything he considered he didn't need. And, as usual, within a quick minute or so, his face assumed that placid, Mona Lisa smile. "Really, Kaolinite. Perhaps this is jealousy talking, that your partnership to the Master will be worthless with our last perfect utilization? After all, the last of the Nine is perhaps perfect to what we all require."

"How dare you! How dare you throw such ideas in my face!" Kaoli bared her teeth in a strangely feral gesture, her lovely features turning all somewhat grotesque. "The last of the Nine is merely the last gesture before the Master can arrive. You, with your silly reality of science could never comprehend the power of such a simple event; magic is beyond your reach, even with utilization intact!"

Staring at one another across the table, Kaoli finally made a disparaging sound and turned away. She wouldn't make any headway; the man was stubborn, and not simply because he thought he was right, but because he didn't honestly care one way or another. Already he was looking back around at his incubator, completely ignoring his assistant for the intricacies of his evolving projects. Inside of it was an oversized egg, shaped like a ridged seed or a peeled oblong melon with segments; cracking it open revealed the daimon's infant yolk. This was what they poured into the victim's ear, the oxygen turning liquid to gas or what they approximated as gas.

Throwing up her hands, the red-head stomped out of the laboratory, her skin rejoicing as it left the icy air, so frigid as to discourage any spoiling or growth. In contrast, the room temperature of the rest of the house was almost tropical, and she immediately opened up her lab coat entirely to slip it off and hang it on a peg. Smoothing down the front of her vest, she strode off towards the kitchen and a snack, something sugary to soothe her nerves as she plotted. She had far too much to accomplish and no little time to do it in.

It being an hour after school, she was only a little surprised to find Tellu standing at the window, tending to an English ivy sitting on the sill. Of course, in her Mugen uniform, she was in her identity still as Teruno Ruru, a student of botany and the Phys. Ed instructor. She smiled covertly back at the red-head over her shoulder, her fingers twined with the vines that reached greedily. "_Konnichi wa_, Magus Kaolinite," she greeted, a nail tickling the underside of a leaf. At her side on the countertop was a half-eaten sweet bean paste bun, still bearing teeth marks.

A week ago, she had barely escaped the death magic of the sailor soldiers that had killed the witch Viluy. This was actually the first time Kaoli had seen her outside of the school's greenhouse or laboratory, concocting a true scheme of her own to destroy them. She was angry that none of them had managed to capture the soldiers' souls, or the light so close to the source of their life, and with the position of Magus so close to their grasp!

Kaoli was rather doubtful as to the power of the remaining Witches 5. But she was clever enough to hold her tongue, allowing them to die stupidly, watching from afar the soldiers' tricks. Even though the Master was upset at the loss of their souls, it gave her valuable information as to how to beat them. And then, the light of the planets, and the source of light within the soldier of the Moon; perhaps their capture would lure out of hiding the three who bore the light of reckoning.

Even now, she could sense those certain lights, growing stronger or perhaps closer. But of the fourth, that point to which they would draw and create the ultimate power of reckoning that could stop the Master and his plans, she felt only the tiniest inkling. She had decided that they must have been components in a spell themselves, a magic spell that could be used to call forth the power of reckoning. But they undoubtedly had to do it a certain way, at a certain moment, and if so, all she had to do was destroy the three. Let the witches commit suicide in battle. The soldiers could do nothing against the Master once the three lights were destroyed.

"_Konnichi wa_, Tellu. Have you decided on a plan to destroy the bodies of the sailor soldiers? This is a large task, now that you are one of the remaining Witches 5. Already they've killed your three companions." Kaoli opened the small fridge, removing a bottle of fruit juice and twisting the lid with two fingers. Studying her slick red nails afterward cursorily – they were her one real vanity, perfect and the colour of fresh blood – she pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured. "To reach the position of Magus is a lofty prize, but I wonder; are you up to the challenge, witch Tellu?"

Gathering the ivy into her arms, Tellu laughed. "Why, Magus Kaolinite, I'm surprised at you! Already, my plan is bearing fruit. Soon, the sailor soldiers will walk right into my hands, ripe for the harvest of souls. My problem is deciding on how to properly present the light so close to the Taioron Crystal to you and the Master." She stroked the green vines as they lifted, shaking gently beneath her hand, warming up to her magic. Picking up her bun, she took another large bite of it and chewed with relish.

"How very thoughtful of you, Tellu." Kaoli swallowed her juice, regarding the smeared glass before she refilled it nearly to the brim.

But she heard something curious then, and she turned to look towards the door. Someone talking, though there was no one else in the house but them, Tomoe, and the girl, Hotaru – could it be her? Impossible, for then the person laughed! Hotaru never laughed, hardly ever even smiled, always in pain and furious towards Kaoli's face. "_Masaka_," Kaoli murmured, eyes shifting rapidly to settle finally on the shiny metal fixtures of the stove.

As Tellu watched her curiously, she strode over quickly and touched two fingers to the largest plate, whispering beneath her breath to bring up a slightly murky vision. Hotaru. Incredibly, Hotaru, talking on the phone with a smile, a phonebook open on the small table next to her. And though the sight of her using the phone was not a surprise – after all, the raven-haired girl often had to call in take-out orders – her cheery face and gentle demeanor was. Kaoli again cursed the need for an imperfect medium, instead of her scrying pool; this method had no clear picture, nor sound to give her a clue as to the other person's identity.

"Is the girl making friends now? How unusual," Tellu remarked, her power sufficient enough to allow her to see what Kaoli could see, though it was even more fractured to her sight. "Is it possible for her to find friendship outside of this house, with the Master's plans so close to culmination?"

"Dangerous," was Kaoli's terse answer. "But who could it possibly be? Not a student shows a happy face to her at school, knowing instinctively…"

"Perhaps someone else?" The green-haired witch shrugged, unconcerned; overall, the plan of the Master no longer involved her, she would simply reap its benefits. That is, if she survived her counterstrike against the sailor soldiers, and attained the position of Magus.

Hotaru set the phone back in its cradle, disappearing down the hall and into her room. Kaoli vanquished the image, frowning, thoughtful. "Making friends, at such a time…"

Chibi-Usa sat in the front window seat, watching the door. Behind her sat Usagi and the others, Alex lazy on the couch, a quiet day for studying being used to its fullest. With Usagi's parents out of town visiting Kenji papa's sister, taking Shingo with them, they had asked the tall red-head – whom they recognized as trustworthy on sight, instinctively knowing her character as they had known Moriya's, though she was in fact a stranger – to check in on their daughter. After all, the _odango_-haired blonde was in the ninth grade, and with her poor grades and looming high school exams, she couldn't risk taking even a few days vacation from school. Chibi-Usa had simply asked to stay behind.

So they gathered at her cozy house for the time being, studying diligently for one of the most difficult tests of their lives. Mamoru himself was staying late after classes now, preparing for his entrance into college; he would come over later. "Ami-cha-an, what's the solution to this problem?" Minako whined, tapping her pencil against her notebook. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Minako, are you even recognizing the problem as an equation?"

"My recognition doesn't mean anything against its rudeness."

The dark-haired shrine girl rolled her eyes, finger set at the point where she'd left off in her book. "Minako, how you can attain a status of high school student will be remarkable. Haven't you the slightest discipline?"

Minako stuck out her tongue, switching immediately to a doe-eyed whimper as she enticed the blue-haired genius to help her. Ami sighed, adjusting her reading glasses, and leaned over to point out, step by step, the intricacies of the problem. Next to her, Usagi was gamely plowing through her own math problems, and looking to be having just as many difficulties; Makoto as well looked confused, chin in hand and pencil having long ceased writing. With Rei in a private Catholic school that gave her no real worries of having to pass painful tests to attain high school, and Ami driven to be acquire and retain knowledge from a young age, they were the only two out of the five unconcerned. The two blondes, and the tall brunette, however, were undisciplined, and easily lazy; they were chewing their fingernails nightly.

Of course, that could have as much to do with the tests as the enemy that loomed as well as a shadow over their lives. Surviving the enemy would come long before any test, and if they failed, then no one would have to worry about a thing ever again. The dead had no cares, or so Luna had sternly warned them.

And it seemed almost ironic that they were studying to take their minds off of one more problem; the mysterious soldiers, no longer mysterious. Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune, now known to them fully as Ten'ou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru. They had not seen either of them in the week that passed, even though Michiru, in hindsight, had seemed to actively seek Mamoru out, and Haruka coming up to Usagi. Alex told them all that Uranus had shared with her, which was essentially the same as what the two soldiers had told them all, en masse; that it was their sole mission. They didn't want any of them to interfere.

"I don't know what could happen then, if the new Pluto comes to us in this time," the tall red-head had explained, reaching to scratch Diana's head. "Because, obviously, Neo Queen Serenity had faith in Pluto taking her place at the gate soon, or else she wouldn't have let this little kitten come back with Chibi-Usa."

"Mama only said that the gate would find its owner again," Chibi-Usa said. "Puu…but not my Puu."

"But what could happen, Alex, if Pluto came here?" Artemis queried.

"The three soldiers of the outer reaches of the system? If Pluto came here, we could have another soldier denying our help."

Yes, they needed something to take their minds off of the problem. And they had been given a reprieve; no daimon had been sighted attacking innocent victims, not even a hint of warning. Of course, those very soldiers could be taking care of the disaster.

Pencils scratching, the girls finally settled into silence as they worked on their papers, the tall red-head dozing, acting as a pillow in turn for the three cats curled on her stomach and hips. Chibi-Usa, at the window, looked up at the clock on the wall, nibbling at her lip. It had been an hour since the phone call, the minutes rapidly falling away. Ever since Pluto had died, she had been acutely aware of the flow of time, as if she felt the need to watch it in her friend's stead.

A somber figure appeared at the entrance to the yard proper, and the pink-haired child smiled wide, hopping out of the window seat. The three felines each opened an eye to watch her, as did Alex; she didn't appear to notice as she disappeared into the front hallway, opening the door just before Hotaru could knock. "Hotaru-chan! You came!"

"Of course, Chibi-Usa-chan," the raven-haired girl said, smiling softly. She wore a brimmed hat of a soft dove colour, shading her face from the afternoon sun, and another long-sleeved black dress and matching stocking. "May I come in?"

"_Hai, hai_—"

"_Imouto_, who is it?" Both girls looked up at the tall red-head as she leaned out of the doorway to the living room, staring curiously at Hotaru. A cluster of whiskers was just visible around the lip of the wall at her feet.

Chibi-Usa set her face in a stern frown, shoulders stiff, as she said, "This is Tomoe Hotaru-chan, my new friend." As if daring any contradiction, she slowly looked away to face Hotaru, trading the frown for a bright smile, adding, "Hotaru-chan, this is LeBeau Alex-san."

Alex smiled wryly as she stepped out of the doorway, bending down lightly take Hotaru's hand, touching her lips to the back as a gentleman might. "_Bonjour_, Tomoe-san. I'm sure any friend of Chibi-Usa's will be highly regarded in this house."

Hotaru's mouth opened wide. At an utter loss for words, she stared at her hand as Alex stood up, unable to accept that someone – a stranger! – had touched her with no complications or hatred. Even now, the tall red-head seemed entirely calm to have her standing there, while Chibi-Usa beamed her pleasure. "I…_arigatou gozaimasu_, LeBeau-san," she finally stammered, clasping her hands together and bowing hastily.

"Just ‘Alex,' please, if you can manage it. If not, ‘LeBeau' is fine, but no honorific; you kids make me feel old doing that." She winked, wandering back into the living room, and Hotaru slowly stared around at the pink-haired child, beginning to blink.

"She's an American," Chibi-Usa explained, beginning to giggle.

"I can tell. Are…all Americans like her?" Hotaru asked slowly, glancing down again at her hand. And she had not been repelled by her cold skin, either…

Chibi-Usa shrugged, motioning for the raven-haired girl to slide off her shoes and follow her. "I don't know, Alex-chan is the only American I've met. But she's very kind and nice." She took Hotaru's hand and led her into the living room quickly, shoulders set straight again as she anticipated the stubborn nature of her friends.

But obviously, Alex had already told them; they looked up at her with varying degrees of surprise, nothing as shocking as she had expected. Behind her, Hotaru went slightly stiff, no doubt shy in the presence of strangers, but Chibi-Usa wanted to make sure everyone understood exactly her relationship. "Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako…this is Tomoe Hotaru-chan, my friend."

"_Hajimemashite_, Tomoe-san," Ami murmured.

"_Konnichi wa_, Hotaru," Minako said, playing with her pencil.

Rei nodded her head cursorily, book still raised. "Tomoe Hotaru-san."

Makoto smiled sadly at Hotaru, feeling just a bit sorry for her, in her situation. Even if she were a possible enemy. "_Hajimemashite_, Hotaru-chan."

Usagi, having already met Hotaru, waved her hand in greeting, but seemed more absorbed in watching the reactions of her friends; no doubt, all of them felt hesitant in regarding her as safe, but could hardly dismiss her out of hand as the enemy. Her father's possible evil ways did not automatically damn her as well, not with Chibi-Usa beaming so happily at her side. Even the cats were staring at her in a calculated manner, as if trying to accept her position.

"_H-hajimemashite_, Ami-san, Rei-san, Makoto-san—"

"Mako-chan is fine!"

"—Mako-chan, Minako-san," Hotaru returned, bowing.

Chibi-Usa breathed an internal sigh of relief, releasing her friend's hand. "Alex-chan, Usagi, is it all right if I go to the movies with Hotaru-chan? I promise to be back in time for dinner!"

The _odango_-haired blonde paused, crystal blue eyes lifting to lock up with lapis blue. Alex raised one shoulder in a small shrug, glancing back at Chibi-Usa, then at Hotaru. "I don't see a problem, do you, Usagi?"

"Well, Chibi-Usa, can you do such a thing alone?" Rather tactfully phrased, all things considered; asking the pink-haired child if she could remember how to use the money she was being given for allowance was a bit too obvious. The yen note was something Chibi-Usa had never dealt with in the future, as most purchasing was done with barter, and she had not been involved in those deals either. Last time she had bought an ice cream cone, she had given the guy almost 100 yen too much. And going to the movies was expensive.

"_Mochiron_! You should have faith in me, Usagi; I'm not so much the child as you can be, sometimes," Chibi-Usa retorted, folding her arms.

There was a swallowed laugh at the table, and Usagi frowned, biting back her own snappish remark. She couldn't exactly reprimand her for being disobedient towards her own mother in front of Hotaru, and it was a wasted effort anyway; neither of them felt like mother and daughter, or acted it. "Do you have enough?"

"No one has enough to watch a movie in this ridiculous capitalist utopia," Alex remarked from the couch, sitting back up and reaching into her back pocket. She withdrew a small sheaf of yen, holding them out for Chibi-Usa to take, over Usagi's stammered protests. "A ¥5,000 note should give you ¥1,400 in change for buying two tickets at the Movie Amuse East/West," she said in an undertone, pointing out the proper bill to give the attendant, and what she would get back.

Chibi-Usa nodded solemnly, folding the money and placing it into the pocket of her shirt. She was getting better at handling cash, but she still admitted to her mistakes, and was glad Alex trusted her enough to not screw it up. Much better than baka Usagi, no better than a spoiled child, unwilling to help. "_Arigatou_, Alex-chan! I promise, I'll be back by dinnertime, eight o'clock, ne?"

"_Hai_; by then, perhaps I'll be released by the slave driver and allowed to cook," the tall brunette replied, only partially joking; Ami was damned scary when she got worked up in her role as tutor. Give her a whip, and she would be unstoppable.

Hotaru giggled despite herself, covering her mouth. Everyone here seemed so cheerful, while she lived at home with a heavy silence most often as her father was occupied and Kaoli-kun was simply unacceptable. She found herself beginning to smile just a bit wider as Chibi-Usa took her hand, leading her to the door to put on their outside shoes. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you."

"Surely you're coming back for dinner!" Minako rolled onto her stomach, resting on her elbows. "Mako-chan is a superb cook, you couldn't possibly miss the best meal of your life!"

"I…but my father might wonder…I couldn't…" What was she saying? Of course she probably could, her father wouldn't notice if she disappeared for a week. And when had she ever before been invited not only to a person's house, but to dinner? Was she simply insane to pass up such an opportunity? "…yes. Yes, I'll come back. If I'm allowed."

"Of course you are, I always cook enough food for everyone!" Makoto assured her.

Usagi smiled, playing with her pencil. "_Hai, hai_, Mako-chan is a wonderful cook, and cares about everyone."

Wow. They actually wanted her to return and share their food. Hotaru didn't know whether to laugh or cry or both. She simply nodded, hurrying to follow Chibi-Usa and put her shoes on, the door soon closing after both of them. Everyone watched through the front window as they vanished around the fence.

Rei closed her eyes, exhaling sharply. "Is this wise? For the daughter of the potential enemy to be alone with Chibi-Usa?"

"Perhaps she isn't an enemy at all, however. And Chibi-Usa seems happy to have a friend. To tell her she can't see Hotaru…" Usagi trailed off, fidgeting. She had already tried to describe the situation to her, after the fight on the bus. The pink-haired child had stormed away, disappearing into the city for hours; coming home finally, late, she had told Usagi flatly that Hotaru was a good person, even if her father was evil. Didn't anyone understand? Hotaru in such a situation needed friendship and consolation; especially if they were to destroy her father and leave her alone in the world.

Minako frowned, staring up at the ceiling. "Rei, could you sense anything about Hotaru? Surely if she had an evil presence, you could feel it and tell us."

"I don't know what I felt," Rei admitted quietly. "I sense an aura around her that feels almost familiar, and yet, it eludes me. And there seems to be a piece of her missing…a hole in that aura that is being steadily devoured."

"Then perhaps she's a victim of her father's plans?" Makoto clenched her fist atop the table, as if ready to leap up and defend the pale girl. The girls traded varying looks of worry and anger, then looked around to the four on the couch. "Could it be possible? Is she only a victim, and we've worried that she's in fact an enemy?"

The white cat scratched at his ear, wincing as he caught a small bump. Shaking his head vigorously, he sighed. "Who can say? She could be entirely innocent, and yet she could also be an enemy. But surely, knowing such tantalizing energy, she would have attacked Chibi-Usa before this."

The black cat snorted, giving Artemis a sly look. "Is that your analysis? The enemy can also be sly, biding their time."

The lavender cat, regarding both her parents curiously, said, "But does the enemy know who she is?"

"Does the enemy realize who any of the girls truly are? Possibly. Viluy saw Michiru transform, and of course, she's rather inseparable from Haruka, but she's also dead. The other witch, what did you say her name was? Tellu? She was doing her best to act like a slab of carbonite, so who knows if she was conscious enough to recognize them." Alex rested her arms on the back of the couch, tapping a foot on the carpet. "And Tellu knew you all were sailor soldiers, but not your names. That doesn't mean they're smart enough or have the manpower to go door to door to figure them out."

"Which means we could still have the advantage?" Makoto ventured.

Alex shrugged. "Possibly. Maybe Hotaru's innocent. Maybe she's an enemy in disguise. I can't read her mind any easier than the lot of you, so all we've got is best guess scenario."

The dark-haired shrine girl closed her book, folded her fingers and resting her chin. "So again, we're at an impasse. And the enemy still exists, waiting."

Minako smiled oddly, sliding her legs out from beneath the table to stand, and dusting at the wrinkles in her skirt. "The enemy will always be waiting, Rei-chan. All we can ever do is make sure they never make their final move."

"Like chess," Ami remarked quietly. "The opening gambit, sacrificing their pawns to capture a king and queen. Only those two final pieces matter. All else in between is useful only to be discarded."

"I always hated chess."

  
Teruno Ruru strode calmly down Juuban's streets, head held high. It was near the end of the day, the sky darkening to rich, lovely purple and pink and orange; once, she had loved such time, the air nearly magical. Once, before she had accepted her new role, allowing her body to become merely a utilized, perfect vessel, no longer weak. Though once in a while the lingering memories of that past life came back – her parents, before she had killed them carelessly as one would discard of a feeble pet – she cared only for the coming world, and her place within. The plan to create that world didn't matter, only the end result.

And that she attained the rank of Magus.

She smiled then, extending a hand forward, fingers unrolling; from her palm rose a small vine, twisting up a few inches into the air. A dark emerald green, its one leaf was the shape of a multi point star, with sharp tips that were no doubt thorns. It bent, swiveling like an antenna down one of Juuban's main roads, giving her a new direction. "Ah, that they are so careless," she sighed, changing her path. "It seems as though the soldiers are nothing less than children."

It was such an obvious trail, one that had taken her half of a week to realize. Her plants were unique, their sap mixed with her blood from which she fed them at birth. After a certain age she stopped such nursing, raising them to her specifications, but it was her blood that made them malleable, and answerable to her. The magic that gave her power gave them life.

When she had call forth her power, only one contaminated body existed, which hardly surprised her; those children had been hurt by her attack, but only the man had been cut deeply enough to infect. She dimly recognized seeing Sailor Moon act simpering towards him, his forehead slashed crudely. An easy bait to capture, merely a man in a silly tuxedo. If it had been a sailor soldier, she might have had a slightly more difficult time.

As the tendril quivered straight, she halted, looking up at the apartment building she stood in front of. Not even a doorman to block her entrance; how quaint a lifestyle the man must have. She closed her fingers, walking inside as though she belonged there, utterly casual despite her growing disgust. The carpet was tolerable but worn, the foyer cookie-cutter and hardly unique. Ignoring the mail lockers, she walked directly to the elevator and pushed the up button.

No one disturbed her trip as she went up, her hand held out, fingers spread. She watched the numbers go by slowly, leisurely, the sight of herself in the cheap metal walls one of anticipation. And she had a lot of time; for such a tall building, the elevator went intolerably slow, though whisper quiet, which she couldn't fault it for. She was simply not a patient person, and was toying with the idea of enspelling it to go faster when the vine jerked again.

Stopping it a number above, she exited the elevator and took the stairs to the correct floor, casually kicking over a plastic potted fern as she went. She hated fake greenery. Kicking over another on the floor, she followed her vine down the hallway, watching the nameplates as she walked past. All mediocre people, one or two foreign names, and the sounds of TVs and radios and screaming children. Hideous. If this man had any children of any sort, she would enjoy feeding them to her plants slowly. She despised the little brats.

"Hmmm. ‘Chiba Mamoru,'" she singsonged, tapping a finger against the brass. Ignoring the buzzer and speaker, she tested the knob; finding it locked, she allowed her vine to slither into the keyhole, growing rapidly in size to break the entire thing. Left a nice hole in the wood for her to hook her hand into and push open.

Inside was cheery light and neatness. Except for the man fallen on the floor, that is, half-curled as if to ward off stomach cramps. His skin had taken on a faintly green tinge, and he barely managed a moan as she nudged him with her shoe. Interesting; she hadn't expected her magic to intrude on his system so slowly. He should have been sprouting leaves by now, a man plant. She crouched down to touch the suppurating slash on his forehead, fingers wet with his blood and her plant's sap. "Ara ara," she laughed, "you've had quite a few people dabble with your soul, haven't you? So much evil magic, it's left an amazing imprint."

Too bad it only served to put him that much easier into her control, but not hasten the process of vegetation. Whatever magic he had, if not the exact power of a sailor soldier, was still intense, keeping the magic of her blood from infecting him thoroughly. "Chiba Mamoru, harken to me. By blood, I bind you; with spirit, weak, I call you. Rise up, Chiba Mamoru, and harken to me, I am the witch Tellu!" She lifted her hands above her head, watching him jerk up onto his feet like a zombie on strings. "The witch Tellu commands you!"

"Tel-lu," he whispered; though his muscles were not easily controlled by his commands, she gave him a measure of freedom to allow him to speak. "Tel-lu. Witch."

She could see fear in his eyes, and she laughed. "_Kakkoi_ Chiba Mamoru; mine to command. Yes, you will make excellent bait, and a perfect soul to feed to the Master." Placing a hand against his chest, she nudged him towards the door.

"….I don't know, Chibi-Usa-chan, I don't think it would be so difficult to recognize possession," Hotaru argued as they left the theatre, still holding their half-eaten bag of dried plums. "After all, Stu was a gentle man, in contrast to his figment. If such a person here was possessed and acted so contrary, wouldn't he be found out?"

"Maybe. I don't know, it's such an unusual movie! But then, I haven't seen very many movies until I came back to the 21s—to Tokyo, that is," Chibi-Usa hastily amended, taking a plum and chewing on it to stop her blabbering. Hotaru eyed her curiously, but said nothing, taking a plum herself. She felt comfortable enough to discuss movies and interests, but of personal lives…where could they even begin?

They stopped at the crosswalk, crowded as usual for a Tokyo night, but for once Hotaru felt relatively easy. It seemed so much different when she was with a friend, tolerable for others to glance at her and look away as though she were normal. She felt herself smile, eating another plum. "I liked seeing a movie with you, Chibi-Usa-chan," she sighed, looking down at her friend. "Maybe we can go again sometime."

"_Hai_! There's another foreign movie coming next week, a new movie from American with that man Alex-chan loves so much. It's a movie about pirates!"

"Pirates?" Hotaru giggled at the notion, envisioning the cartoon she'd seen on TV with a boy who fancied himself a pirate; entirely silly and outlandish. "Do they capture fair maidens and plunder ships for gold and jewels?"

"Maybe! And to live the rest of their lives with wealth and comfort."

They both laughed, holding hands as they raced across the street at the light, dodging the pedestrians going both ways. Leaping up onto the sidewalk, they slumped against the light post to catch their breath; Chibi-Usa was realizing that her soldier's identity was in far better shape than she was, relaxed in the 21st century. Hotaru was always tired, her body unable to keep up with steady exertion, and so she simply waited for her system to adjust.

Again the light changed, and as the crowd of people thinned, Chibi-Usa happened to look back across the street to see… "Mamo-chan?"

"Ne, Chibi-Usa-chan?" Hotaru gasped faintly, still a bit hard of breath.

The pink-haired child pointed towards the familiar figure of her future father, his dull stare never once turning towards her; and he was excellent at spotting her, even in a crowd. He often joked that she was colour-coded for quick reference. And the way he walked, so slow and unsure, with a girl at his side dressed in…dressed in…yes, burgundy, she realized with a sinking heart, and green plaid. The green-hair cinched it; her Mamo-chan was in the hands of the enemy.

She stood up, raising a fist. "I have to—"

"Chibi-Usa-chan, what's wrong?"

"A-ano…" Literally jerking back into place, she looked back at Hotaru. This was not an excellent position for her to be in, at all. She had to transform and rescue Mamo-chan, and she couldn't just tell her new friend to get lost, not when they were supposed to go back to her house for dinner. "I…have to…ah…" Her head swiveled back and forth, watching the dark-haired prince disappear down a side street, and staring helplessly at Hotaru.

They were both startled dumb when a car suddenly squealed into a park next to the curb, a little Toyota with more than a few dings in its paint job. A manicured hand reached across to throw the passenger door open, and Kaoli's face, shadowed, peered up at them. "Hotaru, it's time to come home. You're late for your weekly check-up."

Hotaru stared dully at Kaoli, obviously thinking hard. There was no vicious rebuttal, as Chibi-Usa had seen during their first meeting, but also no acceptance; finally, Hotaru said faintly, "Perhaps you're right. But I don't recall any check-up this week…"

"Hotaru, your father scheduled it. Please. You know you can hardly skip such things," Kaoli said angrily, reaching suddenly to grab her wrist. "Now stop being stubborn!"

Chibi-Usa managed a choked noise of anger and outrage before Hotaru was jerked again, and she folded her legs just in time to duck into the seat before she hit the door. "_Gomen nasai_, Chibi-Usa-chan," she apologized faintly, the car rolling away before she finished. She closed the door just as Kaoli hit the gas and tore into traffic, speeding away.

"What an awful woman...! Hotaru-chan…" The pink-haired child clenched her small fist again, turning away resolutely. Now she could only pray that woman was involved, if only to free Hotaru-chan from that horrible environment. And why had she acted so cruelly?

The light changed above her, and she raced back to the other side, ignoring the sharp pain growing by her ribs. She clutched at the watch on her wrist, pushing the button she'd been told to use during ‘radio silence,' sending merely a distress signal to the others that didn't require vocal messages. Even in such a crowd, she couldn't use her communicator in that way, though they would surely ignore her. She pushed it a third time, and ran around the corner she'd seen him vanish at, finding it relatively empty.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" she half-whispered, feeling the most extraordinary change as she continued to run, the magic speeding her steps, taking away her side-ache. How far could they have gone, at the pace he had been walking?

The street led up to the local small shops that, during the daytime, was crowded with walking families and mothers getting the groceries or sweets for her children. Now it was empty, and faintly ominous, with all its windows dark and lifeless. At the far end she spotted two figures, moving so slowly.

Tellu tilted her head at the sensation of approaching magic, pausing in dropping what appeared to be seeds along their path. Now that she was attuned to the power of the sailor soldiers, she could feel one close to them, and she smiled. A weak little power, insignificant next to the light of that one, Sailor Moon, but tasting just the same; perhaps, they were sisters, or some type of family. How lovely that she was making it easy on the witch.

Chibi-Moon yelled, "Halt! Release Mamo-chan, now!"

"No, I don't think so," Tellu sighed, calling forth her staff and circling her finger along the infinity symbol.

Vines burst from the concrete, massive plants ripping the stone and mortar apart for their roots to greedily seek dirt, wrapping limbs around the small pink-suited sailor soldier. She screamed in surprise and fear, twisted frantically in the air. "Do you like it? It's my very special breed," the green-haired witch remarked casually, stroking the trunk of the nearest plant. "Just like my other darlings, they'll drain your soul into their limbs, collecting it all within their seeds for harvest. But these particular plants are also hungry, and they'll devour your body rapidly."

She smiled up at Chibi-Moon, kicking her legs at a looming vine, through she was hardly any safer being tightly bound by another one. "Silly child, you've really bitten off more than you can chew. It appears that my plan has worked!"

"Crescent Beam!"

"Mars Snake Fire!"

The firm support beneath Chibi-Moon vanished with a surprisingly human shriek, and she was left peddling air. She cried out in terror as she dropped, only to find herself caught up quickly in a warm pair of arms. The world spun; right side up, the Crystal Guardian landed, setting the pink-haired child onto her feet. "Are you all right, Chibi-Moon?"

"_H-hai_," she whispered, though she felt a bit shaky. The tall red-head nodded, setting a hand atop her head.

"_Bon_. I seem to be making with the last-second rescues lately," she remarked with a sigh, looking over to where Tellu was screaming over the blackened stump of one of her plants. Another bore a singed hole through its middle, which slowly grew bigger, eating its way through the green. "Where's Hotaru?"

"Kaoli-kun…the lady who was at the art gallery…she came and took her home. And I saw Mamo-chan walking with that strange girl, so I followed them."

"So I see." The ground shook as more plants grew up, tall and strong. One toppled right over, arcing with electricity from Jupiter's attack and the power lines it took with it. Another reached out its vines for them, discouraged by a spate of flames shaped like a flock of birds that attacked it. "Next time, wait for us to arrive before trying to fight the bad guy."

Mamoru, still a sickly green but still annoyingly healthy by Tellu's standards, moved at her order to charge Sailor Moon, fingers hooked into claws. She cried out his name, scrambling away from his hands; Venus moved to intercept, but it was Jupiter who caught his arm, executing a smooth flip to throw him onto his stomach. Muttering an apology, she twisted his hand back to pull him up to get her forearm around and against his neck, choking him into submission as Conrad had shown her. "_Gomen, gomen_, Mamoru-san," she said again, tightening her grip. "But it's better you sit this one out."

"Jupiter, look out!" Mercury yelled, too late; Tellu, furious, blasted the tall brunette full on from behind with her staff, sending her tumbling violently forward to crash onto the concrete. The dark-haired prince stood again at the witch's command, though he seemed even shakier now, his throat reddened.

Venus charged, releasing her chain quickly to try and capture Tellu, missing as the witch teleported just as swiftly out of the way. Again Mamoru charged clumsily, trying to grab at the _odango_-haired blonde, who stood safely behind Mars and Venus; Mercury had run over to Jupiter, who lay still on the concrete. She glanced up once to see Venus sweep Mamoru's feet out from underneath, using her soldier's strength to catch him before he landed hard, and neatly cracked him upside the head with the flat of her hand. "Be careful, Venus!" Sailor Moon whimpered, reaching for her prince.

"We've got no time to be careful, Sailor Moon, not with the enemy using him so terribly! This way, he'll be safe from her influence." The long-haired blonde flinched slightly as Mars released another attack right across her shoulder; a vine screamed in agony.

The Crystal Guardian was still yards away, keeping Chibi-Moon behind her as she fought off the plants. Tenacious bastards, they kept growing new wherever she burned them to the ground; several had tried wrapping them in their smaller vines, bouncing off what shield she could muster under the circumstances. She was powerful enough to lift a small car with some pain, but while the plants were small, they hit hard and continuously. "I can only do this for so long, Chibi-Moon," she grunted, sending another vine off into a death spasm as it burned. "Not without something handy to throw."

"Then give up, and allow me to relieve you of the brilliant light of your soul!" They looked up to see Tellu above on a particularly tall plant, hand raised to halt the other growth. "All of you have the light of planets, but in particular, there is that light so close to the source of my Master's life. Sailor Moon, tell me what creates that power within you!"

"No business of yours, witch! It's only a power that will vanquish you from this earth!" Venus snapped, lifting her hand to aim.

"Hardly. Such a feeble body can't even fight without proper protection, nor even face the visage of her…hmm…lover, is it?…when he's obviously a pawn of the enemy putting her into danger." Tellu traced the star on her staff, spinning it quickly down.

Chibi-Moon screamed as she was pushed away, watching helplessly as the tall red-head bent double, mimicked by Venus and Mars as they were hit by Tellu's magic, throwing them up and backwards. The Crystal Guardian went through a window of a candy shop, Venus slammed into the trunk of a plant, and Mars collided with a mailbox. Sailor Moon had been pushed out of the way, same as her daughter, and she screamed the names of her fellow soldiers as they fell to the ground. "How hideously boring. You defeat Eudial, Mimete, and even Viluy, and yet…you remain so damned weak. So burdened by human emotion."

She turned away for a brief moment, closing her eyes. Summoning the control of her scattered plants, sold as personal gifts, taken to be enclosed in greenhouses for cultivation, hanging in shops; sighing, she shivered as they all rose to her call. The other witches had never had such a truly expansive vision, not as she had foreseen it. How easy it had been to scatter her tools and her magic for this moment of harvest.

"Rise to your purpose, my darlings! Show these pitiful soldiers who will remain powerful long after they are dead, sacrifices to the Master; lay waste to Tokyo! Destroy the humans!"

  
Curious; there was a particular noise in the office she had never heard before. Normally all sorts of machines were at work, like the coffee maker, or the computer, the printer. But nothing that rattled in this unusual manner, drawing at her nerves as she attempted to draw up the graph of their newest results.

Setsuna hit the save, and pushed her chair back – or more accurately, the professor's chair – to look around the darkened room. So late at night, she had almost the entire wing to herself, save for perhaps a janitor or two. What was making that ludicrous noise? "Such an unusual sound," she muttered, pushing the power button on the printer to make sure it was off, doing the same to the coffee maker. She even checked the answering machine – empty – and his little cheap radio.

Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Near the partially open window, where the professor hung his potted plants, half of them nearly brown from his lack of constant watering. One of them was shivering, rattling its pot against another, plastic against plastic, and she shook her head with a depreciating laugh. "_Baka_, it's only the wind. Perhaps you are a bit too mired in morbid fantasy, Setsuna," she chided herself, reaching up to steady the pot as she closed the window.

And something snaked around her wrist, light but incredibly taunt, and she was so surprised she couldn't even scream. The plant, the _plant_, was growing remarkably, bursting free of the plastic container, the small vine around her wrist thickening and tight. Before her astonished eyes she could see what seemed to be fog drawn from her skin, the colour of magenta; she felt weak, and fell onto her knees.

Incredibly, she heard someone say, "What are you doing? This isn't how it ends!" It sounded remarkably like her own voice, though not exactly; younger, her voice at the onset of puberty perhaps.

"I wish I could tell you your mission has ended," someone else said, a lovely voice that brought tears to her eyes. "But it can't end here. Not like this. And I won't trust another to take your place."

Take her place? What place? She was Meiou Setsuna, a student of physics. Anyone could take her position easily, she was hardly irreplaceable.

…no; she wasn't Meiou Setsuna. She was the soldier of legend, lonely in her position as guardian. Again she was given a chance, blessed by her sacrifice to be born properly in time, ignorant and careless. Was it now time to give up that mundane existence?

"It hurts, the pain, I never imagined dying would hurt so much, and I…I…"

"This is not an end, merely a transition. And when the time comes, you'll have lived a happy life, and everyone will be with you. Pluto!"

Pluto.

Her forehead burned.

Everything tumbled into place, and she screamed, feeling the power of her planet in her veins again, constrained by time and within time and beckoning to the two who were also here. Sympathetic lights, who recognized her and sang with amazement at the completion of their eons-old song.

….the planet of Uranus…

….the planet of Neptune…

….the planet of Pluto.

"Yes, I see you both! For the first time, we've come together in this life!"

  
Sailor Moon drooped as Tellu lifted her to eye level, her arms so tightly bound she felt her hands tingling, going numb. The witch used the tip of her staff to lift the _odango_-haired blonde's head, clucking her tongue. "Truly, you make this so easy on me, it almost seems a shame to simply rip out your planet's light and discard you, especially when you refuse to tell me what manner of light you have!"

"…a power of hope…" Crystal blue burned fiercely, though the body was weak. "Nothing you do can destroy it…"

"Please." Tellu sighed, letting Sailor Moon's head drop. "I don't want to destroy it, you stupid girl. My Master desires it. And once he has it, I'll be Magus, perfect, watching the changing of this world."

She flinched as Chibi-Moon smacked her in the head with a stone. Another blast of magic flung the pink-haired girl off her feet, the slingshot bouncing once, twice, and back into a singed Luna-P. "Is it really so difficult to tell me? Surely it has a name. After all, you'll die perhaps quicker this way. You've lost already, your soldiers are too weak to save you."

Carelessly she gestured around to encompass the scenario below them, the fallen soldiers weak and defeated. After she'd blasted the strongest, only Mercury and Chibi-Moon had been left to defend their princess, with the blue-haired genius leaping to take the brunt of a spell meant for Sailor Moon. She stood still in her flinch, encased in vines that effectively anchored her to the concrete like a living plant, no doubt screaming inside of her prison. And Chibi-Moon, well…with no power of attack, what could she do?

"There's always…always soldiers to defeat you…witch…" The _odango_-haired blonde lolled, her eyes fluttering shut. Fighting Tellu's plants had gained her more of a beating than either had intended, her heart moon rod slapped from her hand too quickly for her to use it. Her tiara was still embedded in the thick flesh of the trunk, glittering and useless. And she could feel her soul being drained away, a curiously lightheaded sensation.

"Yare yare, so stubborn. And here I thought perhaps I was doing you a favour, killing you first; you needn't watch your friends suffer. Isn't that what humans desire, lack of suffering?" Tellu tapped her lower lip with her finger, thinking. "Perhaps I'll then kill the little girl that annoys me so, and force you to watch. You'll tell me what I desire then, ne?"

There was a twinkling of light then that caught her attention, and she turned away, carelessly ignoring the soldiers fallen below, useless until harvest. Perhaps it was merely Magus Kaolinite, coming to congratulate her? So when she felt the impact of power hit her torso, throwing her across empty air, she was surprised to say the least. Levitating down, she screamed, "Who! Show yourselves!"

Another blast, this one burning her back, and she screamed again in pain, losing her staff. Turning once more, she stumbled onto her ass as an unfamiliar soldier walked up, clad in a black suit, and holding a lavender staff. Long hair the colour of aged emeralds framed a face of tanned skin and magenta eyes, which looked upon her coldly as they appraised her burnt body. And as the witch stared, two more walked up to stand at point behind her, the familiar soldiers of Neptune and Uranus, the three points of a triangle.

"The soldier of the sea, Sailor Neptune." The aqua-clad sailor soldier raised a hand, gather power the colour of ocean water.

"The soldier of the heavens, Sailor Uranus." Tellu turned to see the navy-clad sailor soldier lift her hand as well, though her power was the colour of golden sunlight.

"The soldier of change, Sailor Pluto." The very last lowered her staff, a shape the witch recognized suddenly as a skeleton key. Her power gathered within the globe set in its handle, magenta and ominous as long-fallen blood.

"_Iie_…not this destiny, that I've fought so hard to resist…!" She rose on her knees, disoriented, unable to cast a proper spell without her staff to guide it. "_Onegai…onegai_! Magus Kaolinite, save me from these three hideous harbingers!"

And there was only the light that obliterated everything, and the witch Tellu's screams died as she died.

Kaolinite, watching darkly in her scrying pool, said, "The three lights of foreboding that were revealed to me by the Master. Ah, Tellu, you proved yourself worthy near the end, after all." She smiled without humour, stirring the water with her fingertip, and the image rippled and lengthened, replicating as the water lapped at the sides of its containment. The three turned into six, then twelve, then so many they resembled one huge new creature, created out of the unique; yes, it would be like that. And Kaolinite would be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought Ami should prove she can fight on her own for a change. And honestly, once she gets past her Shabon Spray period, she really does have some offensive attacks.


	29. Act 29 : mugen six - Sanshu no Jingi

##### 

"….and there still has been no decisive comment from the Metropolitan Police as to the recent and mysterious animal attacks that have occurred outside of the Delta region.

"Also, several Mugen Gakuen students have been found dead in their homes, suffering violent hemorrhage and ruptures of the heart and brain, leading several scientists to claim that atavism is in fact the cause. The possible closure of the acclaimed academy is pending in light of these problems, with no remarkable answers coming from the head of the school, the secluded Tomoe Souichi."

  
The smile was familiar, yet somehow more vibrant and enigmatic; a subtle twist of lips, lightly touched with berry-coloured gloss, that lit up the eyes brilliant and warm. It was the smile of a teenager who had not spent the equivalent of hundreds of lifetimes alone in solitary guardianship, having lived a full eighteen years as an average human being, instead of a secluded, withdrawn and desperately needy young girl. And it said a lot that she was the only one of the three actually smiling to begin with. "Pluto," Sailor Moon whispered as she dropped, feeling only the strong cushion of arms stopping her fall. "Sailor Pluto…"

"Puu!" A pink streak ran by, catapulting into the arms of the black-clad sailor soldier, who held her awkwardly. "Puu! Oh, Puu, I knew you wouldn't leave me! I knew you'd come back, somehow…I'm so sorry! I'm so so—"

"….Small Lady?"

"_H-hai_?" The pink-haired girl looked up at her oldest friend curiously, hearing more than a hint of wariness and hesitance in her voice. Of course, it hadn't occurred to her at all that perhaps this Pluto was not exactly the Pluto who had sacrificed her life, having lived an entirely different life before becoming a sailor soldier. She simply saw the Puu she had known, if perhaps a bit taller and curved with a woman's softness instead of a child's fat.

"_Gomen nasai_." Pluto gently held her back. "But I've only just awakened to the power; and so much is a question to me, instead of an answer. I remember that you are my special friend, my little lady princess, but that life, that entire existence…" She averted her eyes, her smile lost into the vestiges of a frown. "I was reincarnated, much as everyone else. And the memory of Sailor Pluto the child is fleeting. There is only the mission."

Chibi-Moon's uncomprehending, pouting gaze was heart-rending. Looking away in her own sadness, the older Moon found the face of her rescuer staring past her in a flat frown, storm cloud eyes narrowed. "Uranus," she mumbled, finding her vision tripling.

The tall sandy-blonde lowered her eyes. "Rest, _odango_," she said firmly, adjusting her hold. "You were hurt badly, and your soul was taken away."

A scream; Mercury twisted in agony as the vines released her, allowing her to vent her fear and frustration. She looked mottled and red, her flesh striped from the tight confinement, bruises rising in their newborn red. Mars, scraped raw herself, lifted herself from the concrete to comfort the terrorized blue-haired genius, who began shaking in her arms. Venus moved in the opposite direction to lift Jupiter from the ground, the green-clad soldier hanging limp and seemingly deep asleep, a trickle of blood marking her forehead.

Mamoru stood listless, blinking as though just waking up, the oozing cut on his head healing with each passing second. Even as Mercury's screaming subsided into frantic whimpering he looked dully confused, ocean blue murky as though still polluted. He stared around slowly at the broken remains of the shop window, watching as the tall red-head staggered out, slivers of glass glistening like spines along her arms. She muttered something to herself and stumbled forward, caught at the last moment by a nimble Neptune.

Tellu was beaten, but at a higher cost than any previous witch.

The dusky-skinned brunette cleared her throat, magenta eyes regarding every person with a poignant anger and despair. "This is the result of an insidious evil. An evil from beyond the solar system, slipped through our broken defense like the snakes in the grass." She gestured, palm open, towards the _odango_-haired blonde, who was attempting to stand with Uranus's help. "You must understand, Sailor Moon. If it can use you as a doll, our shining princess, then what can you do to stop it?"

"Princess?" This from Neptune, who was also helping another to stand, though the Crystal Guardian seemed steady as long as she didn't attempt to walk. "But then, the image of our queen, Serenity…"

"Who was her mother," the tall red-head replied before Pluto could. "Reincarnated, like all of you. Though in this time, Princess Serenity is a sailor soldier, hiding in plain sight."

Sailor Moon was free of the tall sandy-blonde then, who had withdrawn her hands as though she had touched something unclean – or perhaps holy. Crystal blue watched as Uranus and Neptune rejoined Pluto, a unified triumvirate. The Crystal Guardian did the same, limping to stand at the side of her princess, holding Chibi-Moon's hand. A disruption in the air signaled a new transformation; and Tuxedo Kamen appeared to stand as well next to his future bride.

The four guardian soldiers bridged the gap, standing – or in the case of the unconscious Jupiter, held by Venus – in a row, for a quick defense. Though it would be a pitiful show of strength; Mercury was still pale and trembling, obviously having found out she was a closet claustrophobic, Jupiter was breathing but out like a light and compromising Venus's hands. Only Mars was able, but even she sported injuries that could slow her down. And against two soldiers who had already taken a firm stance against them, it could spell disaster.

"Princess Serenity, please accept an apology from us," Pluto said, holding her rod at her side, relaxed. "My allies acted in haste. If you would show them your true form, we would all pledge our allegiance anew to your future kingdom."

"My true form…?" Sailor Moon whispered, taking the hand of her prince instinctively, tightly.

Her body felt hot, suddenly suffused with power. She closed her eyes as she felt it caress her skin, a fine tremble beginning in her limbs. Her sailor suit drew up and flowed out into the white gown she had worn that long ago day, the diaphanous folds her instinctive costume whenever she recalled the girl who had lived as Princess Serenity. Her hair grew to the dirty concrete, turning the colour of the moon itself, and she could feel the street beneath her bare toes.

She opened her eyes to see Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune down on their knees in salute, head bowed low in submission. "Remarkable," she heard the Crystal Guardian whisper, and the _odango_-haired blonde was stunned to see tears in her eyes. Then she remembered that her dearest friend had died before she had gained her power as Serenity, had never seen the true reincarnation of the princess she had seen alive centuries ago. "Princess Serenity. I mean, really you, just like…"

It was strange to become the princess, like a clever overlap of memory and personality. The last time she had truly become Serenity, high above the spire of the Tokyo Tower, it had been a deluge of lifetimes. She had clearly remembered running in her bare feet down the marble halls of the castle as a child, as well as drawing on Ikuko-mama's best tablecloth with a black marker. Learning how to dance the slow, waltz-like routine that had been popular in the Silver Millennium's royal courts, as well as laughing in Alex's arms as she taught her 20th century swing and the Charleston. As now, both of those happy lifetimes were clear within her mind.

"Guardian-sama," she said sweetly, holding out her hands to the tall red-head. "Don't be sad. You've been the loyal friend in every lifetime."

"How could I be sad, _m'p'tite ange_, when you're alive?" The Crystal Guardian bent down and kissed her crescent mark in respect.

Smiling, the _odango_-haired blonde turned back towards the three kneeling soldiers, taking the hands of her prince and their child and squeezing them gently. Then, she said, "Sailor Pluto, your apology is not necessary."

The dusky-skinned brunette lifted her head, magenta not quite as ageless as they had once been, but still quite knowledgeable. "Princess Serenity. The queen of our loving future, Neo Queen Serenity. To you, I, Sailor Pluto, the soldier of the planet Pluto, pledge my loyalty."

"Princess Serenity, I carry the power of the planet Uranus. To you, I, Sailor Uranus, pledge my loyalty," the tall sandy-blonde stated, lifting her head to stare with storm cloud eyes. With a gesture, she called forth to her hand a strange and bejeweled sword, using it to salute.

"Princess Serenity, our future Neo Queen Serenity, I carry the protection of the Planet Neptune. To you, I, Sailor Neptune, pledge my loyalty." Opening her hand, the aqua-haired beauty summoned the Deep Aqua Mirror, holding it with both hands to her chest.

"We are the triumvirate of the outer solar system."

Everyone continued to stare, simply stunned, even Serenity, because no matter what personality assumed her clothing, Usagi was the truest in control. And she had no recollection or even hint of knowledge of these three in such a manner. "Then, you've come to us as friends and allies, finally…?"

"_Iie_. Forgive us, our princess. We will apologize for our manners, but we simply cannot be your allies in this way." Pluto stood, taking hold of her rod in a lax cross grip for an easy draw. "What I know of our mission is simple; in ancient times, we were the guardian soldiers of the three outermost planets, protecting the Silver Millennium from afar."

"But you told us, in the future, that you weren't allowed to leave the door unprotected!" Venus interrupted, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

"Many an enemy chose their path through the door of space-time. That was my domain," Pluto continued smoothly, as though she had not in fact been disturbed. "We were the strongest soldiers, gifted with powers and items to solemnly destroy any trespassers. And then, my fellow soldiers were reincarnated in this time as were you, awakened to their powers by the tripped signal too late; an enemy had infiltrated our system."

"This was our faulty knowledge," Neptune took over, standing tall at her partner's side. "We were too late to destroy the enemy, and we awoke to find them instead convenient and safe within Mugen Gakuen. So it is our mission to properly deal with them."

Jupiter mumbled something incoherent in the arms of the long-haired blonde, her head shaking from side to side. She was still unconscious, which was not an entirely good sign, but her power as a sailor soldier also worked at healing her despite her condition; already the cut on her forehead was closing. Mercury finally seemed to come alive at the sound, and, still trembling finely, she moved to investigate her ally.

Mars asked, "But then, if you know that the Death Busters came from outer space, do you know where from?"

Neptune touched the glass of her mirror pensively. "We have…ideas. Bidou Yui-san, the witch you knew as Viluy, was a brilliant student and scientist. Do you remember, Mercury, when she accosted you at the Dome? The science convention she was entered in, she had created a replica of an unusual spiral system that no one had ever heard of."

"The Tau Star System," Uranus answered for her, remembering that particular conversation they'd had after class. "An unrecorded system. Perhaps, that is their home."

"And from that place, they've come here, to the Delta in particular," Neptune said.

"Space warps in unusual ways in the Delta. Perhaps, a dimensional warp that brought them across the galaxies, or simply a power they were drawn to." Pluto spoke with authority on the manner; after all, it was a topic she had been studying rapidly over the past few weeks.

Tuxedo Kamen frowned, taking a partial step forward to call attention to himself. "Do you know the individual enemies? Who are they?"

"_Gomen nasai_, Endymion-sama. But we can't tell you that just now." The dusky-skinned brunette shrugged as though it was hardly important.

"Besides," Uranus cut in, a bit sharply, "now our methods will have to change. We had been so close, infiltrating the school as proper students, learning their ways. Now that we've been discovered thanks to your clumsiness, we'll have to move differently to defeat them."

Venus winced. Oops.

The tall red-head made a disparaging noise, pausing in her seemingly endless attempt to pull all of the pieces of glass out of her limbs. Her fingertips were stained red, and she wiped them carelessly on her uniform as she said, "Is that your honest excuse? You really are that gung ho to commit suicide by doing this alone? Even before, there was never such a gathering of soldiers in this system, so much power to accomplish the mission, and you still bitch and gripe?"

"Guardian-sama, please. Surely there is a way for us to resolve this, as proper allies," Serenity pleaded.

"Isn't that the mission of a sailor soldier? To defeat evil? All of us, together, are sailor soldiers, and we should work together!" Chibi-Moon released her mother's hand, hopping a few steps forward towards her reincarnated friend, arms open. "Puu, how can you turn away like that!"

The trio stared down at her in stubborn silence.

She burst into quiet tears, retracing her steps back to Serenity's side, and clutched at her skirts. To have her only friend, Pluto, reborn in this time, and to act so cold and strange towards her…it was all she could do to not vocalize her grief, and instead let only tears free. Stroking her pink hair, Serenity allowed a hint of her resolve and dismay show as she caught Uranus's eyes, and the tall sandy-blonde looked away first. "I don't understand," she said finally. "Together, we could defeat this enemy. You no longer have to work alone."

"It doesn't matter," Neptune said with maddening politeness, though there was an undercurrent of ice that meant she was tiring of their questions. "We have the power to finish this alone. It's that simple, princess."

"Because of those items you carry? Is that your stronger power?" Venus queried, her gaze lingering on the hand mirror in Neptune's grasp, and then the strange sword in Uranus's hand. The blade seemed to be far too short and squat to be of any real use except for perhaps parrying or stabbing, and luminescent as if made out of light. Its handle was ornate silver, with a hand guard shaped rather like a fluted Tiffany lamp, or a crown, with a cross beam shaped like an ‘S.' Inset with light blue tones, it looked more like a museum piece than a useful object.

All of them were struck then by the realization that the three of them together held an object of power, counting Pluto's rod. And Mars very nearly stopped breathing as she recalled that dream during the trip to Ise, of the three gathered on the Moon, holding up their objects that shone so brightly..._kami_-sama, how could she not see it immediately? "The talismans," she whispered, and every head turned to stare at her. "The talismans. The three talismans that the god of ruin spoke of, initiating the Silence. You hold them!"

"A sword, and a mirror, and Pluto's rod, are they the talismans? The three that will form the key to summon the god of ruin?" Tuxedo Kamen said, motioning to each in turn. Neither denying it nor agreeing to it, they simply regarded the prince passively. Apparently for them, less was more, and their silence was rather annoying.

Finally, however, Pluto said, "_Hai_. The sword of Uranus, the mirror of Neptune, and, " she touched a gentle hand to the globe set within the crown of her rod, "the jewel of Pluto. Together, they would resonate with power, and then, summon forth the god of ruin from eternal slumber. Then, the god would lower the glaive, and bring forth the Silence."

"That is why we were separate in our mission," Uranus added. "The god of ruin was only to be summoned for the ultimate power, to bring death to a world. Either to defeat the enemy, or to cleanse its remains."

And they seemed to resonate even then, each item faintly shimmering with power. But obviously, something had to trigger their power, the key that would call forth their ultimate power and waken the god of ruin. Otherwise they couldn't have stood together as they did, but, it was still so strange that they were so responsive now… "Is that why the three talismans are glowing like that?" the tall red-head asked, hugging her arms tightly as though cold.

"Possibly." Neptune sighed. "But being together, surely they wouldn't trigger the god of ruin's awakening. And we have no little memory of that lifetime, so we don't entirely understand this."

"Could they be used to summon anything else?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

All three of them shook their heads.

Then, Jupiter made a noise similar to a hacking cough, deep in her throat, and said, "Belgium," snuggling into Venus's arms. At least this time, however, she seemed to be lightly dozing instead of entirely comatose, and Mercury smiled faintly, nodding. She was all right.

Pluto glanced to each of her comrades, and they nodded in unison as well, silently agreeing; and the aqua-haired beauty said simply, "We'll be going now. Please, don't bother contacting us."

"_Sayonara, odango_," the tall sandy-blonde said next, turning away with her partner to walk down the street, Pluto favouring the pink-haired child with a sad glance before she, too, followed them. In a minute, they seemed to vanish as they crossed into the shadows that lined the concrete between each light, an excellent illusion.

"Uranus, Neptune…Pluto," Serenity remarked quietly, clasping her hands tight. With a flash of light, she changed not back into Sailor Moon, but Tsukino Usagi. After all, wasn't the fight finished for tonight? "Why won't they accept our help?"

"Maybe they're just stubborn," the Crystal Guardian remarked, looking amazingly pale, her light skin-tone nearly translucent. She closed her eyes, concentrating to exchange her uniform for the dark blue shirt and black jeans she'd been wearing earlier. Then, strangely enough, she looked even worse; she was sweating, obviously tired. "After…after all, they're exa…ctly…the..same…" Her legs neatly folded beneath her as she blinked slowly, and she dropped down onto the street. And it was suddenly, stupidly obvious why; the sleeves of her shirt were darkening nearly black with blood. She had been bleeding slowly over the course of their conversation, and where Jupiter had her magic to slowly heal her wounds, their mentor seemed to have none at all.

"_Sensei_!"

  
Had a week honestly passed since that wonderful afternoon? Hotaru felt strangely lightheaded at the realization that she had been incarcerated – her word; her father called it ‘under observation' – for nearly half of that. Bedridden, brought all sorts of simple but filling meals by Kaoli and her assistant, a girl Hotaru had met only once before, Cyprine, and kept otherwise closeted off from the world. At times she would be escorted to the laboratory in her flimsy nightgown, easily taken off to allow her father to prod and poke her as he pleased.

The main reason for this sudden interest in her was her father's experimentation with brand-new hardware from America, even smaller wire and receptor modules that could replace her older prosthetics. Or so he had claimed, citing her sudden seizure and collapse during the middle of home economics, which had made a spectacular mess of rice flour and water on the floor she could imagine.

And she liked the class; she never expected to be eligible for marriage in her condition, but enjoyed cooking, and had long ago reasoned it was merely common sense to learn. So the fact she had ruined the hour for herself and everyone else that day was rather a low point.

Not that having to endure anesthesia via needles the size of small swords that hurt just as badly as expected for perhaps half a day's worth of surgery was a high. She was covered in gauze bandages and stitching and she felt like one giant bruise. But, she had to admit, her limbs moved easier with the smaller wiring, and she felt sensations so much greater through her fingertips.

She reached to her bedside table without looking, picking up the familiar weight of the amulet to simply hold in her hand. Her father's gift to her had been missing for several days, and she had been terrified she had lost it until Kaoli had suddenly shown it to her. The red-haired woman had seemed smug at Hotaru's insistence that she hand it over, holding it up like some piece of bait above her head. "Soon, you'll be well, and able to take this from me, ne?" Kaoli had laughed.

What had she replied in turn? She couldn't…remember…something about the…the Master…. Pharaoh 90. Laughing in a voice that was too cruel to be her own. Kaoli's face twisting, red in humiliation. And then that pain again in her head, that sensation of something pushing out as if trapped inside of her skin and bones. But she had taken the amulet Kaoli had dropped into her lap, and the pain subsided, calmed. What was the power the amulet had to cure her symptoms?

Holding it now, she felt calmer, though she had no pain to wish away with its magic. Merely the hope of a restful sleep, which, curled into her cotton sheets and thick blankets, she soon slid into. Though it was most likely the residual drugs in her system that made it so easy, a cocktail of potent chemicals that were so effective at knocking her out so she felt no pain.

Sleeping…yes, that's what she was doing, in this useless human body. She could feel the magic that was strengthening her dormant soul, the power of the Taioron Crystal that Kaolinite had endowed the amulet with, that the professor had given her in increasingly higher dosages. Stronger, she continued to feed upon this girl's soul, swallowing her dimming light to make way for her arrival.

But there was a resistance at the core that held her back from her goal, and in fact drained her even as she continued to feed. She needed a strong magic to overcome this annoying resistance, something potent. The girl's soul needed to be destroyed and humiliated, simply because she was a human annoyance.

And she knew just what to do.

The screaming had begun perhaps fifteen minutes after they'd gotten Alex settled into the hospital, when she'd regained consciousness despite her blood loss. She'd managed to wake up just as they were readying the needle for an injection, and went rather mad.

A couple of student doctors who had foolishly intervened, thinking they were big enough to hold her down for sedation, were lucky to escape with a broken arm and a busted nose. They had actually tackled her down onto the floor finally, loading her with enough sedative to knock out a man twice her body mass. And even that wasn't enough; she woke up an hour later, completely dumbfounding the nurse, and went on another rampage. They'd finally just hooked her up on an I.V. to keep her constantly sedated, stitched her arms up, and hit another snag; her blood type was too unique for a transfusion. Even type o negative didn't match.

With Alex unable to make decisions for herself, and with no family to contact, Makoto was surprised to find that everything fell onto her. And it was a simple matter of legality; Alex had gone to social services and had herself named Makoto's legal guardian. It was really nothing more than assuming responsibility for the tall brunette's health and well being, but it was amazing all the same. But it also meant that she was technically also the only person who could make a decision for the hospitalized American, even if she was only fourteen.

And she finally just told them to release her, even though she was dangerously anemic with no way for them to give her a blood transfusion to make up for the loss. But she was also slowly making up the difference as they fed her proteins and liquids intravenously, and Makoto promised to make sure she remained resting at home. There was nothing else they could really do otherwise, so they just gave in.

Mamoru had to drive the car, with Usagi and Chibi-Usa squashed into the front seat, Makoto in the back with Alex laid out across the seat with her head in the tall brunette's lap. Though it was a reasonably roomy car, it was a two-door coupe, and getting the tall red-head into the back without hitting her head or knees had been ridiculous. She was also pumped full of enough drugs that she thankfully did not wake up until she was in her own bed.

In the meantime, Ami had been using her computer to research the school's staff for potential hidden enemies. After all, it was beyond doubt now that the school hid the witches within their ranks, though they were still missing the vital proof that would link Tomoe and his daughter to them. She had found Haruka and Michiru's files as well, though most of it was relatively junk information; physical attributes, their intended subjects for study and college plans. Also, their addresses, not entirely surprising; they lived in the expensive condominiums that loomed over the school.

Luna also made a surprising discovery of her own; the computer contained everything that had been destroyed from beneath the game center, including the protected files they had saved to disk but could not unlock. So much information, much of transcribed from what looked to be the original language used on the Moon into English, though the information on all of them and their battles on Earth were in Japanese. Obviously, she knew they would probably get to the system sooner or later, and had very craftily prepared for it.

"How's it going, Ami?" Makoto asked finally, on the seventh day. It was taking almost twenty-four hours for Alex's system to overcome the drug cocktail, and she had skipped two days of school now to wait for her to wake up. Ami, on the other hand, had only just arrived after classes, and looked only slightly more awake. She had been kept out of class for a day over her protests, resting at home to recover from her own attack and trauma; her mother had thankfully not seen her, being kept overnight at the hospital.

"I've been trying to form a system of translation to read the old Moon language," Ami said in greeting, slipping off her shoes. The tall red-head had just given up after watching them all wander around in socks, and bought them each a pair of Hello Kitty slippers to wear. At least she could then get a laugh out of watching them wander around in nauseating sugar pink, and though only Usagi and Chibi-Usa and Minako as well liked them, the girls wore them out of habit.

"I don't understand why we can't just wait for Alex to wake up. After all, she obviously must know the language well enough to translate it for us." Makoto then looked out into the hall curiously, adding, "And where's Luna? I thought she was coming with."

Ami stood up, fuzzy slippers on, and picked up her case. "She went with Diana and Chibi-Usa to visit Hotaru-san." She studiously looked away when the tall brunette stared in disbelief. "She believes Hotaru-san isn't an enemy, and wanted to see her."

"But how safe is that, really?" Makoto argued, then just sighed, waving her hands. "Nevermind…after all, we've met the girl, ne? And if Luna is going with, she isn't alone. I just can't believe she won't listen to us."

The blue-haired genius frowned faintly, seeming to reflect a moment before turning back to her friend. "Wouldn't any of us be desperate to keep such a friend, if we've never truly had such a trusting person in our lives?"

Makoto flushed slightly, averting her eyes as well. She hadn't thought of it in such a way. Or rather, she had, but compared to her own experience of making friends such as these, her fellow sailor soldiers, she had never had a real reason to doubt them. Chibi-Usa had been, if possible, even more alone then any of them, through her birth and the very situation of the world. The children had shunned her out of cruelty because she was their future queen; and so few people were even awake she could hardly look to a new group of children for friendship. Her parents and the sailor soldiers were obviously so busy trying to rule a kingdom that they were unable to spend much time keeping her company.

Now she had a young girl who seemed to be just as cloistered and alone, who gave her the friendship she desired, and they were telling her to stay away because of their paranoia. She had, through circumstance and accident, condemned her one previous friend to death, and any sane person would be encouraging her friendship now, instead of killing it. If this was how their lives would proceed until they died, there wasn't much optimism in the outlook.

"_Hai, hai_," she finally agreed, stepping back and towards her favourite domain; the kitchen. Already the wonderful scent of garlic and basil was redolent in the air, and she caught Ami sniffing curiously. "Do you like it?"

"It smells interesting, Mako-chan. Is it a special dish?" Curious, the blue-haired genius followed her into the room, watching as Makoto lifted the lid from a large skillet, a cloud of scented steam rising. Cauliflower, broccoli, and sliced carrots were cooking to tenderness in what looked to be golden chicken broth and liberal doses of basil. Just out of sight on the back burner was a gently bubbling pot.

Picking up a metal spoon, the tall brunette stirred the skillet, adding more – more! – basil from a neatly labeled jar on the side counter. "In a way. Alex showed how to make this a week ago. It's very simple and very delicious. You simmer minced garlic and chicken broth with cauliflower and carrots and broccoli, and basil." She set the lid back on, and, replacing the spoon with a fork, reached back to stir the pot. "Also, you cook some Italian pasta. Then when the pasta is ready, you drain it, and mix it with the vegetables. You sprinkle it with shredded Parmesan at the table, and that's the real secret, she says; shredded Parmesan, not powdered, grated cheese."

Ami tilted her head, breathing deep. "It does smell good. I've never had any real foreign dishes, before; mama was always too busy for us to go out or to cook, and I prefer sandwiches when I study."

"It's very good," Makoto assured her, smiling. "And Alex loves garlic in her food, and likes to dump spoonfuls in it when I'm not watching her." She lifted the lid again, spooning out a piece of carrot and broth, offering it for Ami to try. Somewhat awkwardly, the blue-haired genius fed from the spoon, catching a spilt drop with her fingers; she chewed, her face registering her surprise.

"It's not at all hot!" she exclaimed, accepting a napkin to wipe her lips. "But garlic…"

"It's not meant to be hot. It's plain minced garlic for flavour, not heat."

Setting the lid back down, she turned the heat on low; the pasta wouldn't be ready for at least five more minutes, and the vegetables were done. Turning towards her friend to speak, the tall brunette froze at the sound of music coming from the living room; she had not touched the system in almost a week. Ami looked puzzled, both of them moving in unison out of the kitchen towards the source.

Alex was weaving near the system controls, partial drug stupor, partial rhythm. One of the first things Makoto had noticed upon moving in was that the tall red-head was enamored with music, either on disc or singing it herself. No matter what, she usually had the system on and something playing, a wide range of melody and taste in the background of their daily routine. Not that Makoto could ever understand most of it; only a small portion of the extensive collection was in Japanese. This song was no different.

Either ignoring both of them, or aware and not caring, she spun around, managing to do a reasonably credible dance within the confines of her small space. "I'm…too sexy for my shirt…too sexy for my shirt, so sex-y, ye-et…and I'm…too sexy for Milan…too sexy for Milan, New York, and Japan…"

Ami's mouth dropped open as the tall red-head vamped around the couch, slinking around in a pair of white cotton bikini briefs and a white dress shirt. Even though she was obviously still groggy from the painkillers, she still sang in a clear alto, even if the English was entirely above their limited grasp. "And I'm too sexy for your party, too sexy for your party, no way I'm disco dan-cing…" she crooned, deftly swinging her arms and missing several candles half-melted atop a shelf.

"I'm a model, you know what I mean? And I do my little turn on the catwa-lk," she did the ‘little turn,' throwing them both a coy look over her shoulder, "ye-ah, on the catwalk, on the catwalk…I do my little turn on the catwalk…" More prancing around, this time around the poor armchair sitting there so innocently. "I'm too sexy for my car, too sexy for my car, too sexy by fa-ar…"

The tall brunette was by this point utterly dissolved into laughter, sitting flat on the carpet. Ami still seemed more shocked then amused, though the twitching of her shoulders gave away her growing hilarity. Neither of them expected Alex to swoop around them both, grooving down the front hallway to the closet and flicking her hat up onto her head, striking a pose. "I'm too sexy for my hat, too sexy for my hat, what'cha think about that?" She strode right back towards them, hands on swinging hips. "…I'm a model, you know what I mean? And I do my little turn, on the catwalk…yeah, on the catwalk, on the catwalk, yeah, I shake my little tush, on the catwalk…"

Of course, she shook it, though it was more the seductive wriggle than the exuberant shake intended. Makoto wasn't the only one laughing by this point as Alex just kept going, doing an interesting tap dance on the coffee table, which surprisingly bore her weight. She undid the one button on her shirt and held it open, revealing a lace bra, and pranced some more. "…too sexy for my….too sexy for my….."

  
She stopped prancing and ran her fingers through her hair, tangled and slightly dull from lack of showering, and pulled it back as she posed. "I'm a model, you know what I mean? And I do my little turn, on the catwalk…yeah, on the catwalk, yeah, on the catwalk, I shake my little tush, on the catwalk…" Off the table and onto the armchair, off the armchair and around the couch. "I'm too sexy for my cat, too sexy for my cat…poor pussy, poor pussycat…" Grabbing up Ami by the hands, she swung her around into a dip, holding her tight and assured.

"I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love, love's going to leave me…" Ami somewhat gamely managed to move with her, though she looked terrified; when had she ever danced in her life? Alex spun her out, pulling her back in, flicking her fingers against the blue-haired genius's cheek as if in finale. "And I'm too sexy for this song." And she let her go and promptly collapsed onto the couch.

Makoto took a solid minute to finally catch a breath before starting to applaud. Ami, slightly dazed by the impromptu danced, applauded finally as well. And neither of them even understood what the song had been about. "_Merci, merci_…. ah, you flatter me," Alex sighed, sitting up and wiping at her brow. "I've been waiting to do that for days. I absolutely hate drugged sleep." She pointed a stern finger towards the tall brunette. "If I ever get hurt badly again, don't you even think of putting me in a hospital. I don't give a shit if I'm bleeding by the eyeballs or trailing my small intestine like breadcrumbs."

Ami frowned. "Alex-san, you were severely cut by that glass, you needed stitches. As it is, they couldn't even give you a transfusion, and you still have mild anemia. Where else could you receive medical help?"

"No hospitals," Alex repeated ominously, standing up. "I'll just have to duck faster next time. I don't need any damn hospitals in my extended forecast. I'll jump out the window if I have to." Then, after a second, she sat back down. "Fuck."

"Why don't you like hospitals?" Makoto asked quietly, glancing at the blue-haired genius; she seemed upset. But then she supposed, for a student of medicine with dreams of becoming a doctor, having someone deny themselves treatment was akin to asking for more suffering and quite stupid. "After all, we were worried about you."

"I know that." The tall red-head dropped her head into her hands, shaking back and forth. When she spoke again, her words were muffled. "I just…I can't stand hospitals. I hate doctors poking at me, prodding me…needles…." Looking up again, she glanced at the mute Ami. "I don't care if you or Mamoru practice on me. But no hospitals. I can't do that again; I haven't even walked within a block of a hospital since I was seven years old."

"And you've managed until now to walk through life uninjured?" Ami asked, and both of them could hear a strange tone of sarcasm in her voice.

Alex snorted, sinking further into the cushions. "Didn't say that. But I lived at an exclusive school after I turned fourteen and until I hit twenty, with a doctor on campus and a full medical lab. And even him I had to work up into trusting near me with anything remotely pointy." She sniffed, remarking, "Smells like garlic."

Garlic…? "Garlic! __Kami_-sama_, I forgot…!" the tall brunette squealed, making a mad dash into the kitchen to take the pasta off the heat. "Dinner is done!"

"Ah, the wonders of a home-cooked meal," Alex drawled, rolling off the couch in a rather lackadaisical fashion. Now she definitely felt the affects of the blood loss after her little dance number. "So much better than liquid slop."

The blue-haired genius looked ready to argue, then just sighed. Without asking she stepped forward to support Alex, both of them walking awkwardly towards the kitchen.

Two hours later, Ami said, "But how incredible is it that you can remember this language? It hasn't been properly written in centuries. No one can read these strange symbols but you."

"It's not so incredible, actually. They approximate the Japanese language, or, a bit more accurately, the ancient spoken word. It's just the written text that doesn't match." Alex leaned over the blue-haired genius as she sat in the computer chair, hooking thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans. "I've noticed a predisposition towards irony and circumstance in regards to the fallen kingdom and the Earth's history that makes me wonder."

Ami was silent for a minute, obviously staring hard at the angular, harsh writing, and trying to understand it. "And so, it truly is ancient Japanese? We could speak it? Like in my dreams…"

"All dreams have the same language, don't you know that? But yes, if you know ancient Japanese, you could speak it." Alex straightened up, reading what Ami could not silently. "I suspect the language flourished here because the islands of Japan were the homeland of the strongest royal family of Earth. And this was where every visiting diplomat was left stranded after the Silver Millennium fell."

The blue-haired genius had a curious frown on her face, most likely roughly digesting what she had just been told. "Is that why we were all born here?"

"You mean, in Japan?" Nodding head. "I don't know. It was just coincidence that placed you here, this last time. All of you had been reborn several times before this, not all at the same time. But when there was more than one of you alive, you were always born within a hundred mi—kilometres of each other." Reaching across, the tall red-head pressed the enter key, and the screen changed to a basic Japanese menu.

It had two simple sections: Translated and Original. Marked with the numerical sum of entries, the translated section was far smaller than the original, which boasted an excess in the four digits. But wasn't that to be expected? The wealth of a kingdom was contained therein. Ami's fingers were unconsciously twitching on the desk, eager to unlock everything.

Alex moved behind her to pull over another chair, slumping into it. She was still weak-kneed and slightly lightheaded, and the fact she was even helping Ami now was something of a miracle. But she had insisted, after Makoto had let slip that they had been trying to translate the old language. "Computer, original submenu." The screen changed; the immense lines of unreadable text rolled on and on down. "Now, where is it…"

"Where is what?" Ami asked.

"I remembered while in the hospital that there had been some information about a triad. Something about the powerful spell…I've been wondering if it means the outer system soldiers and their talismans," Alex muttered, eyes roving up and down. "Computer, scroll. Slow."

Helpless in her inability to read, the blue-haired genius simply watched the strange text roll on by, straining to catch even something that looked familiar. What little bit she had managed to translate on her own was of no use here; a few letters, perhaps. It was simply too alien and unusual. "I don't understand. I thought you were as ignorant as the rest of us as to the matter of their talismans."

A finger reached past again, touching the screen and following the lines down. "I am. But this is the entirety of the Moon's computer files, the bulk of which only the queen could even access by her own command. And even though she unlocked everything, the most I've done with any of it is transport it down here to Earth, hide it, and only recently have I even really taken a gander at any of it. There's a wealth of information here that I was never aware of."

She tapped her nail thoughtfully on a certain topic, and she said, "Computer, open entry. Translation program, split screen."

The page opened up into a column of alien text, and what looked to be a word processor. Motioning Ami over, the tall red-head scooted her chair into position and pulled the keyboard into her lap. Taking a minute to read, she began to furiously type, and the blue-haired genius watched as the entry took shape in proper Japanese. "….the three talismans of the Silence. Created to contain the god of ruin. The sacred mirror of the Neptunian oracle, the sword of the king of Uranus, and the fateful orb of the soldier of Pluto. Called together when there is need of the god of ruin, so the glaive may be brought down."

"Not what we didn't already know…hm. References, ‘Deep-Aqua Mirror,' ‘Space Sword,' ‘Garnet Orb,' ‘Sacred Chalice,' ‘Saturn.'" Finished typing, the tall red-head then frowned, mouthing the words silently as she re-read them. "Saturn…?"

"But wasn't…didn't you say that Saturn…?" Ami started, then, remembering how silly she sounded considering their conversation of mere minutes ago, closed her mouth. But Alex was nodding her head as though the question had indeed been finished, palming her face in a gesture of tired resignation. "And then, the ‘Sacred Chalice,' what is that?"

"Fuck if I know," Alex muttered beneath her breath, then said, a little louder, "computer, open entry, ‘Sacred Chalice,' split screen translation program."

This time, the entry was even longer. Eyes crossing, the tall red-head simply began typing, and Ami looked away to see Makoto standing in the doorway. And then not just her, but Usagi, Minako, Rei, and Mamoru, Artemis draped over the long-haired blonde's shoulder in lazy fashion. "_Minna_!"

"We thought _sensei_ would be awake by now, so we brought over some sweets!" Minako announced, lifting up a surprisingly untouched lemon pie.

"Mama's specialty! She made it just for you, Alex-chan!" Usagi chimed. Both of them pouted as Makoto freed them of their burden, as they were not entirely bastions of strong will; no doubt they'd sneak a piece if they were left alone with it. But the _odango_-haired blonde's eyes caught something else, and she looked away towards the computer screen. "_Sugo-oi_; what's that pretty cup?"

As the entry scrolled itself down, a picture of the chalice had appeared. Alex continued typing rapidly, barely even pausing to wave back at the assembled group, as everyone stared at the shiny golden chalice. No doubt it was even more beautiful in real life, with its pearl handles in the shape of wings, the lid pearly as well, and intersected by a thick stripe of gold. At its top was a golden crown and crescent moon, matching the crown that capped its bottom, though a thick pearl stem was the true lowest half. Pieces of rough gold studded the bottom of the lid, looking sharp and dangerous, though the metal was truthfully soft.

"It's lovely," Rei remarked, "what is it?"

"Computer, vocalize translated entry." Alex sat back, flexing her fingers after that marathon session of typing.

"A cup possessing the power of the talismans, the Sacred Chalice was used in ceremony by the queen of the Moon to symbolize the dominion over the last of the planets. When needed, it could draw upon the power of the three talismans for the queen to drink and restore what was lost. It is the opposing force of the god of ruin, opened for the restoration of the ruined land."

The three talismans were pictured as well, elegant drawings depicting the sword, mirror, and jewel. "The talismans were in fact created for this purpose, and given to the three soldiers of the outer system reaches, to ensure the god of ruin remained safely asleep within Saturn, and that no malicious being would awaken the god for evil. Because of this, Neptune and Uranus swore their soldiers would carry the talisman and never dare to come close. Pluto, given the talisman by mysterious forces, pledged solitude within space-time."

Usagi shivered, hugging her arms. A Sacred Chalice, used by the queen of the Moon; in this time, that was effectively her. Would she have to call it forth and drink of its power to prevent the ruin that their dreams had foretold? "What was that about Saturn?" the dark-haired prince queried, brows knitting. "Isn't Saturn a destroyed planet?"

"We already had that discussion," Alex replied, sighing. "Computer, open entry, ‘Saturn,' split-screen translation program. I really have to program something to just automatically do all this shit for me."

Again, the familiar columns, and Alex began typing again. Everyone wandered further into the room as she worked, pulling over a chair or sitting on the floor, unable to be of any real help until she was finished. Mamoru folded his arms around Usagi, who had taken it upon herself to snuggle up against his chest, and he looked down at her thoughtfully. What would it kill inside of him to find her dead, as on that day in the Arctic? He was beginning to realize that it didn't matter at all to his heart that their love could have been pre-programmed, an unavoidable consequence; it simply existed.

She held his hand, lacing her small fingers within his own, and smiled against his heartbeat. It was so familiar, steady and strong, just like the man himself. Not so strange and careless as the tall sandy-blonde appeared to be, a man who transformed into a woman, who bore no loyalty towards his lover. And yet, he had a charm that captured even her gaze, as well as a fire in those storm cloud eyes that made her blush even now, thinking of it. Ten'ou Haruka had looked at her as though she were a priceless piece of art, touching her cheek in such a bold gesture…perhaps, had destiny not intervened, she could have lost herself, the gentle maiden taming the wild wind.

"Computer, vocalize translated entry," Alex said, cutting through Usagi's train of thought. She looked up to see the familiar shape of the ringed planet on the screen as everything scrolled, as well as a wicked-looking blade; the glaive of their dreams.

"The planet Saturn is desolate, a clever puzzle box hiding the secret of the outer defense system. Long ago destroyed as a kingdom, it remains in effect a tomb. It was so thoroughly decimated by invaders that the life support field dissolved, the planet became turbulent and lost stability, becoming a gaseous, hideous place. Here, the spirit of the god of ruin hides, formless as the clouds, until called into usefulness by the three talismans. A last defense against any who would overcome the soldiers of the Silver Millennium and bring disaster."

"'A last defense,'" the dark-haired shrine girl repeated softly, remembering again that dream of the Moon and its desolation. Of course; the queen had sacrificed her life, the princess had died, and the crystal had been protected only by the spirit of the tired red-haired teenager sitting in front of her. The drop of the glaive had effectively destroyed anything of use to an enemy on the Moon, in case any came calling. And with the fall of the Moon, so went the other planets like domino, cutting off any survivors and leaving them to die, their worlds' technology and weaponry useless. Just like the burning of the fields in the wake of evacuation in early Earth war, the salting of the ground, so it would be useless to the victor.

Artemis leapt from his partner's shoulder and onto the desk, putting himself more effectively within eye-view of everyone. "Then your dreams of the god of ruin, and the Silence…it means something indefatigable will be the true enemy. The Death Busters could be nothing but a first wave, to wear you down. And then—"

"—and then, when we'd tire and fail," Mamoru continued flatly, "the three talismans would produce the key and summon the god of ruin to lay waste. So that the enemy would win the battle, but not the war. And the planet would be sacrificed."

Rubbing at her eyes, Ami removed her glasses and deftly folded them within her hand. "And Neptune mentioned another mission, another solitary battle they would engage in. Could they be bringing the god of ruin to life?" She waved her glasses in a strange, flippant gesture, then tapped them against her chin. "Their talismans glowed with a subtle power…"

Minako drummed her fingers against the frame of the open door, looking unusually pensive. "But why? If their mission is to defeat the invading enemy, why would they awaken the god of ruin and destroy our blue planet? All of that work, only to see it end. Perhaps they've decided to accomplish the opposite, and prevent the god from waking up?"

"Then why was Pluto awakened in this time?" the tall brunette interrupted, still holding the pie as though she'd entirely forgotten it. Most likely she had. "If the three were not meant to ever come together, and Pluto was pledged to stay within space-time to guard the door, why is she here?"

Interesting question indeed, and one none of them had obviously mulled over. Considering that they had all seen Pluto die in the 30th century, her body cremated, and her soul given plenty of time to find a new host, it was something of a miracle that she had been reincarnated in the 20th century. How Neo Queen Serenity had managed to capture her soul and send it back exactly, so that the dusky-skinned girl they had come to know would be born properly in this time, was confusing. Why she chosen to do such a thing was even more strange. Obviously, she would have to know by that era that Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus formed the triad that could call forth the god of ruin.

And it had to have been Neo Queen Serenity who had sent her soul back, because Pluto had died within time in the 30th century. The sailor soldiers did not continue to reincarnate within the same bodies, so she had never died outside of her tenure that they knew of. Yet, here she was, with the vague memories of that broken utopia, a future they had not even reached. "I hate temporal mechanics," Alex finally groused, massaging her forehead. "I really do. I don't think I made that clear enough on my resume the last time around."

"And just how many events concerning temporal mechanics can a person find themselves witnessing in this world?" Rei asked flatly. "Outside of us, of course."

"Ha!" Alex snorted. "Do you want my list in shorthand, or numerical order with full paragraph notes?" She rested her elbow on the desk, head in her hand. From the look of her drawn face, she was pushing herself too much for her recent injuries, and was either going to faint on them again, or have the sense to go to bed herself. "Shit. Well, I guess all we can do is finally, and I mean finally, infiltrate that damn building. I don't care if those three think they're the Second Coming of Christ, Buddha, or Mohammed we need to find out exactly what the Death Busters are doing, and stop them."

The group nodded in mutual assent. "And perhaps, stop the god of ruin from awakening," the long-haired blonde added.

"Prevent the Silence from destroying this vibrant world," Usagi finished firmly, gripping her prince's hand tightly. "_Sou yo_; I won't let it happen. Surely, we can defeat these enemies, with the help of our fellow soldiers."

  
The next morning, Makoto was tossing and turning still, having grown rather off her schedule due to two days off, and only mildly used to her raised bed. Opening an eye slowly, she blearily read the large foreboding numbers off her alarm clock; not even properly five yet. Rolling back onto her left side, she stared through the slit in the curtains at the dull morning outside, the sky still dark. Having to go to school seemed like a useless chore, but Alex had mentioned it being a condition of her status as a legal ward under her care; apparently, if Makoto neglected school, they would decide her environment was unsuitable and take her away.

A waste of time, in her opinion. What good was school going to do her fighting vicious monsters and preparing for a future in active planetary defense? She knew the others, for the most part, continued on because it was expected of them to do well, and to achieve success afterward in the job of their choice. But what did they have to look forward to? None of them but Ami and Mamoru had even mentioned wanting to be anything in particular once they'd graduated high school. Well, Rei, she amended after a minute, but she had made it clear she expected to stay at the shrine and take over once her grandfather died. She didn't even need to continue her schooling for that.

Usagi was always in the clouds with thoughts of marriage, and maybe she'd be the only one to really achieve her goal; after all, being a queen married to her king and ruling a kingdom was only a step removed from a household wife. Minako wanted to be an idol desperately, and she was already quite talented, much more than the idols Makoto had heard. Most of them had even hit their popular stride while in high school, which meant Minako could very easily snatch such a coveted job without even receiving her papers. And herself…

She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. What did she want to do? Cooking was her passion, she could try to open a restaurant or work at one. She had entertained the whimsical idea of opening a bridal shop, selling the flowing white dresses and flowers and towering cakes she had seen so often as a child at her parent's church. It had been her only happy memory of those visits, with the bride so beautiful, the church turned out in lovely scents and colours. Surely she could do any of it without finishing school.

And what had the king said? Serenity had stopped aging at twenty-two and ascended the throne, which meant they would have scarcely four years after graduation to fulfill whatever dreams and aspirations they had. And they would, of course, all leave behind those lives to take their places at her side; out of loyalty, respect, and duty. None of them would ever allow their shining princess to come to harm if they could help it.

Another look at the clock confirmed the time, and she rolled over again. Time was conspiring against her; perhaps Pluto was just annoyed at them enough to make them constantly relieve a particularly useless hour of the day. The thought made her giggle sleepily, as she imagined the dusky-skinned soldier creeping into their rooms on her tip-toes, tapping their clocks in a manner reminiscent of that blonde Disney fairy, and tip-toeing out. Yawning wide, she felt ready to drift back off to sleep again when she heard a clatter downstairs. Immediately her eyes snapped open, and she tumbled out of the sheets.

Creeping from her room, she confirmed that Alex's door was closed, but that didn't mean she was still sleeping. Usually, having the tall red-head wander around during the night was normal, but Ami had sternly warned her against neglecting sleep, and ordered her – and how everyone had laughed on the surprised look on Alex's face – not to even attempt waking up before a full eight hours. Which meant Makoto was faced with the daunting task of going downstairs and trying to get her roommate back to into bed and sleeping.

Still clad in her nightgown – most women's pajamas didn't quite fit or looked terrible, and she felt embarrassed even venturing into the men's section for sleepwear that fit – she jogged lightly down the stairs, ready for some sort of argument, and stopped dead. "Minako, you can be so clumsy out of uniform I can't believe you're the same person!" a male's voice, Artemis, she realized, berated from the kitchen.

"As long as she only dents the cheap stuff, I don't care," Alex replied, opening a cupboard. From the rattling, the tall brunette surmised that Minako had been helping with breakfast – now she could smell it – and dropped a pan or skillet. But that was frankly ridiculous, the girl hardly ever stirred out of bed before seven thirty, considering her constant lateness at school. What the hell was she doing in Alex's kitchen at five in the morning?

"Makoto, you may as well come and eat." Not entirely surprised, Makoto looked up to see Artemis standing on the carpet staring at her. "If Minako doesn't eat it all, that is."

"I'm not hungry, Artemis," Makoto said, beginning to glower at him. "What are you two doing here?"

He gave her what she figured was supposed to be a look of innocence. "Well, I believe Minako is eating breakfast. I am merely standing around, the faithful feline companion that I am, listening to her grow fatter with each passing minute."

"ART-e-MIS."

The tall red-head stepped around the corner, wiping her hands on a small towel. Makoto paused, staring wide-eyed; this was only the second time she had ever seen her in a dress. Or more accurately a skirt and a matching suit jacket, both in a dark blue that matched her eyes. The hemline reached mid-calf, but was slit nearly all the way up her left hip, allowing a leg and black high heels to show. Under the jacket was a soft-looking white dress shirt, buttoned all the way up, and a dark blue tie made of a shimmery fabric. She had also tied back her hair into a tight French braid at the back of her head, and wore a pair of silver-framed glasses.

She smiled wryly at the tall brunette, balling up the towel in her hands. "You're awake. We were hoping to escape before you got up for school." Despite her condition, she seemed in better health than the previous night, no longer remarkable pale or tired, but Makoto wasn't convinced.

"Alex-chan, you can't do this today! Ami said you need to sleep and rest, you're still recovering from your injuries!" she argued, coming forward.

"Of course I do," the tall red-head agreed calmly, "but the Death Busters aren't going to put their plans on hold just because I got hurt. We have to investigate the school, and we've all agreed already that Minako and I are the only ones experienced enough to do it." She handed Makoto the small towel, reaching down to button the second middle of the jacket. "Go back to sleep, Makoto. You have school later."

"And what if something happens! What then!" Makoto pressed, throwing the towel onto a nearby shelf. "Does anyone else know what you're doing?"

Artemis said from between their feet, "Luna, of course. She's just as upset, but she's monitoring Usagi's communicator. We didn't tell anyone else."

"No doubt Ami's going to have kittens," Alex muttered, turning away and wandering back into the kitchen. The white feline stared after her, perplexed at her sarcastic statement, then watched Makoto follow her. He closed his eyes quickly; her nightgown, while large enough for her to sleep comfortably in, was also wide enough to see up clearly.

At the small table, Minako was cleaning the last of her breakfast, spearing a fried tomato and a sausage. She looked up as Makoto appeared, waving her hand as she chewed, lips shiny with grease. Wiping her mouth, she said cheerily, "_O-ha-yo-o_!" and hopped from her seat to spin, showing off her own costume for approval. Obviously, she had no concerns about doing this undercover mission, if her excitement was any indicator.

She was wearing a school uniform, of course, but it was one Makoto had never seen before; a grey skirt slightly longer than Rei's, a white short-sleeved dress shirt, and a small red tie, with calf-height slouching socks and black flats. Her hair had been pulled back into two long braids and coloured a dishwater blonde that seemed altogether dingy with Minako's usual personality. "What do you think? _Sensei_ and I decided on making a costume instead of using my compact to change my appearance."

"You look like someone else, Minako-chan," the tall brunette finally said, hesitant to squash her friend's excitement. "Very different."

Artemis sniffed, having leapt onto the cutting board. "She had the wonderful idea of dying her hair last night, and dragged me across half of the ward trying to find the perfect colour. She wanted to make it bright red!"

"It was a smart idea anyway, Artemis; we're trying to look inconspicuous and different." Alex rescued the empty plate from the table, sliding it into the sink. "Though bright red would have been rather detrimental, yes. Are you ready, Minako?"

"_Hai_!" The pigtailed blonde pumped her fist, winking at Makoto. "_Daijoubu_, Mako-chan; we'll undercover their evil plans and be back for dinner!"

Sighing, Makoto accompanied them to the door, feeling completely uneasy. She had been distrustful of their original plans to infiltrate the school even before circumstance had prevented them several times from going through with it, especially knowing that only two of them were going. During school hours, no less, with the building full of possible hostages or, as they had experienced, brainwashed students able to attack them.

They disappeared into the elevator, Artemis in Minako's arms like a proper pet, a briefcase in Alex's hand, waving at Makoto before the doors closed. During descent, Alex took off the glasses, wiping them clean on her jacket, remarking, "Once again I find myself glad that I don't need these things constantly."

"Those are just clear glass, aren't they?" Artemis asked.

"It's not as if they'll be asking to check my prescription." She slid them back on as the elevator smoothly came to a stop, and they exited, heading for the entrance to the parking lot. This early in the morning, their steps echoed eerily off the concrete, with no one else awake to hear them. No one was crazy enough to crawl out of bed this time of day except garbage men and police officers.

Since Alex lived barely a few blocks from the school, they had chosen to walk; her Saturn was foreign enough to be remembered and possibly recognized, and the Ford was not classy enough, in her opinion, for their pretend lifestyle. And it really would have been useless to turn on the engine, wait for it to warm up, and drive such a short distance. "Ano," Minako mumbled suddenly, about a block down, "do you really think Hotaru is one of the enemies?"

Artemis twitched an ear, looking up thoughtfully at his partner. "Are you worried about what we'll have to do if she is?"

"No…I mean, Chibi-Usa…she's her friend. She would be so upset if we had to…kill Hotaru," she explained, stopping for the light at the intersection. Alex gave it a cold stare as it continued to obstinately remain flashing, denying them the freedom to cross. Not a single car passed by.

"What do you think, Artemis?" the tall red-head finally queried, tapping her foot. "Did Luna or Diana tell you what happened during their visit?"

The white feline sighed, trying to arrange himself comfortably. "They only stayed for perhaps five minutes, they said. Hotaru invited them in, apologized to Chibi-Usa for her abrupt departure last time, petted Luna, and then collapsed in pain. Some woman named ‘Kaoli-kun' came running to help, and kicked them out. And Luna said Hotaru looked pale, bandages on her hands."

Finally the light changed, just as a car came driving up. They crossed quickly, making it onto the opposite side as the light turned again, and the car – a Saab that had seen better days about fifteen years ago – zoomed away, narrowly clipping the curb. "I don't know what I think, myself," Alex said, continuing the thread. "The girl seems nice, if completely withdrawn, and probably has a terrible time of it after the accident. But there's something strange about her – like a complete hole I can't even sense. The soldiers produce natural mental static, and normal people are usually loud and clear, but Hotaru…it's like trying to read a void."

She rubbed her left thumb, fore, and middle fingers thoughtfully. "And she's so cold. I wonder just how much of her is even natural, now."

The school came looming into view, protected on its three sides by the three condominium towers. Craning their heads, they looked up; after Ami's searching, they now knew that Haruka and Michiru lived in these buildings, so close to the epicenter of the evil. And there was no mistaking it now, with the faint queasy sensations in their stomachs and mild light-headedness of space warping around them. "How can anyone stand this daily?" Artemis groaned, hanging his head. He was surely turning green, and he felt only slightly relieved when his paws touched the ground.

"A masochist." The tall red-head reached into the breast pocket of her jacket, removing her communicator fob, and bent to clip it around the collar hidden in the white cat's fur. He felt silly with such a heavy watch hanging from his neck, even though they had discussed it as the easiest way for him to carry it; it was too smooth for his paws, and using his teeth would look suspicious. No cat would be holding a watch in its mouth. Better someone think his owner had a deranged sense of feline fashion. "Don't even bother coming in after us if we run into problems, cat; hit the button and wait for the others."

"Don't worry, Artemis," Minako soothed him. "We'll be perfectly fine!"

"It's your convincing act I'm worried about, Mina," he retorted blandly, padding out of arm's reach and towards a forlorn patch of shrubbery, hiding in the path down its middle.

Alex shook her head, steering the pigtailed-blonde towards a twenty-four hour coffee shop across the street, where there would no doubt be some Infinity students studying and waiting for the school to open. Minako turned from her frown into a remarkably aloof and haughty grimace, gliding into the shop with a grace she very rarely had outside of Venus; every male head turned, and Alex murmured, "Into the lion's den we go."

  
Water dripped onto Kaolinite's head, and she sat motionless with fury as it slid down her skull, through her eyelashes, around her cheekbone, and settled into the corner of her lips. She tasted metal and grit, and she finally lifted her hand and flicked the offensive liquid away, allowing it to drop into the cloudy mirror of her scrying pool. It sent ripples, the image distorting and stretching, until she cursed and wiped it clean with an impatient jerk of her staff.

"My image, cloudy still," she snarled, doing another cleansing sweep. "And at this time! I can see the pinpoints of light, the power of the stars, the soldiers' bright souls; but not who they are!" This was a growing sore point, one she had tried everything to overcome. The Master had told her again that he was impatient, his power weakening without the strength of their crystal and the nourishing souls of the sailor soldiers. In particular, the light of that one, Sailor Moon.

And there was the troubling premonition of the three, of whom Kaolinite could summon no knowledge, but who were growing in power. Their power was neutral, utterly without concern for whoever used it, and Kaolinite knew such grey magic could be devastating to their plans. And such power it was! Why, if she could capture those three soldiers, it could give the Master the strength he needed, if she could only find them.

Of course, she doubted any of them would be found, at least not by the remaining witches. Useless brats, all of them so far; even Tomoe could have done better in her opinion, and he was a preoccupied scientist. If their daimon had finally utilized properly, she would have sent them to work, servant creatures as they were. Rather as if humans had tried to entice a dire wolf into doing their dirty work, the creatures still answered to their base instincts, and could easily rip out their owner's throat. But it was that nature that made them so effective.

Sweeping aside, she relinquished her faulty attempts at scrying and strode towards a beaten, warped wooden chest. Heavily bound by rusted metal, it looked as though it were in fact entirely useless for any sort of storage – the wood was soft from excessive moisture, and the huge lock was crusty – but she threw it open carelessly. And inside was just as terrible, with obvious decay sliming its walls, but it still served its purpose and held a cluster of waxen dolls. Crudely shaped, they had no real features save for the black star and infinity symbol upon their brows, and a second sigil unique to each one.

Arranging all but one, a curious doll that had two faces back to back reminiscent of Janus, she narrowed her eyes as she stroked the handle of her staff. With four witches defeated and only one left, Kaolinite was left with very little time and very little information. All of the girls had died before telling her anything, and Eudial's battle was the only one she had truly managed to witness. Mimete's idiotic catfight had been totally unexpected, and while Viluy had given her an opportunity to see her harvest at the Dome, Kaolinite had found her vision blocked entirely during the ice-haired witch's fight behind the curtain. She had seen Kaiou Michiru run, disappearing to safety, and a sailor soldier unknown to her and a tall red-haired woman defending themselves. The sailor soldier had pulled forth a hand mirror and blocked one of Viluy's spells, and the ensuing blast of light had destroyed the vision.

But Tellu, the smarmy green-haired witch, had been so sure of herself that last day; and she too had died before she had even bothered to tell Kaolinite her secrets. "Careless, stupid witches, all of you," the red-haired Magus snapped beneath her breath, "forcing me into a tricky magic just to achieve an end." Lifting her staff, she cut her fingers lengthwise across the sigil, chanting the words of a complex spell that took the better part of five minutes; fingers crossing and slashing, she was nearly hyperventilating with the effort to not miss a single word. After all, it was complex for a reason, and fucking up could have been disastrous to her health.

Finally she finished the last cross and cut and exhaled sharply, trying to force her breathing back to normal as she held her staff aloft. Bright clusters of light had flung themselves out from the sigil, arcing like strings through the air to connect with the waxen dolls; each one jerked, shaking with epilepsy. Their unique sigils flared with colours, and vague shapes began to form behind each one, of girls holding each doll in their lap. And above them unfurled shapes horrible to look at, with bulbous multiple eyes and a hunched, chunky form, each with a sigil on their chests matching one of the girls'.

Smiling oddly, as though she'd forgotten how, Eudial asked, "Magus Kaolinite, why have you called us? Surely you know we're merely echoes of a memory by now."

"Yare yare!" Mimete sighed, playing with her doll and making it dance. "And I was so-o very pleased to be left in quiet! All of you are so very boring, after all."

Kaolinite sneered, slapping the chest shut. "You still have some usefulness to me, Eudial, though it seems more than when you lived and breathed. Defeated by baby soldiers! The name of the Witches 5 lost to idiocy!" She took a deep breath, tucking herself back into her dress again, and snarled, "When you were given the true utilization, you swore to me that your power would never falter, and never bring shame upon the Master. And yet I look now upon four witches – four! – that failed terribly! Tell me, have you anything to justify your once-bright lives? A shred of intelligence?"

Mimete tapped a finger against her lower lip, obviously thinking. Eudial rolled her eyes up and away, eyeing the cavernous walls as though they were fascinating and new. Viluy sat poised, head lifted, as though she were too good for her surroundings. Only Tellu, sitting at the end, seemed to be honestly thinking, which could take some time; as the red-haired witch had said, they were only echoes of the memories of the true witches. And their utilized souls, rising terrible above them, were even more lost, degraded by forced living within their human bodies, unable to be whole without the presence of the Master.

"We-ell," the blonde-haired witch finally drawled, "one of the sailor soldiers is called Uranus. The tall one, with the cheeky blue uniform. And that silly hair, I mean, so short and boy-ish!"

"Oh! Oh!" Tellu crowed, clapping her hands. "Uranus! And with her, Neptune, and also, Pluto, holding that curious staff, not at all like ours."

Kaolinite nodded her head slowly, remembering the image of the three soldiers standing over Tellu's beaten body, lifting their hands aloft to call forth incredible power. Uranus, in royal blue, sandy blonde hair short and familiar; Pluto, then, in black, with that black hair the colour of an aged emerald; and of course, Neptune, in aqua green with wavy hair to match. "Was that your secret, Tellu? That you had seen these three soldiers?" she muttered to herself, looking down at the remaining doll. Most likely, then, she had summoned them for nothing. Her own vision had told her all of this.

Viluy coughed into her hand, delicately calling attention to herself. "I remember that Kaiou Michiru called a spell and became a sailor soldier."

"_Nani_?" Kaolinite stared piercingly at the ice-haired witch. "Explain this."

"I remember, on the stage. Kaiou Michiru had stood rudely, lifting her hand high, and spoke words to call forth magic. She became a sailor soldier. She became Sailor Neptune."

Kaiou Michiru, the soldier of Neptune. One of the three lights of foreboding.

Kaolinite whirled about, wild-eyed, as she realized just what had struck her as familiar about the soldier of Uranus, that sandy blonde hair and arrogance; and Kaiou Michiru was inseparable from the figure of her obvious partner, the race legend Ten'ou Haruka. Both of them students at Infinity who had disappeared from classes a week ago, the very day after Tellu's defeat.

It was as though victory had become a palpable taste upon her tongue, and she began to laugh frantically, stomping her feet in an erratic dance. The four witches watched her rather placidly, being dead and all, they couldn't exactly get very enthused about it. "Useful at the very end, how very ironic!" she crowed, swinging her staff to knock the waxen dolls to the floor and break the spell. "Ah, but you were never needed anyway except for the larger idea!"

So why not rid herself of the very last, and unburden her shoulders? No one should have the right to be as happy as her, she decided with a malicious glee, as she mounted the steps for topside.

  
Two hours later and lots of caffeine, the pigtailed-blonde led the way up the concrete walkway, chin held high, walking with perfect posture and gliding steps. If any of the other girls had seen her in this manner, so seemingly a product of high breeding and perfect for Infinity, they would have been unable to believe it. Ditzy, loud Minako, giving even Rei a run for her money, several boys turning their heads sharply to watch them pass. Of course, the tall red-head kept their eyes determined to follow, her own walk just as proper and straight, but with a deft movement of the hips that only a lady could pull off.

"Very good, Kogeihei," she said coolly, an observation most took to mean that ‘Kogeihei' was acting like a proper lady. They couldn't see the twinkle in the pigtailed-blonde's eyes, but saw her lift her chin just a fraction higher in pride; she knew what Alex meant. The tall red-head knew Minako was strong as a solitary soldier, and was proving herself to be capable of learning how to excel; only a year ago, as Sailor V, she had not done so well undercover.

Two boys at the door squabbled briefly for the pleasure of holding it open, then, coming to an agreement, held both double panels. Just inside of the doors was the school's foyer, where the genkan would normally be, decorated with expensive hardwoods and potted plants and a fountain. Minako visibly hesitated, looking around with the barest movement of her head, trying to discern whether or not they exchanged shoes; but when a student passed by, still wearing their leather dress loafers, she relaxed. Obviously the school took much of its design and working habits from a foreign institution.

The ceiling ranged high overhead several meters in, showing several balconies off the first few floors where students could look down onto the fountain and new visitors. An opaque glass elevator rose up slowly as they watched yards away, full of vague moving shapes. Everything looked more tasteful and decadent than a proper Japanese institution should have been; more like an office building.

Off to the side was a door labeled ‘Front Office' in bold English and Japanese. It was a normal door, with a handle, not the sliding type that Juuban and Shibakouen had most frequently. Alex knocked sharply with her knuckles on the wood, waiting; a terse female voice bid them to enter, and they stepped inside.

Inside was a well-furnished office, not unlike a college professor's space; it held a thick oak desk, a leather office chair that looked like the ergonomic kind that cost a fortune, and filing cabinets by the handful. One small window let in some sparse light, and a few assorted bookshelves of various sizes held books, potted plants, and in one case, a small microwave, espresso machine, and tiny freezer. But the girl sitting at the desk – one hesitated to say ‘woman' – didn't seem to fit with the room at all.

She was slender and small, very nearly Usagi's exact proportions at a guess, with auburn hair tied up into a thick braid on the left side of her head. A white lab coat hung over her shoulders like a movie star, though they could easily see the low-cut, blue and white striped cocktail dress she wore beneath it. "_Hajimemashite_," she purred, and both of them were struck at how she eyed them up and down, rather like a cat surveying the canary. "And you are? For people do not so carelessly enter our school, you see."

"For that, you may give perhaps to charm," Alex answered icily, reaching into her breast pocket and withdrawing some papers. Ami had hacked into a school in Kyoto to give Minako a history there, and they had made up the proper papers and identity last night. The tall red-head wasn't sure she could connive the principal or whoever met them that Minako was someone else without the hard product. "But we are indeed here on business. I called several weeks ago," which was true, the first time they'd decided to attempt investigation, "and was assured of my daughter's application. Senjin Kogeihei, a worthy student for your school."

Handing over the papers, the girl took them and glanced them over carelessly, though she could remember easily the call. There were not so many after all, with the renegade daimon running amok – damn Tomoe's inventive, doddering science! – and the sailor soldiers disrupting their plans. "I see," she said finally, setting the papers down. "And why do you still chose us, Senjin-san? After all, have you not heard the rumours? Why, we could be closed soon due to tragedy, so many students ill. Not even the most worthy of individuals seem safe."

"Merely weakness. My daughter is to have the best education I can buy." ‘Senjin-san' gestured sharply with a hand to encompass the building. "Mugen Gakuen is reputed to be the best. If it is lacking, then I will merely take my money and daughter's strong spirit elsewhere."

There it was; the sudden decisive gleam in the girl's eye. She stood, circling around the desk, a hand trailing its wooden top lazily. "Then, Senjin-san, perhaps a meeting with our esteemed principal is in order? Or, should I censor myself, his assistant; our dear principal is in fact concerned for his daughter's health and has taken a leave of absence."

"Is she well?" Minako asked.

The girl glanced slowly away, towards the window and the fresh air and sunshine. She then smiled, her amusement barely reaching her eyes. "You could say she is finding her situation weakening. Not many are chosen for such a position of authority and found…lacking."

Opening the door, she motioned for them to follow her out into the foyer, and they could see now how short her skirt in truth was; the coat gave her a semblance of modesty with its length. Her spike heels were loud and echoing on the floor as she walked with the jerky impatience of a runway model, hands at her sides, towards the elegantly designed elevator. Every single student in her path hastily stepped away, and many gave the two following her some measure of sympathy; obviously, the girl was not well loved.

At the elevator, the girl spun to face them, a finger poised to hit the button, as Minako asked quickly, "May I be allowed a tour of the school? After all, surely your assistant principal has much on her hands, and my mother is the decisive force. She will be the one gaining my acceptance into this school, not I." She held her chin high as though daring the girl to contradict her, which she could very easily do.

But that ill-disguised gleam again told her that the girl was most likely glad to get rid of her, unused as she surely was to such introductions. If the assistant had taken the principal's job until his return, then that had most likely been her office that this girl had found herself saddled with, including all of its boring jobs. She looked to be a person who disliked such close personal work, and the less she had to deal with, the better. And if the Dome were any indication there was no shortage of students willing – or forced – to do the enemy's bidding and make sure ‘Kogeihei' didn't find any trouble.

"Go ahead," the girl finally said shortly, waving Minako off and jabbing the button sharply. "Any student will be pleased to show you around. Simply follow the signs."

Bowing low, Minako stepped back as the doors opened. Alex met her eye and nodded barely in response, stepping into the elevator beside the auburn-haired girl. Holding her gaze, Minako stood there like a sentinel as the doors slowly closed; then, at the surest thump, she finally turned away to look for a familiar sign. Feeling entirely too obvious she turned again, walking quickly to intercept a young student who looked several years her junior, and bowed hastily. "_Gomen nasai_, but may I ask your directions for the bathroom?"

"A-ano," he stammered, obviously taken aback. She hazarded a glance up from beneath her lashes, and was startled to see a rather chunky, square face, squashed nose, and not altogether handsome body. A student accepted on his intelligence, no doubt, but not his looks, he was most likely unused to any pretty girl bothering to talk to him. And his strange attitude…perhaps the Death Busters had not yet taken over his mind. "It's that way, down that hall, and to the left," he finally managed to spit out, pointing for her benefit.

"_Arigatou gozaimasu_." Feeling sorry for him, she smiled warmly before bowing again in thanks, and his brilliant spotted blush was rather interesting to see. He practically tripped over himself returning the bow as she walked away, spotting the sign marking the correct door. Glancing up as she pushed open the door, she could see the unobtrusive cameras mounted on the walls, though by luck they were now pointed away from her.

Inside the girl's bathroom was silence, entirely empty of anyone else but her. Quickly she pulled from inside of her shirt a small red sign that read ‘Out Of Order' and hung it on the outside of the door. A relief; she finally could scratch that annoying spot between her ribs, and she did so vigorously.

Waiting another few minutes to listen at the door, making sure the few girls who came were convinced of the sign and went to find another bathroom, she relaxed. Out of a pocket she pulled three small travel bottles of shampoo, setting them on the cleanest sink. Working quickly she undid her braids, unraveling her hair to its ridiculous length, and shook it all loose and free. All of it a dirty dishwater colour that she had to clean out for the plan to work.

After all, her compact was merely surface illusion at its best; with her hair dyed this silly colour, whatever she decided to transform into would retain the dishwater colour, instead of her natural golden blonde. She needed a quick scrub or two to get rid of the dye, and she turned on both taps, cupping her hands to catch a good amount and sluiced it back over her head. A good hunk of hair she simply ran beneath the water, but the rest was all work; she simply had too much to properly wet in such a small sink.

The shampoo went in bottles; she emptied a full one onto her head, worked all of her hair into a lather briskly, and rinsed as well as she could. It was a good thing the dye had been so damn cheap; it only took a second bottle and half of the third to fully clean the nasty dishwater colour out, and down the drain. Now she was half-soaked, standing in a puddle of off-coloured water, but she was again golden blonde. After she was done searching the basement, she was simply going to escape and met Artemis; there was no reason to re-dye her hair and meet back up with Alex and that horrible girl.

Squeezing out her hair – though it wasn't necessary, the compact would actually take care of that part – she stood back and withdrew the crescent from her other pocket. Lifting it high, she commanded, "Moon Power! Mugen Gakuen high school student, transform!" The magic tickled, lifting her skirts as it swapped colours, lengthened fabric, spun her hair around. When she opened her eyes again, she had been clothed in the burgundy and green plaid of an Infinity student, her blonde hair wavy and tied back with a simple ribbon. "Ara, Aino Minako, the model student," she giggled, spinning in place, "here she is, elegant in her uniform of burgundy. All the boys begging for her autograph!"

She took the sign down, discarding it in the trash, and walked down the hallway as if she belonged there.

The principal's office took up a quarter of the top floor, an opulent affair of the same dark woods and leather furnishings as the office downstairs, simply more expansive. A window spanning from floor to ceiling showed the back courtyard of the school and the looming tower of the Ten'nou condo building. Sitting at the desk, however, was a flaming red-haired woman who looked much more at ease in the chair than the girl leading Alex. "Cyprine, it's about time you've arrived," she said briskly without looking up, intent on something atop the desk. "Finally I have a solution—"

"Kaoli-san," Cyprine interrupted quickly, and the red-haired woman looked up, visibly irritated at the interruption. Then, seeing Alex, she closed her mouth, lips pursing. "I have here Senjin-san, who called us to accept her daughter as a student."

Kaoli turned her gaze from the auburn-haired girl towards Alex, and it was all she could do not to automatically flinch. Her mental shields were screaming under the assault of the woman's malice and loathing, her thoughts loud but garbled; there was no doubt now that Infinity held within its walls evil. And Kaoli was part of it. "I….see. Well, Senjin-san, pardon my rudeness, but I must speak with Cyprine. We'll just be a minute."

Alex bowed automatically in forgiveness, and the two stepped back outside the office, barely managing not to slam the door. "What a relief," she muttered, massaging her temples, steadying herself for a second assault. Concentrating, she released a telepathic probe into the hallway, flinching at Kaoli's tumultuous thoughts as she tried to listen: "Ten'ou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru have been missing for a week, Cyprine. I need you to bring them back. Obviously, the initiation has not been working on them, and we cannot have anyone escape."

"But Magus Kaolinite, several students have gone away. Surely these two in particular are not important." Cyprine sounded irritated at what she felt was a mission for lesser beings. She was a witch, not slave labor. Whatever else she thought was also lost in a sea of garble, though it was more of a repetition effect than simple unusual noise. As though her thoughts were echoing.

"_Iie_, Cyprine. I have consulted the memory of your failed associates, and they have told me that Kaiou Michiru and Ten'ou Haruka are in fact sailor soldiers. They also carry with them the lights of foreboding, two of the three that could defeat the Master's plans. We must have them openly destroyed before they can call forth the reckoning. Go, witch! I want no failure this time!"

"Uranus, Neptune!" Alex stepped back, reigning in her thoughts, and looked towards the immense window. Haruka and Michiru had been found out; and with their addresses on file, Cyprine could easily attack them both unaware. And what could she do to warn them in time? If she tried to contact them, if she even managed it through the static and noise, they would probably think themselves imagining her voice. Then again, if they had come to Infinity with the intent of destroying it, they probably had some sort of contingency plan…she hoped.

Kaoli stepped back inside to find the tall red-head investigating a painting hung on the left wall, an abstract mess of colour that resembled some world gone mad. "A painting done by one of our graduate students," she said crisply, striding towards her desk and behind to pull the blinds on the immense window. In the glass of the painting Alex could see her reflection doing this; her eyes narrowed as she realized what Kaoli was no doubt hiding; the possible destruction of a floor of the condominium tower.

"So, your daughter wants to become an Infinity student. I find myself doubting that even the proudest spirit could still desire application; the news has been vicious and cruel." Kaoli settled into her chair as the tall red-head turned, eyeing her behind the glasses. "But tell me, Senjin-san, is your will so strong to want this school?"

Through the blinds, Alex could see the sunny day disappearing, no doubt obscured by clouds; and it had been predicted to be a perfect, cloudless day. She looked from the blinds to Kaoli, saying faintly, "My daughter deserves the best. But tell me, Kaoli-san, are you in fact able to accept her application? Cyprine-san mentioned the sickness of the principal's daughter, and that he had taken a leave of absence. Do you have the power to say yes in his place?"

"Of course I do. Tomoe-san has left me with these powers. Is that so difficult to understand?" Kaoli's nostrils flared as she mulled something over in her mind; Alex closed her eyes momentarily, steeling herself against another blast of malicious intent. She felt the headache growing vicious behind her sockets, and she hoped desperately that Minako had found something worse after all this playacting.

Kaoli eyed her sharply. "You seem ill, Senjin-san. Perhaps a drink of water, a seat there?" she asked, motioning to a set of chairs off to the side of the desk. Without an affirmative she was standing again herself, walking over to a small bar where a tiny fridge no doubt held some cold water. The tall red-head sank into one of the chairs, though she wasn't about to drink a damn thing the woman gave her; that was madness. And the rather meandering way Kaoli took her time pouring a glass confirmed her suspicious.

She did take the glass however, if only to have something to hold onto. "_Arigatou gozaimasu_, Kaoli-san. I do have a slight headache. It happens when the weather changes so suddenly," she explained, searching the woman's face; ah, there it was, the slightest tightening around the eyes. Cyprine's work. A witch who could control the weather to a degree. "I do apologize for interrupting your day. I merely want my daughter to know what I was not allowed as a child; to have proper schooling unlike so many." She hardly had to contain the bitterness in her voice.

Now the darkness was so acute that Kaoli had to turn on the lights within the office, painfully bright to the point of blindness. Alex hissed before she could help it, covering her eyes as they contracted in agony. The water, undrunk, fell from her hands and splashed over the carpet, leaving discolored spots in its wake. "Senjin-san, I apologize profusely for my rashness! Are you hurt, should I call the nurse?"

"No, no!" Alex waved her hands to stop her, opening an eye slowly to see that the lights had indeed been turned down. "My eyes, they're just…quite sensitive to bright light."

Kaoli was staring at her again. "Indeed." She lifted a hand, gesturing quickly; too late, the tall red-head realized the danger, her mind screaming with agony, as she was caught and thrown across the room. Her head hit the wall and everything went black. "Interesting that they would send you, with no power," Kaoli muttered, reaching back to yank open the blinds. Outside was cloudy darkness, and a peculiar snowfall, far out of season; across the way, the Ten'nou complex was missing several windows on the eleventh floor.

Minako was desperate. Not only had she found any sort of doorway that led to the suspicious hidden floor, she was going to be in deep trouble if anyone found her in the basement. Not even Infinity students came down here, not according to the sign – Keep Out, Faculty Only. She opened yet another door and found a closet with cleaning supplies; screaming with frustration, she kicked it shut.

Of course, it shouldn't have been easy to find anyway, not if it was a hidden basement floor. The Death Busters didn't need anyone walking in on their evil plans or sacrifices, or whatever the hell they did down there. She just wished they would've been thoughtful enough to have something marking the entrance for her to find. Another door opened dropped a mountain of dirty uniforms onto her head, smelling terrible. "Ee-yaagh!" she shrieked, flailing her arms madly to get them off. "What are these smelly things doing here! This is…is…"

She stared blankly at the trapdoor set into the floor of the closet, just far enough back that no one would see it mistakenly beneath the pile of clothes. "Of course," she said finally, peeling off one last shirt and holding it away at arm's length, "they're magic. They could just say some words and move the whole pile and go in and out. Baka Mina."

Borrowing a mop from the other closet, she prodded and shoved the remaining clothes out of the way, clearing the space so she find a handle to lift the door. Of course, there was none, and her cursing filled the air for several minutes. Then she went to find a crowbar, and, as there was of course none, she settled on a battered metal dustpan. Shoving it down into the crack, wriggling madly to make it fit, she tried to lever the door open and bent the dustpan completely in half.

It was a miracle that no one heard the racket she was making and came to investigate.

Finally, after breaking the mop handle and trying to use that as a lever, a pane of glass, and out of desperation the dustpan again, she stomped around madly and yelled, "Venus Planet Power, Make Up!" and, assured of her strength, went through the entire process again. Of course, not only did none of them work, but she busted the glass into dozens of pieces, the mop handle into splinters, and the dustpan into two halves of cheap aluminum.

"Fine; Minako goes the course! I don't need to be subtle anymore." She pointed, aiming for the smear of dust and dirt she'd left in her attempts to open the trapdoor. "Crescent Beam!"

Working carefully, she used her power like a laser, cutting open a handle to fit her hand into. Chuckling at her cleverness, she hoisted the door and let it drop onto the floor. Though she was quickly frowning at the wet moldy smell, she slipped in and dropped barely a couple of meters before landing on rough, rocky ground. Just enough space for a tall man to walk upright and climb up into the school.

Lifting her hand, she called enough power to light her way, her fist glowing as a torch. She crept carefully over the rocks, her heels conspiring to trip her every other step, her free hand steady against a slick wall. From the looks of it, the place had been cleared out and strengthened to hold back the surging bay long before the reclamation even began; no doubt if Ami had come with her, she could date the stone. But it didn't go very far before it split into a doorway and another tunnel, which was obviously new and freshly dug, going towards what could only be the Tomoe lab. She went through the doorway.

Smothering a gasp, she found herself standing in what was once the resting place of the unaccounted dirt in Ami's calculations, an immense underground chamber only partially natural. She could literally mark on the walls where they had come in recently and barricaded the walls, using fresh dirt and stones.

She turned to see the door where she'd entered was decorated along with the wall in the style of a tumbled down Grecian temple, complete with columns to the rough ceiling. Along the wall opposite was the same thing, only with a large pool in front of the door, decorated with some stone statue she couldn't even possibly describe if she tried. It honestly looked stolen from some fancy office building; she finally made out ten fish arcing out from its sides. Ugly as sin and probably useless decoration.

Running across the cavern, she vaulted up over a low step and through the second door, landing in a defensive position to attack if necessary; but nothing happened. Not even a single arrow or thrown stone. Obviously, the Death Busters had never suspected a possible break-in. She exhaled, standing straight. "What a waste of my talents! I can't believe—"

[Magus.]

"_Nani_?" The long-haired blonde crouched back down, staring around quickly for her attacker, but there was no one there but her. Her, and another ridiculous statue rising towards the ceiling, some piece of abstract art that was glowing—glowing! "Show yourself immediately! The soldier of Venus commands your surrender!"

[You are not the Magus. I see your shining spirit! You are the spirit of a star, powerful and alive. You trespass!]

The statue was glowing brighter, and she threw up an arm to block the light, still holding her other hand steady to fire. "I am Sailor Venus, a guardian soldier of this planet! You, an enemy, I demand to know your name, or I'll destroy your stupid statue into pieces!"

[Sailor…Venus. The bright, shining spirit of a star. I desire that spirit. And yet, you've come to the place of power alone, without my witches or the Magus. It means failure again!] The statue shook, and the room shook as well, though Venus locked her knees and stayed standing. [Do you wish to know my name, Sailor Venus? The name of the force that will soon overtake your planet? I am Master Pharaoh 90!]

"Master Pharaoh 90…? Why would you overtake our planet?" she demanded.

[I would overtake your planet and make it our new home. It will become the Tau star, the center of the Tau Galaxy. The Omega Area calls to me. It will be our haven.]

Venus stepped back, the light now so bright she was blind no matter which way she looked. "The Omega Area? You mean…the Delta region? Here, in Tokyo? Iie! You can't destroy our planet for your selfish means, the sailor soldiers won't allow it!"

[Soon your spirits will be my food, and you will have no choice. This is merely the end of a long journey. When the last awakens, the magic will be powerful and we will have our new home. We will destroy the three lights of reckoning before they can summon the power to stop me. You, now, will nourish me.] Barely giving the long-haired blonde time to digest those words, a thunderous wave of power knocked her flat, making her scream.

Even though thousands of light years away, the entity was able to reach through and clutch at her soul, and it felt as though someone was trying to rip her entire skeleton out of her skin. Screaming again, she kicked and fought, nearly lifted from the floor by Pharaoh 90's power. This was agony even death had not caused her, and in desperation, she summoned her strength, holding her hands out towards the statue, and cried, "Venus Power!"

She felt her power explode outwards, a golden light that felt good and warm and safe, and it collided with Pharaoh 90's malicious power. Caught off-guard by such energy, he dropped her; and Venus, feeling herself change without intent back into Minako, weak and defenseless, ran like hell. Lightheaded, she almost pitched over several times as she crossed the cavern, flinging herself through the second door and around into the tunnel. Surely she could escape easier from Tomoe's lab building than trying to explain herself out of the school in her condition; looking down, she saw herself wearing the grey skirt and white shirt she'd put on this morning. She didn't even have the disguise of an Infinity student anymore.

Frankly, she felt elated to be alive. The last time she'd given up so much power she had ended up dead in the snow.

Running harder, she put on one last burst of speed as she saw a shaft of light. The tunnel was sloping gently upward by now, and her knees and thighs were getting very upset with her for running on an incline like an idiot. Panting the last few yards – and she was in excellent shape, this should have been easy – she finally stopped at what she had thought was light and was in fact a white door. Holding her breath, she set an ear against it to hear what sounded like gentle bubbling, but nothing else.

Slowly turning the knob, she opened the door and sidling inside what looked to be part of the laboratory; tables held a multitude of test tubes and Bunsen burners, their liquid contents burbling merrily, several with unidentifiable writhing lumps. As she walked further, she saw large racks full of empty tubes and beakers and books with long lengthy titles and difficult kanji. It was a cold, unfriendly room indeed, though after her near miss in the cavern, it was wonderful to her eyes.

"_Hajimemashite_. And who might you be?" a bemused voice said behind her, and she turned, knees weak, to see Tomoe Souichi standing there. In his hands was a test tube full of the liquid she'd seen in the rest, with a squirming lump that looked like a living fetus twisting inside. "Not one of the students, surely, the uniform's all wrong. And exiting from that particular door…" He looked from her tired, dirty face, to the partially open doorway. "You've spoken to the Master, surely. But you aren't one of us. A gift, maybe, from the Master, to continue my studies, knowing that my subject will soon achieve utilization?"

She didn't even bother answering him, twisting around to run down the length of the tables, though she saw no second doorway, no exit out. His laughter followed her as she fled, her side beginning to ache, her breath coming hard. Fighting off Pharaoh 90 had cost her dearly, apparently more than just temporarily losing – she hoped – her transformation. She felt terribly tired as though she had not slept in weeks, and her muscles hurt. And she came to a dead end with no exit in sight.

Frantic, she ran her hands over the wall, trying to find a hidden door, a button to push, anything; she could hear Tomoe's calm steps coming closer. This was turning out to be a much more difficult task than she'd anticipated. "_Kami-sama_, help me," she whispered, staring at the obstinately exit-less wall. Turning around, she found herself nearly face to face with Tomoe, who was still holding that damned tube. "Tomoe-san…"

"You know my name. Interesting! Not many do, at least, not many young ladies like yourself not enrolled in my school. The world rejected me years ago, and has yet to remember me." He spoke casually, as if she were just some stranger he'd met on the street; her hands fisted tightly in anxiety. "But there's reason for that. It was simply not prepared for my true discovery, or my efficient methods."

Twilight stared past his shoulder, trying to avoid the unnerving gaze of his crystal eye, and she saw an immense glass chamber in the corner where he'd been standing. Inside writhed something smoky and vaporous, with menacing, glowing eyes. She flinched, looking away, and saw, hidden behind more tubes and racks, the second door practically steps away from the first.

"Yes, I think you'll do fine," he was saying, and she shouted in surprise as he grabbed her arm with a cold hand, clenching tightly. "Strong and young, you'll survive. After Hotaru did so well, a fine subject such as yourself shall work miracles."

"Hotaru…what have you done to her?" she whispered before she could help it, frozen in his grip.

He smiled most pleasantly at her, and she felt like screaming again. "I've saved her life. You'll see. Everyone will see. I was correct in my theories if only I am left to bear witness. But she'll become perfect, the utilization will be complete, and I'll be continuing without her."

That didn't sound good at all.

She groped behind her back for anything at all she could use to free herself, straining to pull her arm away. When he insistently pulled her back, she gave up and stomped down hard on his foot, clenching a fist and clocking him across the chin, jerking her arm free as he reeled. Off she went, sweeping her arm across the tables and throwing tubes and steaming liquid at him as he attempted to follow her. He howled as everything broke and spilled, and she dove over the last table to grab the handle, open the door, and fling herself out.

A stairway led up, and she half-ran, half-climbed up them to open what she hoped was the last door, falling out onto a nice carpet recently vacuumed. She crawled out, kicked the door shut, and looked around at one of the hallways inside of the Tomoe house; clean, neat, and utterly without personality or even character. And here she was, Aino Minako undercover, dirty and tired and completely without a rational explanation as to why she was there.

And she felt the power of Venus still weak inside her body, too weak to transform; she prayed to the _kami_ that she made it to the front door before Hotaru saw her. Crawling up, she stumbled to the left, then right, then another right through a kitchen, and she all but collapsed outside onto the front step as she opened the door. "Saved," she crowed, giving herself the victory sign. "Not even Rei could have done better."

"Mina! Mina, what in the name of the _kami_ are you doing there!" She saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye; Artemis. He was standing atop the brick fence surrounding the labs, his tail lashing frantically. "Coming out of the Tomoe labs like that! Someone could see you!"

"I know that, Artemis, but I had a situation! I'm happy to be alive." She attempted to leap up onto the wall, failed, and fell with a painful yelp onto her back. Instead she went out through the gate, wincing as he leapt down onto her shoulder. "Tomoe is one of the enemies, Artemis, and they have this entire room under the school and this weird statue called itself Master Pharaoh 90 and tried to eat my soul—"

"_NA-ni_?! Why didn't you call for help!"

"…oh. Ano…I forgot. I was trying to survive, you know!" she quickly added as his tail smacked her in the back of the head.

They walked around to sit on a bus bench in front of the school, where Minako gratefully slouched. She felt like one giant bruise. Artemis eyed her with more worry than he cared to admit, saying, "Alex hasn't come down yet. Did she say how long she planned to be?"

The long-haired blonde shook her head, squinting down the street, though the sky was beginning to cloud over. "_Iie_. Just long enough to—uh oh."

"To uh oh? What does that…" His ears lifted, and he turned his head to see six familiar shapes heading their way. "Uh oh."

It had been a long, nervous week.

After leaving the soldiers behind, Uranus and Neptune had followed Pluto to the safety of the university, collapsing into the office Meiou Setsuna had left barely an hour ago. The plant that had tried to siphon her spirit was limp on the floor, turning brown as it died. "The enemy has become obvious," Pluto remarked. "Their actions have awakened me, and now, our mission has an added focus."

"So it is true. We do have to destroy her, as I thought," Neptune sighed, meeting her partner's eyes. "I had hoped, perhaps, we could avoid such bloodshed."

"We have no choice. With my talisman, the three have come together, and yours have been resonating, have they not?" They nodded. "Then it will happen. The god of ruin will awaken if we do not stop it. Killing the body will ensure that the god will not wake up."

Going home, they had all found the humour to laugh at the fact they each lived in one of the towers, so close this entire time. Haruka and Michiru had not spent a night alone since, preferring the comfort of each other's arms, watching through the window as the school continued on as though it were not a breeding ground for such evil. They were waiting for the day one of the witches would show up, attempting to kill them; that day had not yet come.

The tall sandy-blonde was dreaming of their princess every night, but never told her lover; it had become something of an ache, this obsession with that golden beauty. But now Haruka knew that it was impossible, except worship from afar, made in silence. Perhaps that had been the outcome all along. After all, a princess could easily command protection and death in her name with such devotion.

After a few days had passed, Michiru and Setsuna had essentially moved in with Haruka, having decided it would be safer. If the Death Busters tried to attack, they would have an advantage in three; even though that attack seemed less and less of a concern. No daimon had spotted since Tellu's death, no students had been injured, and the inquiry into the school had been dropped when nothing unorthodox had been discovered. But they stayed together all the same, even though Haruka's answering machine kept collecting messages, all from the same number: "Haruka-san, please, don't turn away from us! We're all sailor soldiers, each of us, we want to protect this planet—"

Delete.

Waking up, Michiru was no longer expecting any sneak attacks. A week had passed; she felt a bit more relaxed as she stretched, almost modest in a pair of lacy panties and a white tank top, smiling down at her sleeping lover. Haruka's face was shoved into the pillow, an arm hanging off the side, her bare back covered by the thin sheet. Straightening the sheet, the aqua-haired beauty slipped out into the living room, quiet as possible as she walked around Setsuna on the couch. She had a craving for mocha coffee and a fruit salad.

The drapes had been pulled across the glass porch doors, but even still she could see the sudden shift in light as the sun went dim. Curious; the weather had reported clear sunny skies, not a cloud at all. She walked over to open the drapes and look outside properly, her hand freezing as she looked into the face of a smiling Cyprine. Even through the glass she could hear her say, "Kaiou Michiru. You've been very bad."

"Haruka! Setsuna!" The aqua-haired beauty leapt back from the doors as Cyprine gestured, either ignorant of the proper way to open them, or impatient; glass shattered, flying everywhere.

Almost immediately, a golden orb streaked through the room towards the witch, blasting the rest of the glass outward into the sky. Cyprine, holding up her staff, was untouched; with a gesture, she sent the furniture flying. "Weak! You three, carriers of the light of foreboding, with such insignificant power? Feel the strength of my magic, the most powerful of the Witches 5! Ribbon Buster!"

Michiru and Setsuna, about to transform, screamed in agony. Uranus lifted her sword, running the length of the living room to cut through Cyprine's magic, freeing them from their pain. They called their transformations, the pain disappearing as Pluto and Neptune stood straight and tall in their places. "The assistant of Kuromine Kaoli, the witch Cyprine," Neptune remarked. "So you are the last, you say? Then that means our mission to defeat you is nearly done."

"By calling the light of reckoning? Pitiful soldiers, you'll never live long enough." The auburn-haired witch gestured, calling forth a blizzard inside of the apartment, though it rapidly grew too big and expanded into the sky. Hail like marbles assaulted them, beating their skin, and as they tried to cover their heads, they found themselves flexing their fists, staring at each other like a dog sizing up the opposition. "You'll be beaten by your own anger."

"Isn't that true, you'd do anything for our princess, including discard me uselessly?" Neptune asked Uranus, an unhealthy light in her eyes.

"Only after you've thrown me aside, the unnatural, for your handsome prince!" Uranus snapped back, fists clenching.

"And why would either of you be unhappy, having each other while I have no one?" Pluto interrupted, gripping her rod tightly.

The welts and bruises rose on their bare skin as the hail continued to pelt them, and, within a minute, they raised the bruises themselves with fists. Cyprine laughed shrilly as the three soldiers fought each other madly, drawing blood; unused to such magic directed at them, they were entirely helpless. "This is so easy! How could the others have failed so miserably, I don't understand it." She looked outside, watching her hail fall onto an unsuspecting city, well imagining the fighting that was most likely beginning to now erupt. Her magic had always given the best results, mostly because she long ago realized that humans were just too easy to corrupt. Their souls hid so much anger and deceit it was child's play. "The Master will have to reward me with the position of Magus for this…_nani_?"

A glittering gold chain wrapped around the balcony rail.

She followed it down with her eyes, only to see what looked like a blonde bullet shooting up towards her, snapped upward on the magical links. They disappeared abruptly, and the soldier looked a bit surprised; but she had gone high enough to grab onto a balcony two floors down, pointing up at the witch and yelling something lost in the wind but clear enough by the spark of yellow. Cyprine barely jerked her head back in time as a beam shot straight up.

Down below, Venus was cursing her luck, though she was frankly surprised she had even made it this far. Sailor Moon had lent her strength to allow her to transform, and, being the leader, she had gone first to try and surprise the witch. It looked as though it had worked, though the hail that beat at her was annoying; no doubt the three mystery soldiers had done something to piss her off. She had a strong urge to smack them for being so solitary as she leapt up, managing to just grab hold of the second balcony.

Everyone else had taken the elevator. She wished she'd done the same.

One more floor, and she was swinging up and over, landing on Haruka's balcony behind Cyprine. "_Konnichi wa_!" she chirped, moving quickly to kick the witch's staff out of her hand. It didn't work quite as well as she planned, however, as the witch backhanded her clear across the room. "Fine, be that way, I've taken all the rudeness I can stand today! Crescent Bea—HEY!"

She desperately rolled backwards as Uranus put her fist into the floor where she'd been a second earlier. "Uranus, what are you doing!?"

"You think you can just parade in here and steal our mission? You think we're stupid and can't handle it!" the tall sandy-blonde yelled, easily shifting her focus from Neptune to Venus. "I can kill you easily, you weak soldier!"

"I've been a soldier longer than you, how dare you challenge me!" Venus retorted, leaping up. "You want to fight me, I'll kill you faster!"

Cyprine was laughing, but none of them noticed as Venus and Uranus let loose with their attacks, blasting pictures off the walls and knocking the furniture over again as the power collided. The door flew off its hinges and into the hallway, narrowly missing Sailor Moon as she ran to open it. "_Kami_-sama…Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto! What are you doing? Stop!"

The soldiers flooded into the room, wincing as the hail hit them, only vaguely wondering why the same hail that was falling outside was in the room as well; all the girls cared about was stopping the fight. "Venus, stop this! Are you trying to kill them?" Jupiter begged, grabbing her friend's hands.

"Yes! And you would too! They're a disgrace, utterly!" Venus shook her off, letting loose with her Crescent Beam.

"I think she's right," Mercury agreed slowly, eyeing Neptune with utter loathing. "They think they're so much better than us with their special items. I say we take them."

"Mercury, Venus, what? What are you saying?" Chibi-Moon asked, shocked, huddled beneath Tuxedo Kamen's cape.

"Why, they're merely speaking the truth in their souls, sailor soldiers!" Cyprine laughed, her staff in her hand as she gestured. "That was always the easiest, powerful magic, magnifying the darkness in your human souls. It's the true feelings you obviously have for each other! So go ahead, kill each other, take out your aggressions!"

Sailor Moon raised her heart moon rod at the witch, only then taking her eyes away to see her friends indeed fighting tooth and nail with the three, no longer even using powers but their hands. "Minna…! You can't feel such hatred, not when we're allies!"

Neptune jerked her head imperiously, catching Mercury's hand and twisting her arm painfully, smiling as she cried out. "Allies? We work alone! And anyone so weak as you deserves death as a punishment for interfering!"

Cyprine smiled as the _odango_-haired blonde cried out as well for her friend's pain, turning decisively towards the witch. "You caused this! Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" she yelled, feeling her power flow through her body, blasting out at the auburn-haired witch. It should have obliterated her.

Instead, as the light dimmed, and Sailor Moon could see properly again, there was a second witch standing there. "_Na-ni_…?" she heard Chibi-Moon whisper.

The second witch was the mirror image of Cyprine, though her hair was blue, braided on the right side of her head. They wore identical black dresses and ribbons around their legs, holding their staffs on the opposite sides of their bodies. "Silly girl," Cyprine laughed.

"How can you beat us with that pitiful spell?" the other continued. "We are one, split into two, the most powerful witch. I am Ptilol."

"And I am Cyprine. You can't defeat us, sailor soldiers. Give up your shining souls and the light so similar to our crystal." The hail had thankfully ceased, but the grouped soldiers were so bruised and tired that it didn't matter; only Moon, Chibi-Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen were left standing. "I feel it in your soul, Sailor Moon. Give it to us!"

"_Iie_! Tricksters, attacking us like that! I would never hand over anyone's soul!" the _odango_-haired blonde countered, holding her heart moon rod out defensively. At her side, Chibi-Moon was frantic, desperate for a weapon. Did she even deserve one?

Cyprine and Ptilol were laughing, echoing through the room, as Sailor Moon tried her attack again, watching it spiral out uselessly. Chibi-Moon clenched her hands, unable to do anything, seeing her friends, Puu, lying there helplessly. She was just a soldier in training, but still, couldn't she…couldn't she…

She felt her hands close on something solid.

Shocked, she looked down at small rod clenched in her fist. It had a pink handle and a white tip, a pink crown and wing ornament connecting it to a yellow edged pink heart. A pink star topped it off. But where had she gotten it from?

Of course, from the secret place Sailor Moon hid her own weapon, it had to be! Only she had not known how to call it forth until now, when she needed it the most. She closed her eyes, finding the words within her mind, and ran out from behind her mother, surprising everyone, and yelled, "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"

The two witches yelled as the attack hit them, barely powerful enough to stop them, but surely irritating. Chibi-Moon felt her elation drop; even her power was insignificant. "You little brat!" Cyprine said.

"Now we'll take your souls violently!" Ptilol continued.

"After all, we've reduced the city to mindless anger," Cyprine laughed.

"You don't need to protect it any longer," Ptilol finished.

"_IIE_!"

Sailor Moon shook her head, staring at her heart moon rod as her hand trembled. "Surely I can save it, we can all save it….if we became friends again, we can beat them and save our city," she said steadily, touching her weapon against her lips. "It can be done, there are lesser miracles."

"You can give them strength," Tuxedo Kamen whispered into her ear, setting his hand over her own, holding her fingers tight against the heart moon rod. "The shining princess, you always give them strength and perseverance."

"You gave me the strength to find my power," Chibi-Moon chirped, touching her parent's joined hands. "Both of you, mama and papa. You can defeat them, Sailor Moon!"

"But I have to save everyone, always. Against the darkness that approaches…is my strength good enough?"

A golden light appeared between their hands as the three talismans lifted high into the air, resonating. The music was beautiful and astounding, matching the song of the power that Sailor Moon alone held as her prince and daughter stepped back, glowing brighter. It took shape; it became solid; and as the soldiers held their breath, trusting in their princess, her forehead exploded with the light of the crescent moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the singing was totally frivolous, but funny.


	30. Act 30 : mugen sept - In'you

##### 

"…Guardian-sama, are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

"Huh? I'm sorry—_gomen nasai_, Venus," she amended, mentally chastising herself for speaking the wrong language; again. "What were you saying?" she asked properly, looking down at the long-haired blonde leaning against her arm.

Leaning back, the young girl pouted. For once, she and her fellow soldiers had dressed properly for the dance, her gown diaphanous and clinging, a soft gold in colour. It left very little to the imagination, but the soldier of Venus was never one to shirk an opportunity to show off. The guardian soldiers very rarely were given the chance – read: ordered by their Queen – to relax and toss off the uniform they wore like second skins.

And Venus never let an opportunity slip to remark on her commander's choice in clothing, almost as predictable. Usually, it was the tailored blue shirt and pants tucked into shined black boots, the long black cape fastened with a crescent set over a blue moon showing her rank, her long copper hair braided back. Now, at the Queen's insistence, she wore the dress equivalent, white instead of blue, trimmed in gold instead of black, her hair left long and free and a growing nuisance.

Even though she had been the Crystal Guardian of the kingdom for over half a century – her mind ached to think about it, she didn't feel any older or wiser – most of the planetary sovereigns thought her less than important because she was a woman and she was Earth-born. Only the sailor soldiers gained respect despite being young girls, because they wielded the power of planets; she, though she had remarkable power herself, was not one of them.

The king of Mercury passed by, reminding her of it with his slight, superior sneer.

"I sa-aid, Guardian-sama, that my sister is going to make herself sick if she eats anymore of those cakes!" Venus repeated, looking towards a girl at the long tables where desserts and sweets were piled for nibbling along with what she doggedly insisted on calling ‘champagne.' Slightly more round and curved than her older sister, the princess was indeed popping another small cake into her mouth, tossing back her golden hair. "I really should tell my mother. If she keeps this up, no one will want to take her to bed, let alone bind!"

"Your sister will be fine, Venus. I haven't seen one of you yet that hasn't lured some poor, unsuspecting male or female to your silken sheets." The tall red-head snagged a passing glass of steaming blue liquid, fifty years of practice allowing her to drink without worrying it was going to taste unusual or burn a hole in her belly. She wasn't surprised in the least, either, when Venus looked more pleased at her remark than chastised. "Besides, the monarchy is not entirely your concern, just the kingdom. It's so quiet you'll most likely be wringing your hands over the same problems with your niece or nephew's son."

The long-haired blonde gestured smoothly, brushing back her own golden mane, teased for the occasion into a froth of curls. As usually, half of the males in their vicinity faltered in whatever they were doing to watch. "Ha! And most likely being told exactly the same thing by you as well. Besides…" and here, she leaned in further, pressing her body against her commander's arm in a frankly lecherous example, "perhaps I'll be remarking on your worries about your niece or nephew's son, ne? That is, if you stop being such a proper gentle lady. I almost worry everything will wither away before you even try!"

Snorting, the Crystal Guardian took another sip of ‘champagne.' "I assure you, Venus, my parts are all in working order and tested regularly. No worries there. Just because I'm not throwing myself at every penis with legs—"

"And why not? Surely you have enough handsome faces in your ranks? What about that excellent knight, the swordsman you whipped just the other day?"

"I think he's probably too embarrassed at the moment."

"Well, he should have swung instead of parried, now shouldn't he?" Venus bandied, taking her own glass of blue liquid from the passing tray. Holding the delicate stem between two fingers, she sighed as she looked out over the dance floor and the bodies circling to the orchestra – playing instruments the tall red-head equated to the Star Wars Mos Eisely cantina musicians, because they looked nothing like what she knew in the 20th century – and remarked, "Look at our princess. She looks as though she's swallowed something terrible, poor dear."

And the _odango_-haired blonde did have a pained grimace as she swung past, her hands firm in the grip of a lesser prince from one of the smaller star colonies. Everyone with a pedigree was eager to woo the future Queen of the Moon, Her Royal Liege of the Silver Millennium, down to a recently crowned prince who won the throne by a lottery. This was in fact the fifth dance in her honour after she'd been shown to society as a proper, marriageable woman, and all of her guardians were aching worse than after battle.

Everything began turning watercolour thin around the edges, voices stretching thin into an unrecognizable noise; she watched it all dissolve. She remembered that day only because it had been one of the last dances before Beryl had arrived, seeking blood; and she missed that life so terribly sometimes it hurt. It had been harder, demanding a poise and strength she had not previously even know she could have, but quite more carefree and happy. Even if she had missed caffeinated soda and rock music and the basic electronic necessities the 20th century took for granted, she had been in Paradise.

Now, it was all memories and dreams she had, too many lifetimes she had lost and couldn't get back. Questions, too, that she had never been given an answer to, so much she could despise Serenity for not telling her when she had those last minutes to share everything. So much.

Her head hurt with a stabbing pain, and she cracked her eyes to see shadows.

She was also cold, not entirely unusual, but this was a particular shade of freezing, and she opened her eyes further to see sharp rock above her head, no doubt matching the floor she was lying on. Negotiating painfully, she rolled onto her side, sitting up stiffly to see the very same Grecian ruins Venus had discovered earlier, though she saw them through a blurry mist of gray. No doubt Kaoli had transported her here and enclosed her in some sort of magical prison, since any intelligent enemy would make sure of her confinement.

And by the way it seemed to breathe, she was positive; so she held back on touching it, and instead looked around for her captor. She didn't have to look far, as she spotted the red-haired woman standing nearby, now clothed in what looked like a black Halloween witch's costume. Big collar, high-slitted skirt, silly boots, major cleavage; all she needed was the hat and black fingernails. Even had a staff in her hand, exactly like the one the witches had been carrying to cast their spells. But who was she? The girl, Cyprine, had obviously been the last of the Witches 5, sent off to capture or kill Uranus and Neptune. And this woman had commanded her to do so; perhaps she was one of the collective ‘Death Busters,' others working towards the cause of the Witches 5, but not a witch.

She seemed to be staring into a pool of water or a spotlight; Alex couldn't tell which, because of the slowly growing brightness that seemed to pour from it. Intense, it felt warm and safe, and filled the cavern with its brilliance, pushing back the shadows and cold. "Those three lights, feeding this radiance…!" Kaoli said, standing back and shielding her eyes. "Such a miraculous power!"

The talismans were giving up their power, but not calling forth the god of ruin? Surely Kaoli would have been terrified if that were the case, but what else could…what would…

If not the god of ruin, then…

"Sailor Moon!"

  
Dimly, Hotaru realized she was grinning.

But it wasn't by choice.

Through the window she could see the golden light as it exploded out of the windows of the Ten'nou complex's eleventh floor. It shone like a beacon, its multiple beams hurting her eyes as it cleansed the sky of the witch's spell, the evil hail melting as though caught within the summer sun. Such an enormous power, and she sensed that it was merely a fraction of the strength that the blonde soldier could ultimately wield.

Hotaru couldn't understand why she continued smiling even though she herself felt cold, colder than her thin-blooded body always constantly remained. It was not a smile of happiness or joy, but of triumph; a teeth-baring, menacing grin. She had never done such a thing in her life, and was becoming distraught at the realization that she wasn't doing it still.

Someone else was laughing with her lips, holding her arms wide as if to embrace the golden power, her amulet thumping solidly against her chest as it was released. "Master Pharaoh 90, feel this energy! The power of the soldier of the Moon, so beautiful, so very much like the light of our life!"

And then, there was a voice, a terrible, terrible echo that terrified Hotaru; an intruder, and in her room? No; it was in her head. [I feel it, my last and lonely soul. My Ninth. Such blessed strength, and wondrous light! Soon, it will be time, and everything will converge in this sacred land. No longer will I wander through cold space.]

"_Hai_, Master. My plan will commence soon, and I will have that wonderful power to present to you. And I will awaken! I will awaken, and complete the magic!" Hotaru-not-Hotaru said, watching as the golden light disappeared.

It was then that she realized that she was seeing a slightly different view than normal; her height, though tall for her age, was still short enough to place her focus just above the windowsill. Now, she was seeing the Ten'nou tower from almost halfway up the glass. But why was she suddenly so high? Had she spontaneously grown several centimetres? She fought desperately to look down, unable to do such a simple movement, unable to even blink under her own power, and then, finally, she did.

She had indeed grown, but only her legs had lengthened, and now she felt the glaring pain of her bones and muscles and skin stretching unreasonably, growing in spite of the metal pins and joints that held her together. She couldn't scream; she couldn't move; she was locked within her own traitorous body, growing obscenely.

  
"My plan was always this simple."

Her voice, dear __kami__-sama, her own voice.

Inside of her own mind, locked as though a prisoner, Hotaru felt two strong hands seize her by the throat from behind her mental image, squeezing. She choked, scratching at the fingers that pressed into her windpipe, twisting in her assailant's grip.

"You were unnecessary."

She was rolled like dough between those strong hands, presumably to see the face of her attacker – her killer, as she felt her lungs contract sharply for a breath. As it was, there was no more air left for her to finally scream, seeing that malicious smile. So very familiar.

"But the body still has its uses. Tomoe Hotaru. _Sayonara_."

"Yes, my strength can be enough, with friendship and love!" the _odango_-haired blonde whispered, watching the light as it grew strong between her fingers, a sympathetic glow matching the crescent sigil on her forehead. Above the shaking, reaching hands of the three outer planet soldiers, the talismans were still singing with power, resonating as they gave up that strength to the fourth object now visible in their princess's hands.

It was even more brilliant in real life than on the screen, a miniature sun; golden and perfect, it seemed almost too wonderful to exist. "Such a miraculous power!" Mars gasped, unconsciously repeating Kaoli's words.

"Sailor Moon's called it forth, believing in our friendship; what are we doing, fighting like this?" Jupiter looked around, and everyone did the same; with the golden light, the evil power of the two – or two as one – witches had dissipated, leaving their minds clear again.

"_Sou yo_, as sailor soldiers, we should be united; that is always the clearest mission! As friends and allies, we should be strong!" Venus declared, standing tall, feeling completely restored.

The tall sandy-blonde took the handle of her sword, looking completely disbelieving. At her side, the aqua-haired beauty seemed equally as surprised as she held her mirror, looking from its aqueous glow to the golden cup in Sailor Moon's hands. And the dusky-skinned soldier, holding the staff portion of her rod in one hand, balancing the top heart and jewel in her other, seemed just as startled. "Our talismans, resonating like this…! But, not calling forth the god of ruin?" she questioned, clearly unsure on how to react. Obviously, whatever she had been given as memory of her previous life as Pluto did not include this possibility; or, she could not recall it.

Behind them all, in the destroyed doorway, the three felines skidded to a halt, panting as though they'd run a marathon. When the group had transformed and run for the elevator (or in Venus's case, leapt for the first balcony), the cats had stayed behind, not exactly useful in a fight of such magnitude. Most likely, they'd have been trampled on, and the magical hail did nothing more than wet their fur. But at the first beam of golden light, a sure sign something either miraculous or terrible had happened, they had fled for the elevator.

It had not been easy balancing on each other – Luna had insisted on standing on Artemis, and Diana of course on top to push the buttons – but they made it. "What…what happened…?" Luna panted, looking through Tuxedo Kamen's legs.

"Sailor Moon…she's called forth the –"

"Sacred Chalice!" the dark-haired prince and Artemis echoed, hardly noticing.

The two witches were silent, staring in concern at the golden light, and then each other. Sailor Moon's power indeed resembled the light of the Taioron Crystal, at least from what they had sensed when delivering Hotaru's amulet to Kaoli; its lingering energy was still heady. For the first time since they had accepted their new lives, they were afraid.

Trusting in their princess, the four guardian soldiers held out their hands, giving her their power; multi-coloured lights danced into the cup, joining the power of the talismans and the power of her prince and daughter. "Power, it's so warm and beautiful," she sighed, holding the cup aloft. "Everyone's love and trust. I know I can do this! I have to do this!"

She imagined the power flowing through her, changing her, bringing her to a higher level; like the girls on television with their pretty uniforms and transformations, she could see herself doing the same. An image in white and gold, a sailor soldier. This was her higher power.

The cup tipped back, its lid vanishing.

Over the lip spilled golden light, power falling down onto her lips.

"Crisis!"

She drank of it like water, knowing she didn't need the words at all. But she said them, called them out to remind herself that she was the princess, but now, in this time, also a sailor soldier. This was merely a new level.

"Make Up!"

The effect was stunning.

Her uniform, and its short skirt of blue and ribbons of red, bled out. The back bow lengthened into a multi-tiered white ribbon with a large tie, falling loose around her legs like the folds of her gown. Her waistband gained a second golden band above the first, both meeting at the junction with a replica of her heart-shaped brooch as a clasp. The kerchief was now a melting layer of colours: green, blue, yellow, purple. Her skirt had the same mix, though it was white down to perhaps the last few inches, where the colour finally bled. On her arms, her shoulder pads had been replaced by translucent shells, like wings; her boots now bore the crescent at their highest point.

She looked, in effect, like their princess in the guise of a sailor soldier; regal and snow white and powerful.

"Just like mama told me," Chibi Moon whispered behind a hand, unable to share her secrets of the future out loud. "She told me that Sailor Moon was not the final level, that there was a stronger soldier; Super Sailor Moon!"

"Super Sailor Moon?" The dark-haired prince looked down at her, then at his shining princess in her flowing ribbons. "Is that her? Stronger and brilliant…Super Sailor Moon?" And so very beautiful his heart ached.

Cyprine and Ptilol definitely looked worried now. "Is this our fate? The last of the Witches 5?" Cyprine muttered, taking a step back onto the balcony.

"But surely not! Perhaps, the power of our crystal is stronger," Ptilol countered, lifting her staff.

"Yes, perhaps," Cyprine agreed, raising her staff to cross her twin's. Their sigils glowed at the touch, sparking with red and blue.

Super Sailor Moon turned towards them, arms lowering as the cup dissolved. She seemed only mildly perplexed by their actions, even as their fingers moved to make the signs, lips frantic in whispering the words. In her hand, the heart moon rod appeared as though it had been there all along, and she lifted it up. "_Iie_."

The two witches hesitated at the very last, startled to see the _odango_-haired blonde swing her arm around and aim as she leapt forward, quick as a deer, yelling, "Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!"

It was a vicious wind that tore through them, ripping them asunder and scattering the remains; colourful, but obviously more dangerous and powerful than Sailor Moon's previous attack. Neither witch was capable of drawing the breath to scream before they were killed, and it happened so fast that their staffs, thrown from their hands, went spinning like straw in a tornado through the opposite walls of the condo before disintegrating.

Everyone was silent, stunned in various measure.

Now that they had accomplished their task, the talismans had landed back in the hands of their soldiers, again resonating lightly with power. But still, the god of ruin did not appear, wielding the wicked glaive to destroy the world, and they seemed clearly unsure as to what this vision meant. Sailor Moon had called forth a cup capable of drawing on the power of the talismans, and changed into Super Sailor Moon, a beautiful and stronger soldier. "Perhaps, this is a sign. Perhaps we're meant to share our mission after all," Neptune remarked quietly, staring into the clear glass of her mirror.

"But with such innocents? Would that be wise?" Uranus argued just as softly, quite aware and unconcerned with the fact that the four guardian soldiers she spoke of were right behind her. And listening to every word with rapt attention.

"Can we argue with such a vision? Sailor Moon wielded the power of our talismans. Possibly, this was meant to be; I feel it is indeed this way." Pluto re-attached her staff and talisman with a soft click, standing up. "That such power could be used in this manner…I didn't believe it to be possible. Only with the key were our talismans supposed to give up this sort of energy."

Mercury said, behind her, "And then, the god of ruin would awaken. But this changes things, doesn't it? We can be allies in the mission."

"Of course we can!" Venus cheered, smiling widely. "This proves it! We're all sailor soldiers, fighting for the same cause. No matter what, we all want the same goals. Ne, Super Sailor Moon?"

The _odango_-haired blonde looked around from where she'd been crouching, allowing Luna to apparently investigate her with a wet nose and worried twitch of whiskers. She picked up the black cat, turning to smile sweetly at the assembled soldiers. "_Hai_. I wanted to prove the strength of our friendship, not only as sailor soldiers, but as people on the street, living our lives! Haruka-san, Michiru-san, surely you can agree with me, even if we've only just met so recently. So I prayed for your help, and all of you lent me power and love to fill the Sacred Chalice."

"The Sacred Chalice? Is that what the cup you held is called?"

"_Hai_—" Super Sailor Moon clutched Luna unnecessarily tight as the transformation reversed unexpectedly, leaving only simple Sailor Moon in her normal skirt of blue and red ribbon standing there, looking winded. Obviously, it was not much easier to let go of the power than it was to receive it. "But I called it forth too soon; it's to be used for something much grander."

Luna, partially muffled by the arms of her owner, said, "How do you know? You've only just called it forth!"

"Perhaps, it's given her the memory of its previous incantation," Artemis suggested from below.

The three outer planet soldiers exchanged wary looks, glancing from the powered-down Moon to their resonating talismans, slightly brighter to show that they had gained their power back, but no closer to calling forth the god of ruin. "Does it matter that it was called forth too quickly?" Neptune finally queried. "You called it forth despite this. Perhaps then, we are truly meant to be allies, and you deserve to know of our lasting mission."

Despite the ruin of the condo, broken glass and furniture askew everywhere, everyone found a place to sit, weary after the fight. It was no surprise that they seemed to be broken into three groups; the four guardians, the three outer planet guardian soldiers, and their prince, princess, and daughter somewhere in the neutral middle holding hands with the cats at their feet. "I hope we're not going to pay for this mess," Venus suddenly giggled nervously.

"You couldn't afford it," Uranus flipped back smoothly. "With the exorbitant rent, I doubt my patron would even want to allow me to stay here after this."

Mars cleared her throat impatiently.

Neptune nodded in agreement, holding out her mirror as if she expected everyone to be able to look into it. But as she began to speak, an image appeared large above the silvered glass, like a projection from a camera onto a screen, showing empty space and millions of stars. At the bottom edge was solid ground, presumably, but so frozen it was literally like seeing the ocean iced over, paused in the act of lapping waves. "I can remember loneliness on the cold moon of my planet. Seeing the destruction wrought so very long ago upon Neptune's surface. Then, I was not allowed company; I was a solitary guardian, a line of defense grown centuries old."

And they saw what the former Neptune had seen; a planet destroyed, fraught with storms and geological morass, spun by dark rings. The white swirl of the Great Dark Spot was familiar from textbooks, though it was no doubt in its infancy within the vision. "Everything was cold and lonely, but I was proud of my duty. I protected the beautiful Silver Millennium from afar, an estranged partner to the lone soldier of Uranus, who fought as I did. It was our mission."

"But that's Triton!" the blue-haired genius gasped, "the coldest temperature measured in our solar system is of its surface! How could you have survived?"

"I learned, in several centuries, how to survive," Neptune said, looking half-irritated at the interruption, half-pleased with Mercury's discovery. "There were ways. My planet gave me the power to survive without food, like a ghost, to shrug off the cold and the climate. I was the focus, beyond human needs."

Uranus slowly nodded, as though the memory of that time was only now coming to her; and perhaps it was. All of their previous lives were as fragile as spun sugar in their minds, only coming up to grant them a vision or a tantalizing picture when it felt like it. "_Hai_; and I too on Oberon was the ghost, watching my fallen planet spin wrong above my head. It was alive, but did not live, giving me power but keeping none for itself. Everyone was dead."

The image turned, and they could see, distant, the planet of Uranus on its side as its soldier described, its rings barely visible. It looked just as cold and dead as Neptune, the colour of a corpse's lips, and they could only imagine what it once had been at the height of its kingdom. "The memories are vague, but telling; we had both taken the mantle of soldier just as our predecessors died in protecting our planets. Awakening to our powers in time to drive the enemy back and ultimately destroy them, we saved the Silver Millennium from invasion, but not our homes; our kingdoms were gone. Our planets ruined. We alone survived."

"Solitary, we continued to defend the beautiful Queen and her shining kingdom," Uranus smoothly inserted, taking the conversation from her partner. "I wielded the Space Sword talisman, cutting down my enemies with a single blow."

"I held the Deep-Aqua Mirror talisman, revealing my enemies' weaknesses and true nature for me to exploit and destroy," Neptune said.

"And I hid the Garnet Orb talisman within my rod, holding it at my side within space-time and safe from evil," Pluto finished. "They resonated so much like this only once before; pulling us forcibly together at the trigger, creating the key. We had no choice but to watch as the god came forth, finally."

"When the Moon was destroyed," Jupiter murmured, hugging her arms.

Sailor Moon remembered that last moment of her previous life, her blood leaking onto the marble and simultaneously filling her lungs; her crystal blue eyes filled with tears as she clutched at her prince's sleeve. Dying, she could have never imagined that she would be reborn as a silly girl on Earth, forced to remember that terrible suicide and go through the shock of death once more against Metallia. And again, and possibly again; as a sailor soldier, anything could happen. Was that why their talismans were resonating now? Was she going to die and trigger the key?

She didn't want to die again. But she would be the sacrifice no matter what, because, as she looked furtively over at the pale yet determined faces of her friends, she knew she would rather be alone in death than see any of them die for her. She wasn't worth it, not in her mind; she thought too much of their happiness and joy to let them throw it away. When the time came, could she put herself in their place before they fell?

Catching a storm-grey flash, she looked sidelong to see Uranus staring at her with a strangely intent gaze; when she realized it was being returned, she merely focused on Sailor Moon's eyes, as if looking for something within them. It was an echo of the stare Haruka had given her that night at the Dome, daring to come so close to her body and heat her skin by mere touch. The look that had sent her fleeing away, reminded simultaneously of her prince and a deeper, wilder craving to forget him and press closer.

No doubt both Neptune and her Mamo-chan saw their exchange of eyes, and she lowered her own demurely, waiting for someone, anyone, to pick up the conversation. "Is that why the Moon is so…so…broken?" Chibi-Moon queried hesitantly, obviously feeling a bit outside of the loop; she had not lived on the gray satellite with them, was not a reborn citizen who had seen the magnificence of the kingdom in its day. All she had ever known was a crystal city and encroaching ice. "Mama and papa took me to visit on my birthday once…. it was so silent and sad and fallen down."

"_Hai,_" Neptune answered, watching her planet slowly revolve above the mirror. "It had been the touch of the glaive that brought all to ruin, rendering everything of use to any possible enemy useless, ‘salting the earth so that naught could grow.'"

"But surely Earth doesn't need salting!" Venus seemed to be unaware of how silly her statement was, said in utmost seriousness; she took a strong step forward, clenching her fists at her chest. "This is a happy planet, full of life! Surely you don't mean to call the god to destroy all of this!"

"Do you truly think we would chose such an option?" Pluto asked. She had strength in her voice that her younger self had not; shouting could not have caused such a sudden silence. "This planet is where our Queen sent her loving child. On it one day will rise Crystal Tokyo. We have a duty to see that it lives to see that hour!"

The aqua-haired beauty reached over, touching Pluto's hand where it gripped the rod. It was a gentle gesture, and one that accomplished more than a hug or words could do. The dusky-skinned soldier settled back, magenta eyes idling on a spot between Mars and Jupiter as Neptune remarked, "You think so little of us to believe we would call forth the god? If so, we couldn't truly blame you; but it's a worthless hatred. We could never accomplish such a thing. Only the most malicious magic could trigger the key prematurely."

"We had always reasoned that our solitary confinement was because the talismans would trigger, no matter what, once they came close. But now we've realized that isn't the case. Surely it had been to prevent any from taking them at once, and calling the god," Uranus added, leaning back awkwardly against a scorched armchair and resting her arms on her thighs.

Tuxedo Kamen finally said, "That's all well and good, but what does that mean now? Sailor Moon used their power to fill the Sacred Chalice, but called it too soon; and yet they continue resonating, ne? The god will still come, if our dreams are correct."

Pluto's head lifted, and she looked immediately to the dark-haired prince. "Dreams? What dreams?"

"We've all had them," Mercury explained, her fellow guardians nodding. "Terrible dreams, of destruction and ruin."

"The god stands atop a ruined building, holding that evil blade," Mars continued, shaping it in the air with her pointer finger; the long staff, the curved scythe. "Telling us of the method. Telling us that she brings the Silence."

Tugging anxiously at a strand of hair, Jupiter said, "The sea is high overhead in a tidal wave, ready to fall and obliterate the city. And I can't out run it, but I stop anyway to ask her why."

"We all want to know," Venus whispered, shaking her head. "And she says that she was called forth by the talismans to lower her glaive, to lead the world into oblivion. But she can't say why; she's only a weapon."

"'Certain situations were destined, but could be averted,'" Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, remembering those seemingly innocent words, murmured together. At their feet, Luna rubbed her flank against the _odango_-haired blonde's ankle, a gesture of comfort even if she couldn't entirely feel it through her boot. Chibi-Moon, who had banished the terrible dream from her memory by sheer youthful terror, lifted Diana and held her tight.

Neptune looked at Uranus, who looked up at Pluto, who stared down at them both. Hesitating visibly, wondering just how much more they could tell them. "It could be prevented," Pluto said finally, slowly. "We could make sure that the god does not awaken."

"Well, how? If it's possible, let's do it!" Jupiter said impulsively, her face determined. "We can't allow such destruction, not if we can stop it."

The mirror's image changed, dissolving into another ringed planet, this one far more familiar with its orange stripes and thick rings. It revolved rapidly, circled by its many moons. "There was once chaos in the solar system," Neptune began, her eyes lowering to half-mast as one in a trance, her voice steady and even. Perhaps, it wasn't entirely her at all speaking, but someone else; a previous life; a stronger source. "Before Uranus and Neptune were destroyed, long, long ago…. Saturn was claimed by the enemy, and rendered useless. They had persuaded the god of ruin to lower her glaive within her own world, laying waste to healthy souls.

"Perishing, the power was passed onto an off world survivor, the crown princess, who became the harbinger. Innocent though she was, and new to the power, she drove back the enemy and declared her planet a dead world; she desired nothing more than to sleep safely until she was truly needed. And so the talismans were wrought, the planet becoming a locked coffin to seal her within, forever sleeping and ageless until the pulled trigger."

"Ano…" Jupiter raised her hand hesitantly. "But was there ever a soldier guarding the planet? What about her?"

Uranus barked laughter.

Pluto glanced over at the tall sandy-blonde, who fell silent; then, she said, "Isn't it so plainly obvious, Jupiter? The god of ruin is the soldier of Saturn, Sailor Saturn. The wielder of the Silence Glaive, taking all to nothing; pitiless, indifferent to all who die. But this time, we have a chance to stop her from ever awakening."

"We were surprised to find that she had been reborn here, instead of taken to the dead planet," Neptune sighed, Saturn the planet slowly changing, reforming into a face of pale skin and amethyst eyes, so melancholy. "She was never to be properly living. All she has is to destroy. But somehow, her spirit came with us after the very last Silence, reborn within a human body, rotted by a vicious mechanical torture no one can cure."

"She'll be free of her pain, soon," Uranus added, as the figure straightened, standing tall and translucent, holding the familiar weapon. A soldier's skirt of violet matched knee-high laced boots, ribbons of a blood red fluttering along with raven-dark hair in an unseen breeze. Perhaps a few years older, but undoubtedly…

"Hotaru-chan!"

"_Masaka_…Tomoe Hotaru-san!"

"A sailor soldier, like us!?"

The reactions were not entirely surprising, most of them of shock and horror. Chibi-Moon sounded disbelieving, even as she stared at the revolving image of Saturn spinning her glaive in what looked to be elementary offensive positions. Just as they faced each other, the blade was jabbed forward quickly, aimed right for the pink-haired child's head; that rather nicely summed up how she felt. "Hotaru-chan…._iie_.…"

Uranus pounded her fist down on the arm of the chair, silencing everyone. "Don't forget that the girl was already taken by the enemy as a child! Tomoe-san and his devil's advocates corrupted her body long ago, warping her as their experiment. Killing her would be a blessing, it would free her spirit!"

"Not someone so innocent!" Sailor Moon argued, holding out her hands in entreaty. "How can you denounce her so quickly? Hotaru has suffered so much—"

"Precisely," Neptune said crisply, cutting her off. "Suffering under the hands of Tomoe-san and those who gave him the method to do so. No less a risk to us because of that, she is the reborn soldier of Saturn, and she must be stopped."

The three were standing now, clearly meaning to leave and be done with the others. But quickly the four guardian soldiers fanned out, blocking an exit each; Sailor Moon stepped forward, staring at them with sorrow. "Uranus, Neptune, Pluto; why are you so quick to kill? Surely, we can prevent these tragedies without suffering. I believe that Hotaru-chan is strong enough to resist any evil."

Pluto shook her head, looking at the _odango_-haired blonde with an obvious anger in her eyes. "And I remember how well your belief in resisting evil stopped the Death Phantom, when it was only the combined power of past and future that destroyed him completely! Was that not a death? Was it not in fact the only way to defeat him?" Her hand shook as it gripped the lavender rod, and even her two partners looked up at her, surprised. "I sacrificed my life out of loyalty and love, but that was not the final blow! Nothing less than death achieves our victory, Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity! That is the way of a sailor soldier!"

"We can stop this eventual destruction now, with one death instead of millions. Sacrifice is sometimes necessary for the good of everyone. It breaks our hearts as well, but we chose this life of duty, and all it entailed." Neptune lifted her mirror, touching its silvered glass. "Can you show us the same devotion? Would you die again for our princess and her love?"

"And would you protect your kingdom, as our future Queen?" Uranus asked the _odango_-haired blonde, meeting her eyes one more time. "A soldier's duty is sacrifice, but you are not truly a soldier. Still, we have the same tragedy."

Tuxedo Kamen gripped his princess tightly by the shoulder, taking her hand as she offered it up to him again. "Even still, Hotaru is just a child! We have a duty to protect the innocent, not offer them up as another death!"

"It doesn't matter. If there were another way…but saving the child would mean awakening the soldier within to heal her body and soul. All we can do is kill Tomoe Hotaru, and permanently seal away the spirit of Saturn by destroying our talismans. Then, the death of the enemies, and we will accomplish our mission. Without your help."

Holding out her mirror, each of the three soldiers now touched it. Before anyone realized what was happening, they disappeared, a tiny spark of aqua light lifting up and flying away past Venus and out through the broken balcony windows.

  
"Damn!" Kaolinite kicked over a pile of rubble next to her foot, turning another pile into squirming earthworms, which she immediately stomped. Feeling only slightly better, she spun around and advanced on her captive, who was sitting in her small prison with all the casual comfort of a pampered visitor. "Tell me what that was! That miraculous power…"

She gestured madly towards the pool, where she'd lost her sight again once the Sacred Chalice had been opened and poured forth such ridiculous energy. But she had seen the cup, seen it gather strength from the three talismans; though it did not seem to be the harbinger that she feared, the possibility of the cup destroying the Master's plans was still high.

Alex stared at her as though she'd lost her mind, patting her mouth in a yawn. "Sorry, I have no idea what you mean. I thought maybe your light bulb was burning out."

"I heard you! You spoke the girl's name, Sailor Moon! Don't lie to me, or I'll—"

"You'll what, bore me needlessly with death threats until I beg you to just get it over with? Just warn me ahead of time so I can get comfy; this stone floor is a bit drafty and may take me a while." As if to prove her point, the tall red-head flopped onto her side casually, curling into a ball with ankles crossed, pillowing her head on her arm as Kaolinite turned many shades of crimson pissed.

The witch pointed her staff at her, snarling, "You seem to think yourself safe from my spells, but I assure you I can make you desire death quickly! After all, your body is of no use, merely your strong spirit!"

Rolling back over, Alex stared slowly from the tip of the staff up its length, and at Kaolinite's furious, reddened face. The Magus had no more younger witches to order around, no one lower in their hierarchy for her to feel superior; Tomoe was rather on level with her, and their Ninth was even stronger, nearly to the level of the Master. It was not an especially good situation, as it rendered her close to useless and easily disposable. She needed information for the Master, the genuine article, to preserve her skin as it was; on her bones. "Who are you people, anyway?" she finally asked in return, entirely ignoring Kaolinite's original question.

Pitiless, the staff lifted, and the barrier around Alex contracted around her. The pain was everywhere; her bones were liquefying, her skin was burning, her organs fought to escape. She heard screaming, and realized it was herself as she twisted against an unmovable object, pinned down into agony as surely as a butterfly. Without thinking she shoved up with her power, and flames spun into awareness, burning a hole straight through the barrier. But as soon as she collapsed back, letting go, it sealed back up again, though she was at least released from the pain.

"What power was that? It had no significant energy, no magic; and yet, it was so very strong!" Kaolinite exclaimed, properly re-forming the barrier into a dome over Alex's head. "You possess no power like that of a sailor soldier, and yet, you broke my seal…"

[Another, Magus?]

"_Hai_, Mas—what do you mean, ‘another,' in that way?" she demanded, staring through a doorway past them both, into a second room. The tall red-head watched her with a pained bemusement, though she was a bit worried about that unusual voice; if she could even call it that. Definitely didn't sound welcoming.

[Before, underneath your nose, one of the sailor soldiers came here to our secret place. She resisted my feeding of her bright spirit, and fled away,] the voice spoke, definitely angry now. Not that Alex could blame it, Minako had a way of making even the kindest homeowner wish upon her some sort of vile curse. Though it didn't look like Venus had done any significant damage…definitely a pity. At least she'd found the way. [The soldier of Venus, she announced herself.]

Kaolinite swung her staff around, and it passed through the barrier without a lick of resistance, coming to a stop once it lifted and held Alex's chin up at an uncomfortable angle. "The young little Senjin Kogeihei, ne? Yare yare, you went through so much trouble to gain access to our private school! Exactly what we had attempted to avoid." Lowering the staff slightly, she pulled it back and used it like a club to hit the tall red-head solidly across the cheek, turning away as she wobbled, but stayed upright. "Master, do you desire a replacement? For surely this one has just as brilliant a soul for your stomach."

"I'll give him indigestion," Alex muttered, touching her split, bleeding lip and her swelling cheek. She looked around and up at her prison again, trying to decide what to do; all she could do was burn a hole through the shield, and hope for the best, which wasn't good enough. Kaolinite's mind was too alien for any sort of psychic trickery, even now broadcasting her anger and disgust in garbled language.

Before she could try again, everything lifted up; the world spun; and she dropped, twisting to land properly to a rolling stop at the foot of the elongated seed statue. A glowing, pulsating statue, which she stepped away from as she clutched one of her heels in her hand. [Magus, this one has an unusual soul! Like that of the young boy you traveled to find, so unusual in its colour and strength.]

"The boy from Ise?" Kaolinite asked as she stepped into the room, her staff spun once to cover the only exit in the same sort of barrier. "_Hai_; I remember, what you said. This one has the same?"

[And it will nourish me as well.]

The same power that had assaulted Venus poured forth, slamming into Alex before she could even gesture. Screaming again, she writhed as Pharaoh 90 touched her soul, trying to pull it free of her body as one would the entrails and useless bones of a fish. This was even beyond the red-haired witch's casual torture, which had surely been imaginary; this, on the other hand, was no joke. And she had to say, despite everything else ridiculous she'd gone through, no one had ever tried to steal her soul before.

She lifted her hand, still holding the shoe by some miracle, and jerked again as her soul resisted. Pharaoh 90 was speaking in that strange language Kaolinite used in her thoughts, no doubt cursing her. The shoe was bright magenta and pink, glowing like a star, as she swung wildly and threw it towards the source of her pain.

The ensuing explosion knocked Kaolinite off her feet, taking half of the statue with it. Alex dropped like a stone, hitting the floor hard enough for her head to snap back and crack as well; the entire room swam and spun as she lay there, gasping. There was no way she could properly escape, not with the way she felt, but she was willing to try, and she attempted to stand up. Didn't work very well, with one shoe – she kicked it up and miraculously caught it – and the beginnings of a killer headache and most likely concussion. "I can do this...I can…"

Kaolinite blasted her from behind, and she fell back again, this time not getting up.

Chibi-Usa watched the moon rise in the sky, and as she was effectively barricaded in, she had a lot of time to do so. It was a comfortable prison, Makoto's room and former guest room, with the beginnings of a jungle of hanging plants and potted, her cozy bed, and multiple cookbooks with worn pages that begged to be read simply out of her love for food. But she didn't; she stayed seated on the side of the bed, short legs dangling bare beneath the immense nightgown the tall brunette had loaned her, watching the moon. Thinking.

After the three had disappeared from Haruka's condo, there had been a brief moment of chaos when everyone was at odds for what to do. Mars and Jupiter and Venus wanted to chase them down and stop them, assuming that they had gone directly to kill Hotaru and make good on their promise. Mercury, their prince and princess, and the cats wanted to check out every possibility first, before doing something so rash. Surely, they argued, if the three had known who Saturn was all this time, they would have killed her before; after such a battle, they had probably only fled to another safe place.

Truthfully, Chibi-Moon had felt, at first, as though Jupiter and Venus and Mars were right. This was her only true friend that they had spoken so callously of killing, like some sickly little puppy that had no right to live and was purposely drowned. (A peculiar and disturbing ritual she had only recently learned about, and rather excellent in summing up the situation.) But that was at odds with her love for Puu, even if she wasn't truly Puu now, and the knowledge taught to her since birth that the sailor soldiers were not just her protectors, but her friends. It would be something akin to physical pain to actually fight them as enemies.

Finally, Sailor Moon had put her foot down, and ordered them to cease and desist – not that she took any pleasure in superceding Venus's word in the least – and to go back to Alex's place, where the tall red-head was no doubt waiting for information. They had already contributed enough to the damage of the condo without causing more calamity in chasing the three down. And it was obvious to everyone that the _odango_-haired blonde needed rest; she looked shell-shocked and wounded by Pluto's words, clearly taking them to heart.

"How dare Pluto say such a thing, anyway?" Mercury had demanded, clenching her fists. "What's she done that gives her the right to judge you, protecting this planet?"

"But she's right, she's absolutely right," Sailor Moon had whimpered, hiding her face. "I killed the life force of Metallia. I destroyed the energy of Death Phantom. Koan, Berthier, Calaveras, Petz…. and then, Eudial, Viluy, Ptilol and Cyprine! People, all of them, and I discarded them to winds!"

"You did what you had to, Sailor Moon," Luna said as gently as possible, only to glare as Mars commented astutely, "And so are Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto…"

It was not a happy group that finally made it to the condo, de-transformed, dirty, and aching in many places, Usagi all but carried by her prince, and Chibi-Usa guarded on all sides so she wouldn't try and run for Hotaru. And once safe, they found another blow; Alex wasn't home, hadn't even returned at all by the looks of it. Everything was exactly the same, down to the bowl and fork Makoto had used that morning for breakfast and had set in the sink to soak. She was captured by the enemy, no doubt about it, which made their dilemma even worse.

After eating a quick dinner of packaged ramen and curry – Makoto had nearly gone into conniptions, but after dropping nearly two pans and a huge cutting knife, she was banned from the kitchen for the night – they had argued again over what to do. But nothing really had changed in anyone's opinion, except that they now had to worry about rescuing their mentor as well.

Minako described her escape from Pharaoh 90 and Tomoe in highly detailed synopsis, for once keeping it as truthful as possible and embellishing nothing. It didn't need it; the truth was frightening enough on its own. But they did rest slightly easier knowing that the creature was not yet on Earth, but still across the galaxy if not further, from what he – it – had told her. It was short lived once she added that they knew about the god of ruin and were planning to kill Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune before they could use the talismans to summon her. Apparently where they feared that Saturn would destroy their world and kill everyone, the Death Busters were afraid that Saturn was the weapon that could destroy them and their plans.

Finally, after the hour grew later, calls made to parents so they could stay the night, Chibi-Usa attempted to sneak out by saying she was going to see if Alex was coming at the door. Fully dressed, shoes in hand, she had been caught by Mamoru, and led back into the living room. The heaviness of her eyes and the droop in her shoulders had prompted them to put her in Makoto's room, telling her to go to sleep, but she knew better. With the door locked and the balcony as well, she was effectively a prisoner.

An angry prisoner.

She knew that they were concerned for her well being, somewhat ironic with her being a soldier-in-training and in the midst of battle no matter what; but she was angry. Angry that she didn't have the strength to simply barge out and rescue Hotaru-chan, upset that she didn't have the authority to order them all to go with her. She was their princess, but Usagi and Mamoru were their Queen and King, and more importantly, her future parents. They especially were frantic about her being hurt.

It sounded as though the argument was starting up again downstairs. She scowled; why was Usagi treating this like a democracy? She was their princess, she should have told them to jump, and they should've asked how high. Even as a sailor soldier, she had right of dominion over them all, something Chibi-Usa had witnessed time and time again during her childhood. Of course, being an actual crowned Queen of a populated kingdom was different from the glass throne and empty title she currently had pending as the Queen of the resurrected Silver Millennium.

Nothing would be accomplished at this rate, and she, deep down, knew that Usagi was being far too kind in respect to Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Already they had demonstrated that they were willing to go the extra mile to win the battle, even hurting their fellow soldiers. And she honestly wouldn't expect them to do anything else but go directly to Hotaru's home – after all, it wasn't far – and wait for the opportune moment to kill her. They would assume that having Usagi and the others know about their plan meant that they had to follow through before anyone tried to stop them.

Too bad they didn't know about the democratic committee currently raging downstairs. It could take all night for them to decide on a course of action – or inaction.

Finally, she reached down into the huge nightgown to lift up a pendant she had been wearing around her neck lately, a thick pink plastic bead affair with a comical blue-eyed cat hanging round at the end. Taking it off, she tossed it up, and said, "Luna-P _henge_!" watching it pop in a puff of smoke and change back into the floating head everyone recognized. It ran a quick diagnostic check as she pulled off the nightgown, changing back into her elementary school clothes, hastily tying up her hair back into its conical buns. "Luna-P, door lock."

She had been practicing with her floating toy for a few months now to unlock the front door of the Tsukino household, mostly out of curiosity, and just to drive Usagi mad. Ikuko-mama was usually out shopping whenever they arrived home, and Usagi had an unfortunate habit of forgetting her spare key, which made Luna-P's skills even more of a treasure.

Of course, having an advanced piece of technology undo a simple bolt lock was like asking an advanced physics professor to add up two plus two, and the glass door was just as easy as the Tsukino door. Beeping merrily, it changed into an umbrella at her command, and she snapped it open as she slid the glass aside and tiptoed onto the balcony.

Crawling up onto the railing, she set her foot into the curved handle of the umbrella, holding on tight to the rest, and jolted as a fresh gust of wind lifted her up and away into the city.

Caribbean blue slid sideways as Uranus muttered, "I'm going to be ill soon if we don't finish this quickly."

Patting her hand, Neptune merely nodded in agreement, looking back quickly towards the dimly lit bedroom. They had been waiting for hours for a sign that everyone was asleep or away, for the perfect opportunity. But as time went by, all of them were growing less sure that their plan really was the only way to stop Saturn; mostly, because it meant murder. No matter what they'd said in anger towards Sailor Moon and her guardians, they really did care that Tomoe Hotaru had to die, that the poor girl seemed to be cursed since childhood to suffer.

Haruka and Michiru had watched her stumble through the corridors of Infinity since their arrival, feeling intensely sorry for her obvious problems and stigma; but she always had a smile, even if it was guarded and hesitant, whenever they greeted her. She was so terribly lonely, and they knew how that felt, knew how it could gnaw away at a person's spirit until despair either took them down, or made them crave survival against any odds. By the curve of her shoulders and the cast of her eyes, she was definitely despairing.

And when they had discovered that Tomoe Hotaru was Sailor Saturn reincarnated somehow, impossibly, they had both felt a moment's despair themselves. Now it was intensifying the longer they waited, hiding in the shadows of the wall, watching her window and straining to hear any sound.

"We've no choice," Pluto repeated for the third time that hour, "Saturn must be stopped. This is our only method." She seemed to be taking the thought of impending murder much easier considering that she had not personally known the girl, but there was still rigidity to her stance and a timbre in her voice that told them differently. Meiou Setsuna was not a killer. But this was circumstance.

Shadows fell across the wall of the building, a very strange, mushroom-like shadow. Something flew by overhead, and as they looked up in unison, they saw a flash of pink and white as it fell forwards, tumbling as the wind disappeared. Two objects: one, larger, dropped into the row of hedges lining the wall beneath the window; the other drifted slowly, a large domed umbrella in alternating panels of pink and red. As it landed on the grass, they could make out a merry bunny's caricature on the top, dancing with an oversized cat's head. "What in the hell is that?" Uranus finally asked.

"It looks like a children's umbrella," Neptune said after another moment, "caught by the wind and blown over the wall."

Pluto's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air; she recognized that silly umbrella, but she couldn't recall….spinning around and around as someone laughed…. "Small Lady!" she finally choked, as the child's head appeared out of the hedges, her pink hair full of leaves and small twigs.

At Pluto's words, she turned around, grabbing the umbrella by the handle, and, snapping it shut and open again, cried, "Luna-P, flash!"

The bright light that shone in their eyes was blinding, nearly painful, filling their entire vision with solid white. Stumbling, blind as bats, all they heard was her second cry of "Luna-P, ribbons!" and the jerk of ribbons winding tight around them to keep them helpless. Tossing aside the umbrella she raised her hand, yelling, "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" and leapt up easily to grab the window ledge. "_Gomen nasai_, Puu, but Hotaru-chan deserves my protection; she's my friend like no one else."

"Small Lady, you can't do this! Saturn cannot awaken!" Pluto pleaded, turning towards the vague blob of pink in her ruined vision. Bound back to back with Neptune and Uranus, who was cursing a blue streak, they were effectively hog tied for the moment, their hands tight at their sides. "The talismans are resonating even stronger, don't you realize what we have to do? We want to save this world!"

"_Gomen ne_, Puu, but she's my friend, and I can't let her die! I'll never falter! I have to protect her innocent life!" the pink-haired child said, pulling herself up as she pushed the glass inward. "That's the mission of a sailor soldier!"

Whatever the dusky-skinned soldier said in return was lost to the wind as Chibi-Moon tumbled inside, unable to see a thing after the bright moonlight outside and blinding flash made it difficult to adjust to the dimness of the room. She managed to at least land on her feet without knocking anything over, and she whispered, "Hotaru-chan? Hotaru-chan? _Daijoubu_; Chibi-Usa _desu_…"

Crawling off to her left, she cracked her head on the bedside table, knocking over a glass and what sounded like a lamp; it was a lamp, verified after it fell and bounced off her arm. One of the touch-activated type, it turned on its lowest setting after brushing her skin, adding just enough light for her to finally make out details, squinting.

She was next to Hotaru's bed, piled with thick blankets and expensive comforters. Only one other lamp in the room was on, strange considering how many sat on tables and shelves and the time of day, and she saw a crumpled black heap in the middle of the room by its dim light; "Hotaru-chan! _Iie_, Hotaru-chan!"

Hopping rapidly onto her feet, she half-tripped over her boots as she threw herself forward to her friend's side. The raven-haired girl had fallen backwards onto her right side, hair askew as if she'd been thrown harshly and landed badly, her tights torn into shreds over her legs. Her fingers were curled into claws, as if she'd fought off an attacker, and when she didn't respond to Chibi-Moon's increasingly frantic begging, the pink-suited soldier wondered if she was too late. But if that were the case, why had Pluto begged her to stop?

Was it possible she had suffered another seizure instead?

Unsure of what to do, Chibi-Moon continued to gently shake her, calling out her name, and looking around anything that resembled medication. Surely she had to take some for these attacks.

"...pain…"

Hotaru stirred, opening her eyes. "….it…it hurts…." Reaching up with a shaky hand, she grabbed Chibi-Moon's suit for leverage, attempting to sit up. But the pink-haired girl rocked back instead, onto her feet so she could easily pull her friend up onto her knees. "I feel…"

"Hotaru-chan, do you have any medicine?" Chibi-Moon asked, holding her steady; she looked as though she might faint back again. "I can go find your papa…"

"_Iie_; papa is…busy…" Again she lifted her hand, trying to grab onto the front of Chibi-Moon's suit. "But you have something…it feels warm…"

The pink-haired child stared at her, plainly surprised, her own hand moving unconsciously to the brooch pinned to her bow. "Hotaru-chan?"

Amethyst stared intently at the piece of jewelry, before softening, looking up to meet Chibi-Moon's eyes. "On the bus, I felt it…such a warm energy…your amulet…"

"Am-yu-lee-to? Ano….my brooch?" She looked down, touching the naked crystal inset; it wasn't the true _Ginzuishou_, which was actually inside, underneath the lid. "It's my special protection. Inside is a secret power that can protect the world and do wondrous things." Without hesitating now, she took Hotaru's hovering fingers and touched them to the crystal.

Hotaru closed her eyes, a strange smile on her lips. Her head tipped back as she whispered, "What is it, Chibi-Usa-chan? This marvelous power…it makes me feel so much better…"

Chibi-Moon smiled happily, feeling relieved that her friend was no longer in pain. She stood up, leaving Hotaru to check the window, saying, "The _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_. It's a legendary crystal. But, Hotaru-chan," she then asked, hopping up to see outside, "are you really alright? You looked as though you've been hurt badly. As a sailor soldier, I can't allow anyone to attack you."

As she landed, she heard a loud noise outside, a lengthy ripping and tearing; the three soldiers were freeing themselves, and no doubt prepared to break the wall down to get inside if need be. They had to run for it, and Chibi-Moon turned around as she said, "Hotaru-chan, we have to escape! There are people after you! I have to protect you; you're my best friend, and no matter what they say, you're not an evil person!"

The lights went out with a sound of breaking glass.

Hotaru began to giggle strangely, and as Chibi-Moon stared, she could see a literal sparkle in her eyes, the only light in the room. By that dim glow, she could also see the wide, toothy grin she wore as well, a maniacal show of tooth and gum that resembled a carnivore's triumphant smile. "Tomoe Hotaru was not evil, not at all. She fought back, wanting her body. But Tomoe Hotaru is not here; not any longer!" She lunged forward, and the pink-haired child screamed as she was borne down to the floor by Hotaru's weight, pinned effectively.

But that sudden fear was nothing compared to the encompassing, splitting pain that bowed her back as Hotaru ripped her brooch away.

Ribbons of pink followed the brooch through the air, taking Chibi-Usa's transformation with it, and she collapsed, everything shutting down into a comatose state. Her eyes closed; she didn't see the woman who now stood over her laughing, wearing Hotaru's face, her forehead blossoming with the shape of an ominous black star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm convinced that, despite Chibi-Usa's intelligence, she is just a naive, stupid girl. Just like Usagi can be. Which is why she makes boneheaded decisions.


	31. Act 31 : mugen huit - [Mushozoku Chitai] Ichi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Formatting errors suck. Working on it. When I posted some of these chapters to my eFiction (which is where I'm grabbing them from), the newer updates kind of killed the formatting.

##### 

Usagi screamed, clutching her chest, interrupting Minako's fourth attempt to formulate a plan they could agree on. All talking ceased; as their princess fell onto her knees, they were circling her in an instant, almost smothering: "Usagi, _daijoubu_?!"

"Usagi, what's wrong, what's happened to you?"

"Is the enemy attacking you with a spell?"

Crystal blue eyes closed as she concentrated, hearing that constant song in her heart that was the __Ginzuishou__; its older twin, a softer harmony in the background, was no longer a gentle harmonic but a dissonant wail. "Chibi-Usa is…her __Ginzuishou__ was…oh, _kami-sama_, I can feel it, I can feel her growing colder…."

Diana wailed. Mamoru took her hand almost roughly, his breath caught in his chest, hurting; he didn't care that he was merely a prince, and not entirely in command of any of them. He shook once, he steeled himself for the inevitable, and lifted his head to snap, "We have to get to Tomoe's laboratory, now! Transform!" He saw stars; more accurately, he saw four of them.

 

 

"For the love of the _kami_ and all their shades…" Neptune had moaned, covering her mouth with a shaking hand. "We've been too late all along…." The glass had broken violently at the first blast of what appeared to be black energy, exploding outward from Hotaru's room. It had taken out most of the bottom wall as well, ripping away brick and wood for them to see a familiar head of raven-dark hair bowed over what looked to be a floppy doll laying on the floor. A few seconds' of visual confirmation identified it not as a doll, but an ashen-faced Chibi-Usa, her head tilted as though her neck had been broken, arms and legs akimbo; above her chest was a glittering star, held in her attacker's hands. But the most disturbing aspect of the entire tableau was not that Chibi-Usa was in an obvious state of danger, or that her Silver Crystal had been violently stolen; but that the woman who finally looked up at the three stunned soldiers was not who she should have been. "_Hajimemashite_, sailor soldiers, the carriers of the light of reckoning. You've arrived just in time to witness my rebirth!" she laughed, rising to her feet as she shook out her long mane of hair. Though ‘long' was perhaps an understatement; the blackness they had taken to be energy breaking the window was in fact her hair, grown to ridiculous Rapunzel proportions. It moved and rippled at their feet like something alive, and most likely was. Hotaru had also grown several centimetres in height, ripening into womanhood; the black dress she'd been wearing was now hardly decent in covering her, the hemline scandalously high on her hips, her shoulders seams torn wide. She was no longer Tomoe Hotaru, but she was not Sailor Saturn, either. "Who are you!?" Pluto finally cried, bringing her rod around to bear. "You've treacherously attacked our future princess; for that, you'll be destroyed!" Without hesitation, Uranus pulled forth her sword, moving into position on Pluto's right; Neptune, on her left, held up her fist, preparing to call her power, because her mirror was not entirely an offensive weapon. Now with a different face to wear, they were perfectly secure in the possibility of murdering Hotaru. Not even a sailor soldier with the power of ruin would casually attack one of them as she had Chibi-Moon. Laughing, the adult Hotaru tossed back her hair again, and they saw clearly the black star scarring her forehead. "I am the figure of your death, sailor soldiers. I need no names for you to carelessly use against me." Her hand lifted, and she dismissed them with a wave, literally slamming them away with a powerful blast of energy. "This is the end of your world, and the beginning of mine! _Sayonara_, sailor soldiers." She vanished back into the building, no doubt escaping into Tomoe's damned labs to safety, the glittering light of the _Ginzuishou_ swallowed by shadow and black magic. As soon as her presence was gone, the trio raced through the jagged hole in the wall to reach Chibi-Usa, looking as though she were already dead. "She's stolen her soul by stealing the future _Ginzuishou_ from her body!" Pluto gasped, touching the child's skin. "I remember; the light of hope that our shining Queen held, wasn't it? And this child, Usagi's daughter from the future, she carried the holy stone as well?" The tall sandy-blonde sounded disbelieving; Setsuna had explained to them, despite the gaps in her own memories, everything she could about the Moon family, but it still seemed hard to swallow. Reincarnation she could take, but time travel and the possibility of paradox by having the child in the 21st century was just too much. Even harder was the idea that the shining blonde princess Haruka had dreamt in his arms had a child. "_Hai_; with even one possibility of the Silver Crystal in the hands of the enemy…we can't allow it, we have to go after that woman." "But what about the child, Small Lady? Will she be alright?" Neptune queried even as Pluto lifted the pink-haired child into her arms, cuddling her against her breast.

With every memory that she regained from her previous life as a younger, lonely Pluto, she found herself recalling the princess and the fondness that came with, a deluge of emotion that now threatened to overwhelm her. She shook slightly as she touched Chibi-Usa's still face, her plump cheek growing cold; her small little lady. "_Iie_. That woman forcibly stole her soul by taking the _Ginzuishou_ from her," she explained slowly, forcing herself to remain calm, to not start screaming and sobbing over the tiny body. "And with such a powerful magic touched by alien hands…her body has gone not only into shock, but complete shutdown."

"Chibi-Us-a-a!" a familiar voice called over the high wall, repeating again. Without hesitation, Pluto rose to her feet, taking up her rod in a parallel hold against Chibi-Usa's body, and ran towards the voice. Towards the only person who could possibly save her, preserve her remaining life until they retrieved her crystal. "Chibi-Us-a-a-a!" She laughed, exalting in the freedom of her new body, heavy and unwieldy as it was, burdened by thick flesh and sloshing organs. Holding the golden brooch in her hand, she fled down the hallways of the Tomoe labs, knowing by instinctive memory which way to go to reach the deceptively simple door. Wrenching it open and nearly off its hinges – hardly her fault, she had no idea yet of her new strength – she went rapidly down the steps towards the light to slam open the next door. "Germatoid! Germatoid! Finally, I've…achieved…" The blasted lab was empty! Empty! Where in the name of the multiple hells was that idiot? Her face twisted into a grimacing snarl as she stomped across the room, her thick hair dragging through dust and spilled fluids of all colours, some of it smoking. "Disappeared, on the very moment of our triumph! I should remind him who his better is…when the Master finally arrives, I'll—oh, there he is." Completely unaware of how silly she sounded, she disappeared through the open door she'd found. Obviously, he had chosen to speak with the Master, or that useless Magus; she merely had to follow him. And with the brooch in her hand, the power of the _Ginzuishou_ giving her such strength, she would make a grand entrance for them all. She could hear their voices as she approached: "I sense the awakened Ninth, Professor. As the Master's rightful partner, she can determine the invader's fate! Not you!" "But such possibility…surely, Kaolinite, you can make an exception. Now that the Ninth has awakened, my superhuman experiment has been flawed. But I can make repairs on this new body, and continue on! I can still be that potential god!" "You are no potential god, but an initiated being, Germatoid. One is superior to the other in that it exists and it is real," Hotaru-not-Hotaru snapped, standing inside of the entrance. "Though we are all stuck with these uncomfortable human bodies, we are superior. The plan has succeeded; soon, the Master and our new world will arrive. Everything is in place." Both of them, she was pleased to see, looked unsettled by her arrival; they immediately knelt humbly, ducking their heads. "Mistress 9, you've truly awakened!" Tomoe said smoothly, regaining that unusual humour without a problem. "With such circumstances, I feared you may not entirely open your eyes. Hotaru's body was so weak despite my experiments." "Weak and insufficient, but suitable for the purpose," she replied, smooths the front of her tattered dress. "No matter what, it is inconvenient to be drowning in this thick human flesh, but I will endure for the Master." With a wicked smile, she exerted just the smallest bit of effort, molding the skimpy shreds of fabric into a sleeveless blue shirt with a generous plunging neckline, and a white skirt that fell to the floor. The star on her forehead had disappeared after she had fully taken over Hotaru's body, but for a moment it flashed into existence again, marking her flesh; then again, it was if it had never been there. "You are truly the Master's second, Mistress 9," Kaolinite remarked, her staff on the floor at her side in a gesture of servitude; nonetheless, she stroked it nervously. "Now that you are here, we can destroy the sailor soldiers. We will have no need to chase them down, but allow them to come to us." Mistress 9 tilted her head, her hands hidden in the full folds of her skirts rather chastely; though truthfully, she was simply hiding her treasure from two idiots who couldn't appreciate it. In time, she'd flaunt it, unable to hold back, but for now...why offer pearls to those who desired merely rocks? "Truly, Magus Kaolinite? You finally have a plan that will work?" The red-haired witch flushed angrily at the insult, keeping her eyes down as steadily as she could, lest she do something she'd regret. "The sailor soldiers are noble. If one of their allies were captured, they would come running to rescue them without hesitation. The school can be their graveyard, their spirits nourishment for the Master, and the light close to our Taioron Crystal finally in our hands." Without waiting for the question, Kaolinite lifted her hand, gesturing towards her scrying pool, and muttering a quick incantation beneath her breath. The water parted; it gave up a body limp in a charmed sleep, barefoot and dusty, long copper hair floating around her face. "This one was an invader, along with a sailor soldier whom escaped the Master; a Sailor Venus. A strange power she has, nothing like the power of the stars, but very strong." Tomoe was practically salivating; he'd stood up as Kaolinite had called her prisoner forth, and he was now circling the pool, staring at the tall red-head from every angle possible. No doubt he was imagining how he could augment her, make her his experiment. Mistress 9 simply stared, a very petulant frown on her face. She had a memory of this woman, an echo of the swallowed Tomoe Hotaru's life, and her kindness; the touch of her hand, cool, not quite as cold as her own. And her voice… "LeBeau," she said suddenly, hearing the name just as it had been spoken to her. "LeBeau Alex. That's her name." "Truly? Then the name she had given us was false. How tricky of them." Kaolinite lifted her staff, standing properly on her feet. She was glaring at the tall red-head with something now akin to surprise; something about that name…as if it had been shouted. "Shall I awaken her? Perhaps seeing the face of the Master's partner will loosen her tongue; she would tell me nothing." "Awaken her. After that, if she says nothing more, you may proceed with your plan." Another gesture; her head fallen back, her body still limp several metres above the ground, Alex nonetheless began to open her eyes. She blinked slowly, seeing Mistress 9 in her line of sight, and said, "Who in the hell…?" Attempting to stand up, she realized where she was, and she swore, "Oh fuck, not the bloody Inquisition again," in English. Mistress 9 came closer, smiling. "A very strange phrase, LeBeau-san. Or, I forget; you prefer Alex instead." She lifted her free hand, holding her open palm above the American's face, and casually burned away her eyeballs. Not literally, but that's what it felt like. Alex's spine contorted as she twisted in the air, this time trying not to scream. So the raven-haired woman did it again, and a third time, delighting in the final howl she managed to get in return. But the delight was short-lived as she felt the sudden pressure slam into her body, throwing her backwards onto her ass far enough to leave a skid mark in the dust. Kaolinite and Tomoe were shouting; when she managed to lever herself back onto her feet – walking and running she'd gotten fairly easy – she saw they too had been thrown. And there was fire, real fire, she could feel the heat against her skin, surrounding Alex like a protective cocoon. Mistress 9 felt a second of terror as she saw the flames jump out as though they were alive, licking at the air; in this body, they could easily destroy her. "I can't get down, but I can sure as hell kill you from here if you try that again," the tall red-head said harshly, her eyes locking onto amethyst and holding. "Not if I simply destroy you myself!" Kaolinite snarled, holding out her staff as she nearly ran back towards the pool, obviously pissed. "Magus Kaolinite, you forget yourself! I haven't finished yet with this human, despite her power. And when you've killed the sailor soldiers, the Master will surely reward you for sparing this one, for he will want her spirit." Mistress 9 was up and standing again, holding forth the golden brooch in her hand. "And perhaps, force is not needed, ne? You have no reason to fight us. I've already won." The lid fell open, revealing the soft light of the Silver Crystal inside, tinged with the softest pink of its owner. Its light pushed back the shadows, and filled the room marvelously. "This is the sacred power you've hidden from us, you and the sailor soldiers; the _Maboroshi no_ _Ginzuishou_. With its power, I've awakened perfectly, taking this body for my own. And soon, our Master will arrive. You can tell us everything, but it wouldn't matter. All that's left is for you to become a corpse." Even upside-down, Alex could see the brooch, recognize the shape of it; and the blood drained from her face as she realized, "Chibi-Usa…" She stared up at the rotated face of Mistress 9, the long hair, the amethyst eyes, and added, weakly, "Hotaru….you sick bastards, they're children. Just children." She swiveled her head to catch Tomoe in her sight, reaching out her hand as if to grab him, several yards away. "Hotaru is your daughter, and you gave her to the wolves? I should kill you now, just for that, just for her sake." "_Iie_. Tomoe Hotaru was unnecessary. Merely a body." He smiled widely, tilting his head strangely. "When the Master arrives, I'll be rewarded. No longer will my methods be mocked, or my theories. I will have created the superhuman and I will be its god." Looking back, she could see Mistress 9 again, clutching the brooch to her chest. The silvery radiance of the _Ginzuishou_ was infusing her body, that much was obvious, and she laughed at the faintly horrified expression Alex had. "Even with such power, you're a weak human. Useful only to lure the sailor soldiers into our trap, and ultimately die." Nodding towards Kaolinite, she walked on by the floating red-head, who began to struggle again as the witch lifted her hand. "I'll show you weak, you evil fucking bastards…" she retorted, her flames dwindling and dying as the sleep spell was initiated, and her eyes slowly closed again. Mistress 9 could swear she heard an echoing whisper inside of her head; she turned around to see the tall red-head disappear beneath the water, and smiled. It must have been her imagination. Another hospital, in barely a week. The dark-haired shrine girl was beginning to understand the fundamental reason people hated them; they had a terrible sense of décor. No one wanted to be sick and treated like a wallet with a non-functioning body inside of flat-white rooms and uniform design and uncomfortable furniture. Even with the additional space for family members staying to comfort the sick, the entire place seemed more a sanitarium than a place of healing. It was now 1 A.M. in the morning; she could afford to be illogically interested in the walls. All they could do collectively was wait and twiddle their thumbs while Chibi-Usa was run through another battery of tests, another series of examinations. The doctors could figure out what was wrong with her – cardiac arrest – but not what had caused it. And they couldn't exactly go up to them and say, "Well, this evil being ripped out her soul, stealing the _Ginzuishou_ and its power, which is enough to destroy or revive an entire planet. Oh, and she's the future princess of the Earth and Moon, come back through time to train as a sailor soldier, which means mommy Queen and daddy King are going to be very pissed about this." Or something close to it. Toxic shock, tumors, aorta ruptures; it continually went on around them in a semi-meaningless babble, a coldly mechanical discussion of the means. The only ones making sense of all of it was Ami and Mamoru, both of whom had a pale, sickly look to them every time a doctor opened their mouth. Usagi was sleeping; she'd been so hysterical finally at the first diagnosis that they'd convinced her – read: distracted her madly while the doctor inserted the needle – to take a sedative to calm down. It would have been funny in any other circumstance, that their princess would worry herself right into the hospital bed with Chibi-Usa, but really it wasn't at all. When Sailor Moon had cleared the wall of the Tomoe labs and seen Pluto coming towards her with that small limp bundle in her arms, she'd been at first almost eerily calm. Until they'd told her what had happened, at least; then she'd begun to cry. Escaping to the safety of Setsuna's condo and discarding their transformations, Ami had gone at once to call for an ambulance while Mamoru attempted CPR after Chibi-Usa's breathing began to falter. Then, the _odango_-haired blonde had pulled herself together, holding her daughter's hand and channeling the power of her own _Ginzuishou_ into the small body, keeping it working until the paramedics arrived. From what Pluto could explain, there was no way to simply ‘heal' her missing soul and Silver Crystal with Usagi's, which she had tried for several desperate minutes as well. They explained that they had been at the condo having a small party when Chibi-Usa suddenly fell down, rapidly slipping into a coma. No, she had no prior illness they knew of, no diseases, no logical reason at all that a perfectly healthy eleven-year-old (as they'd put down) girl had just lapsed into such a state. They took her to the Children's Hospital, hooked her up on various machines, and began the round of tests that was still going on. All they'd found out so far was that her heart had finally stopped, and that she had never been vaccinated in her life, not even for the flu. Setsuna, carelessly lovely in a tan suede skirt and brick red blouse, paced by Rei again, clearly anxious; it was frankly strange to see her so emotionally unsettled. It just didn't fit with their memories of the younger, distant Pluto they'd seen in the future. Of course, they really hadn't seen her do very much at all except guarding the door and committing suicide, but it was still enough to make the differences very obvious. "Meiou-san, please, sit down, you're achieving nothing by pacing like that," Rei finally said, following the dusky-skinned brunette as she walked her twenty-seventh circle. "_Hai_; you're making us dizzy, Meiou-san," Minako mumbled, slouched across two plastic chairs, her arm flung over her eyes. Of course, they could've just been happy to have her there, period; Haruka and Michiru had taken one long, wrathful look at Chibi-Usa's wired body, and promptly disappeared into the visitor's lounge. When Makoto had gone by earlier for a bathroom visit, she'd seen them both nursing cups of what was probably coffee, looking as though they'd been thoroughly beaten. No doubt they were blaming themselves for not killing Hotaru sooner, and preferred solitary depression than silent support. It did work out in a way; when Usagi was finally knocked out cold, they brought her down to the lounge to sleep on one of the couches where the two could keep an eye on her. "_Gomen nasai_. But I'm not used to this…inability to solve the problem. Waiting like this is senseless." She did stop, however, smoothing out her skirt as she sat down properly, legs crossed at the ankles. "We know what's happened to her. That her soul was stolen by that woman. Obviously, we were too late, Tomoe Hotaru was damned by the enemy right under our noses." "So it wasn't Sailor Saturn at all? But is that possible?" Makoto queried. Setsuna made a strange choking sound, most likely a swallowed laugh of derision. Ever since Pluto had awakened within her, she'd been bouncing back and forth between her reasonably laid-back, sensible self, and the distant, ageless (anti) wisdom of the younger Pluto. Sarcasm was becoming one of her best defenses rather quickly. "Of course it's possible, Kino-san. The enemy has the tools of an alien civilization in their hands, and a mad scientist to make their plans reality. Tomoe-san does not appear to be the bastion of family values. If the Death Busters wanted her to be a vessel for their unholy creatures, he would have implanted the seed himself." "Meiou-san, forgive me, but does that mean that Sailor Saturn no longer can exist in her body?" the blue-haired genius asked next, her hesitancy in saying Setsuna's name driving home the fact that, up until the mad panic in the condo, most of them had been ignorant of the others' civilian identities. Minako had finally thrown up her hands and made them all introduce themselves – or introduce someone, in Mamoru's case, as he'd been busy – simply so they didn't blunder around in a hospital calling each other ‘Venus' or ‘Neptune' in public. Not that any amount of familiarity could help their shock when the three outer planet soldiers chose to remain behind to properly clothe themselves before the trip – they were, after all, still in sleepwear or less after transformation – and arrived finally at the hospital. In skirts and elegant pantsuits, the wrong Infinity student was wearing the wrong set of clothes, though Haruka did look amazing in her navy skirt and white poet's shirt. Their failure to save the pink-haired child seemed to coincide with her need to be feminine. It certainly explained a lot, but was a tad hard to swallow. Usagi and Mamoru particularly, were, judging by their glazed expressions at the time, the most shocked. "I don't know, Mizuno-san. Essentially, that creature has taken over her body and warped it, changing it into a shape more pleasing and perhaps, ironically, saving it. But the spirit of her planet residing within, it could still be hiding inside of her, or utterly destroyed." Setsuna watched a nurse rush by, so fresh out of her degree that she was constantly bowing to every single doctor she passed by, and almost walking into the walls. "It may be that if the inevitable happens, and Saturn is awakened, it may not be Tomoe Hotaru, but another body that the spirit had moved to. Or perhaps Saturn will revive Tomoe Hotaru and purge the evil and give her a fresh, healthy body. I can't say. This was not fully anticipated." Back into silence they fell, and she was glad for it; the questions had the taint of an interrogation, no matter how gently worded. All she had for them were vague statements, plausible ideas that could have been memories, hypotheses formulated out of gut instinct. She didn't enjoy in the least being a figure that they assumed they could turn to, some lone oracle constantly dispensing wisdom; she was just Meiou Setsuna, who was Sailor Pluto, who had been Sailor Pluto. She wondered if that was how the tall red-head felt, being the only one who had a true, clear memory of the Silver Millennium, asked constantly such questions only she could answer. After all, none of the girls had enough of a recollection of that time – a trait she suspected was due to their dominant 21st century personalities not wanting to be taken over by the submissive Silver Millennium personalities. She herself had trouble recalling those facts, but not nearly so much; after all, she'd spent nearly her entire existence in space-time, not exactly at the center of the action. Speaking of… The dusky-skinned brunette frowned suddenly, as she realized the absence. A very obvious absence in this world of mostly dark heads and short stature, not a single red hair to be seen. Perhaps she had stayed behind, but that was absurd; what possible reason would have kept the American away? "Mizuno-san," she ventured, wondering if perhaps Alex was as leery of hospitals as her mother, "where is Guardian-sama? Surely she would be here in such a crisis, but—" Ami blinked at her owlishly for a moment. She'd taken the time to re-read Chibi-Usa's chart, most likely trying to devise a possible prognosis that sounded acceptable to the doctors, or puzzling out a cure. And Setsuna knew all too well how easily such scientific jargon, intelligible to everyone else but students and practitioners, could lure them in and render them useless to the outside world. "You don't remember her name, Meiou-san?" she finally asked back, pushing up the glasses she'd also donned. Obviously, everyone assumed that if you had more than a vaguest recollection of their past lives, you remembered everything. "You weren't introduced to her properly…" "I would have never called her by any other name but that of her official title, and as we were separated by time-space, I never had any need." "…ano…_hai, hai_," the blue-haired genius agreed, mildly flustered. _Kami-sama_, was she embarrassed? Setsuna wondered. Whatever for? "Her name is Alex. LeBeau, Alex, that is, if you prefer that; but she very highly dislikes honorific and keeps asking us not to use it." Nodding, the dusky-skinned brunette tucked the name away for reference – she recalled enough fragmented French to wonder if the surname wasn't completely fake – and waited, perfectly at ease. Her _obaa-san_ had drilled that into her over many long years, such perfect poise meant to be turned at an instance into obeisance. It didn't mean she was actually obedient, just patient in her old age. Of course, with wild children like Minako around, one didn't have to wait. The long-haired blonde, still draped like some sort of geisha house adornment across the chairs, said, "_Sensei_ never came home. After we infiltrated Mugen Gakuen, she disappeared; no doubt, it's the enemy's fault. So we're going to break down the windows and rescue her." "You mean, break down the doors, Minako," Rei corrected her, a model of patience and perfect poise herself in her lone chair. It meant she'd had a lot of time to contemplate those walls, and had been considering a possible scheme of bamboo-brown paint with green trim to make the space less oppressive. "Those too, we'll break ‘em all down!" Minako cheered, though it didn't sound quite up to her usual standards of outright enthusiasm, and with reason. She pumped the air once with her free fist, then dropped it with a dull smacking sound onto her lap. "And now, Chibi-Usa…" "I…I see," Setsuna murmured, rubbing briskly at her twinging neck. "You attempted to infiltrate the enemies' location, and LeBeau-san was obviously captured. So now, she could possibly be just as dangerous as Hotaru." "_Na-ani yo_?! No way would _sensei_ ever work for the enemy!" the long-haired blonde snapped, sitting up straight as a board so quickly that Ami jumped. She gestured firmly as she said, "Obviously, they'd use her as a trap. If the Death Busters captured her, they would think she was a sailor soldier, or our friend. Surely we would never leave her to their mercy, and we'd come right to them." Waggling her pointer finger. "And how can we not, _minna_? The enemy has made it clear that we must stop them as quickly as possible, and to do that, we have to strike them directly at home!" She seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that Ami, Makoto, and Rei were staring at her in obvious shock. All she did herself was sit there, a finger pointed upward towards the heavens as if daring the gods to come down and contradict her, staring in complete seriousness at the dusky-skinned brunette. Who surprisingly laughed, and not a soft little titter either like they expected; she really seemed to find this funny. Mamoru came up just as Setsuna's laughter had died away, his arms full of vending cans. When the doctors had finally barred his entrance into Chibi-Usa's room, he had argued; but, as he couldn't exactly tell them he was in fact her father, he'd finally given up. Blood tests might have been proof enough, but they were hardly exact; and he doubted, as he seemed to be greatly changed in the future, that it would even make a match. Besides, explaining how he could possibly have an eleven-year-old child at his age would have been embarrassing to say the least. So he was their errand runner for the time being, with his princess drugged and sleeping and his daughter hovering near death. Holding out the top can, he said, "What's so funny? I don't think I ever dreamed I would see the soldier of the time gate laughing." Makoto took her can – plum juice – and popped it open. Setsuna accepted her oolong tea, smiling almost mischievously as she did the same. "What I find funny, _ouji-sama_, is that everyone seems to be entirely shocked whenever our leader proves herself to be an able leader." She took a careful sip of her tea. "I consider myself a decent judge of character, and I can see the same strength in Aino-san that our princess possesses, that desire to protect the innocent and loving at any cost." "That ignores the fact, however, that Minako is stubborn, silly, and irrational," the dark-haired shrine girl interjected, accepting her own can of tea. "Hardly the qualities of an able leader. However," she added snappishly, seeing both Ami and Makoto opening their mouths to argue, Minako's hands tightening around her can, "she has made excellent decisions during battle. She's sacrificed herself willing to protect our planet and our princess. And she would never let any of us down in such a situation." "We've never truly been surprised, after all this time, when Minako makes such statements. She just gets carried away, sometimes, and we can't help but worry about how society sees such an image," the blue-haired genius remarked, holding a can of western tea, Lipton in stylized katakana bright across the aluminum. As if to underscore her statement, a pair of nurses were staring from inside an empty room, one of them mimicking the blonde's motions in slow confusion. The tall brunette laughed, lifting up her can as if to toast. "_Hai, hai_! Minako can be very outgoing in her delivery, but that's alright." Setsuna sighed, palming her face. "Yare, yare, and here I thought I was dispensing amazing wisdom. Now I have nothing left but to stand silently and carry a big stick." "….isn't that what you normally do, Meiou-san?" "I'm trying to change my image. You know, update for the 21st century." She was running, chasing what seemed to be a trio of ghosts, never gaining nor losing on either of them. "Come on, Usagi-mama, you're too slow!" the smaller ghost laughed, waving her hand. "Yeah, _tsukimidango_, how do you expect to catch us at that rate?" the taller ghost added, though that was arguably, as two shapes occupied the space, one tall, one medium. Both had the same glorious copper hair and pale faces. "I can't run so fast….come back to me, I can't reach you like this!" Usagi argued, sinking onto the ground, holding out her arms. It barely registered that she was wearing what looked to be a collage of clothes from her three lives: Sailor Moon's tiara and gloves, the white gown she had worn as she died as Princess Serenity, and her school top and Mary Jane shoes. She must have looked ridiculous, but it didn't bother her at all. All three of them stopped, far way, on the edges of what looked to be a dark and dangerous chasm. "Well then, why would we want to be with you if you won't make the effort?" the medium ghost sighed, playing with her blue school skirt. "Usagi-mama, you're so lazy and stupid. I could never become a lady with a mother like you," the smaller ghost whined, tugging at her pink pigtails. "I suppose we'd better get going then; she isn't going to even bother," the tallest ghost snorted, turning away to step carelessly into the abyss. Usagi screamed, trying to get up and run towards them again, and merely fell forward onto her stomach. The smallest ghost skipped right over into the darkness, disappearing like a tiny flame blown out. Only the medium ghost was left behind finally, and she turned towards the _odango_-haired blonde as she sobbed, still trying to stand. "You failed me, Usagi-chan. I ran to catch you. So when are you going to begin running to catch those who are left?" She dropped. Alone, and she couldn't run to save them, and she simply writhed on the ground as the fish flew by in shades of bright pink and chartreuse, a few of them with legs. Then the sky parted, and she saw an enormous face, a hand reaching down through the clouds, and Michiru's voice calling her, saying, "Tsukino-san, wake up. "Wake up, Tsukino-san, you're having a nightmare." The clouds disappeared like mist on a rainy day, and she found herself staring up at the generic ceiling tiles of the lounge. Interesting. How had she ended up down here, away from Chibi-Usa, who needed her, whom she had to catch and keep safe? Her pale child, cold as the unforgiving Arctic winds, lips slightly parted as though she were merely sleeping, and not on the cusp of death. Running away from life and into the void, away from her. "Kaiou Michiru-san." Her voice sounded so weak and tired and rough. Scratchy. She realized her throat was sandpaper dry, and as she licked her lips, readying herself to ask for water, she felt a paper cup touching her mouth. Grateful, she gulped the tepid liquid – it tasted like generic bag tea brewed too long and cooled to room temperature – and she smiled. "_Arigatou_, I was so suddenly thirsty…" "_Hai, koneko-chan_," the tall sandy-blonde murmured, setting the cup aside. Usagi looked sideways to see Haruka settle back into her seat, smoothing her skirt chastely over her thighs, surprised; she had thought Michiru was holding the tea. But, another twist revealed the aqua-haired beauty sitting behind her, holding her own Dixie cup of tepid tea. "The doctor told us you might be thirsty when you woke up." Numbly, the _odango_-haired blonde nodded, and slid up awkwardly on the couch between them to sit. She felt groggy, cotton candy mouthed still, and her eyelids refused to open any further than half-mast. "What happened? I remember…Minako-chan…saying something. Chibi-Usa was…she was…." Both girls glanced over their princess's rumpled head, meeting one another's eyes; then, tentatively, Michiru said, "You were upset, Tsukino-san. The doctor gave you something to relax you and allow you to sleep." The flashing pinprick of pain; that was her last real memory before the darkness. That certainly explained everyone's sudden strange attitude, babbling almost incoherently to her as she began to…what had she done? Chibi-Usa, in the bed, so small and quiet, she was never so quiet at home, snoring in her sleep if she lay on her back, rolling over and over and creaking the springs. So pale as if she'd not seen the sun in years. So quiet, so quiet, so quiet – and into that silence, screaming. A sound not unlike her own raw voice, because it had been her. She turned away from both of them, staring straight ahead; the room was empty of anyone else, sparse with couches and padded chairs and coffee tables. A set of lower cabinets held a coffee maker and a hot water machine, with generic bag tea packets in a plastic box next to it. She made a face at the memory of the taste, suddenly craving the creamy, bitter flavour of Rei's powdered green tea she had made for her once. Ceremonial tea. The whisk, the bright green powder, and the froth. "Usa-gi," she murmured finally. "My name is Usagi. Mama is Tsukino-san, not me…" "_Gomen nasai_, but perhaps, Tsukino-san is better," Michiru's voice soothed, sounding so much older than her years. Though the _odango_-haired blonde couldn't rightly recall the girl's age, or if she had ever known; so well bred, she could have been eighteen. "You are, after all, our shining princess. Forgive us for ever being harsh. We took liberties we should have never taken in your presence." "I'm not Serenity. I'm Tsukino Usagi, a silly girl." Now she looked up, crystal blue still lazy with drug fog, but obviously angry. Her fists clenched at her sides as she whispered, "I'm no one special…just a silly girl. All I want is your friendship, not your devotion, not like everyone else! Dying for me, when I'm not…when I'm…." She wasn't going to be able to hold back the tears, and maybe she could even blame it on the drugs. But she felt the water sliding down her cheeks, salty as one disappeared into the crease of her lips, and she began to blubber like a child. What else did she have to lose to save the world? Friends, her prince, and now her daughter? An annoying, nerve-wracking, smug and imperfect child she had not even given birth to yet, and she was dying in that bed. Neither one of them touched her, hesitant, most likely, to impose. Haruka was staring at her with something akin to an animal caught in the headlights, unable to look away from Certain Doom; Michiru averted her eyes from them both, setting aside her cup, having reached a decision. Continuing to sob brokenly and loudly, the _odango_-haired blonde didn't even hear her stand up, straightening one of her cuffs. "I'll go find Chiba-san. Surely his presence will make our princess feel better." The tall sandy-blonde blinked. "Are you sure, Michiru?" After all, Haruka was not exactly the warm, comforting type to be left alone with a sobbing teenager. Michiru had a better head for these sorts of matters; Haruka was the brute force, she was the passionate brain. And it didn't help that she was so very close again to the girl in her dreams, and about to be left alone with her now as well. Michiru knew exactly what her partner was thinking. But, it was rather safe to say that the dark-haired prince had a dislike for the racer; in his emotional state, they could very easily come to blows over nothing in the hallway. Such an introverted man was always at the edge of explosion, and Haruka was the type to set it off. At least if the aqua-haired beauty found him, he'd be willing to come without any argument, and quicker, knowing who watched over her. "_Hai_. We'll be back shortly, I presume." Usagi snorted mucus and air loudly as Michiru strode briskly out the door, looking around helplessly for a tissue of some sort; without preamble, she was given a rough paper napkin. She blew her nose loud enough to signal the Self-Defense Force, and wadded it up into uselessness as she scrubbed and wiped everything clean. "_Gomen ne_," she mumbled thickly, getting one last swipe out of the disintegrating paper, "I'm crying like a baby." "You have good reason to be, koneko-chan," Haruka replied, holding out another paper napkin. When it wasn't taken, she set it on the nearby table. "After all, your…child…is up in that room. That would be difficult for any mother." "_Kami-sama_…" Usagi laughed suddenly, almost hysterical. "I'm not even her mother yet! I haven't even given birth to her, and I'm watching her d-d-die…." She clenched her fists so hard that the remnants of the napkin oozed out from her right. "And I can't save her, I can't just wish and make it all better. The _Ginzuishou_ could destroy a planet, but not save a little girl!" "_Koneko-chan_…" A pair of strong hands grabbed her by her shoulders, turning her halfway in her seat to face the tall sandy-blonde. From this close, Usagi could see the subtle changes that her clothing gave her, the lightly applied make-up, making Haruka so obviously female that she marveled at how she had never noticed. That she had never put two and two together. But then, she would have never expected another girl to show the interest that Haruka gave to her at the Dome. Nor would she have anticipated the hesitant, feather-light kiss that she received now, tasting slightly of lipstick and tea, and into it breathed, "my princess." It grew deeper, a press of open mouth to parted lips, and the lightest intrusion of tongue. And like that, it was over, a void left in its place, and Haruka released her so suddenly she fell back onto the couch. "You taste like the bright sunny day, like hope and happiness," the tall sandy-blonde moaned, pressing her palms against her eyes. "Everything so sweet. _Kami-sama_, do you know what twists in my heart? How you beckon in my dreams? A ‘silly girl' could never be so intoxicating to me." "I don't….Ten'ou-san, I don't understand…." "But it wouldn't matter in the least, because you're a shining princess, and I'm merely a soldier. A woman, a weak body in a world made up of strong men! And if I was a man, I could at least have hope!" Haruka snarled, standing up to cup her breasts, squeezing them as though they would disappear if she did it hard enough. "Everything turns to glass when I even dare to hope! And you cry, because you can't deny the will of the gods this one time, when you've spit in their faces before, while I sit here, insignificant…" "Ten'ou-san, you're a strong woman! Everyone admires you! And Kaiou-san, she looks at you with love in her eyes!" Usagi was confused at this turn of events, her eyes dry but still puffy and red, so thrown she'd forgotten to continue crying. "I don't understand why you would see me in this way. You have so much, you're famous and popular and smart!" Haruka turned away. "I'm a woman playing at being a man, reaching for the unreachable. It isn't good enough to dream. Everything rests upon a sliver. The only time I'm finding truth in my ways is when I feel the magic steal over me, making me truly strong and alive and better than anyone." She clenched her fist, looking back over her shoulder at a stunned princess. "Can you still accept me now, even at that? In love with the moon…" "_Iie_. In love with Neptune," Usagi whispered confidently, though she touched her lips in memory of the kiss. "A strong person, no matter what you say." Light flooded their eyes, its perfect timing nearly scripted, but it wasn't either of them who caused it. As one, they turned to look into the middle of the lounge. "Who the hell are you?" Haruka demanded. Kaolinite smiled, stroking the handle of her staff with her thumb in a slow, lazy circle. "Such language, Ten'ou Haruka, of grade ten, 1127 Ten'nou Condominium Tower. It should be obvious who I am." They could see the wavering image of the wall and its furniture through the witch's body, which meant she was at least not there in person and considerably more dangerous. But it also meant that she could find them over a distance, which was still bad. Usagi felt herself pulled back, positioned behind Haruka, as the tall sandy-blonde stared hard at the floating image, trying to discern who it was. Red hair like blood, a black witch's dress worthy of a Halloween costume, that infuriating smirk… "Kuromine Kaoli-san," she deduced. "The Magus Kaolinite, if you please. No longer am I that weak body." The witch's face contorted, shaking wildly like TV static, her voice echoing; a minute later, they felt the disturbance, rocking the entire hospital back and forth. "An earthquake!" the _odango_-haired blonde cried, hearing people scream in similar terror out in the hallways. Both girls reacted on years of teaching, ducking underneath the wooden table and praying for the movement to stop. After all, Tokyo was long overdue for the Big One; fear of earthquakes was a part of life in the city, indeed, on the entire island. Not surprisingly, they could hear Kaolinite's laughter over the rumbling noise, though they could not entirely see her from the floor. Haruka positioned her body over Usagi's immediately, before the princess could protest; no matter where they were, everyone seemed willing to die to protect her. But it was a strangely comfortable sandwich, listening to the tall sandy-blonde's rapid heartbeat, smelling the faint spice of her cologne – or perfume – and hardly jostled at all. "Ten'ou-san, you smell nice," she warbled softly, unsure of how else to break their tense silence. Still conflicted despite their predicament of how to deal with Haruka's obvious passionate overture. "Anything for my princess." Stormy eyes watched a cup fallen on the ground, noting its rolling movements. As soon as it slowed and stopped, the building began to settle back into place as well, and cries and prayers to the gods began to grow loud down the hallways. "It's finally stopped, and we're still alive. Must not have been the Big One quite yet." "Oh, the Big One is coming, Ten'ou Haruka. And nothing you do will stop it." Kaolinite's voice was strong again, and as the tall sandy-blonde rolled out from beneath the table, she added, "though I do assume you'll try, and by all means, do. Your nourishing spirits will merely aid us in our plans." "We'll stop it. That is the role of a sailor soldier. To defeat the enemy, or die trying." Haruka reached out, pulling Usagi out and onto her feet, careful to stand herself between the two, in case Kaolinite could do anything. "You're merely goading us into premature positions." Kaolinite smiled, tracing the black star in her staff. "So very easy, ne? You sailor soldiers are possessed of limited minds, and limited ideas. You'll come, now or later, but you'll come, and we'll take your spirits. Already our Master draws closer, the last piece in place." She coyly tilted her head, looking around Haruka to the smaller blonde head behind her. "Are you the one I have to thank for our victory? Your little girl resembles you highly, and her spirit is remarkable I've been told." "_Nani_? Chibi-Usa's spirit—what have you done with it!" Usagi cried, attempting to run at the image, forcibly held back by the tall sandy-blonde. "Give it back to me!" "_Iie_. When I take the shining light of Sailor Moon, it will match hers. And then, your world will exist no longer." Kaolinite laughed sharply. "You are indeed that strong soldier, I can see the light of your spirit, and that ridiculous hair!" Haruka snorted, struggling to hold onto her princess, who was twisting in her grasp like an irate feline. "So how did you find us, then? If you're so damn smart." "Silly child, have you no concept of magic? Knowing the true name of your enemy gives you power. You and Kaiou Michiru are in the school's records. Sailor Uranus." Kaolinite flicked away an invisible speck of dust off the top of her staff, pursing her lips into a moue of irritation at the ignorant peasants in front of her. "But I need not transport myself there. You'll come here to me, and willingly." Footsteps in the hallway; only Usagi turned to see Michiru, Mamoru, Setsuna, and Makoto standing in the doorway, staring dumbfounded at the image of Kaolinite. Haruka kept her eyes on the enemy, as a good soldier and guardian. "And we will? Surely, Kaolinite, you give us more credit than that. We'll come when we're damn good and ready to destroy you, not on your whim." Kaolinite arched a brow at that, looking away from twin storms to survey the assembled in the doorway. Defiantly, Michiru lifted her chin at her stare; Setsuna looked right on back at her, cool as an ice cube; Mamoru still seemed rather startled to see the witch's image; and Makoto was outright furious, poised to throw an attack despite her identity. "Oh, you'll come. If you want your copper-haired friend alive. And how could you resist the idea of defeating us on the cusp of victory?" she mocked them, sneering. "Please. You heroic types are as stereotypical as television." "And what if we decide the risk isn't worth it, even for an ally?" That was Michiru, unsurprisingly. "Of you, I would believe it. The carriers of the lights of foreboding, I can imagine you to be ruthless and cunning. But of the others?" The red-haired witch gestured to include Makoto, Usagi, and Mamoru. "They are weak and soft. They'll come." Usagi didn't even bother to pretend; crystal blue was full of frightened concern, fed again after the attack on her child by the disappearance of her friend. But she was starting to shake again, the fear and emotional turbulence beginning to galvanize into righteous anger even as Kaolinite studied her, watching her beautiful aura pulse and brighten. So lovely and white and powerful, yes, there was that. "We have love in our hearts, which makes us stronger than you, heartless and cruel and angry," she stated proudly, lifting her hand to touch her brooch. "Everyone falters, eventually. But being human, we have a choice to change, and be happy again, and accept our differences!" She held out that hand, fingers loose, palm up, as if accepting a gift. Deliberately, she stepped away with Haruka with one sure movement, took another, a third, and lifted her palm to press it against the thickened air of the image. "I feel sorry for everyone who wants to be angry and hate without reason," she said, even as Kaolinite's face began to warp and dissolve, her spell unable to hold under the touch of Usagi's hand. The power of the _Ginzuishou_ was, after all, so similar to the light of the Taioron Crystal, and her will was strong at the end. The lounge cleared, as if there had been an unusual heaviness in the air, and they all breathed easy without realizing they'd been working for every breath. They stared at the _odango_-haired blonde, or rather at her back, as she was still facing the wall; eyes closed, smiling so sweetly, she felt her confidence return as she'd banished Kaolinite's weak magic. Lowering her hand, she turned around to face her friends and prince, her expression dimming back into the tired and worried countenance she'd had since waking up. She murmured, "Chibi-Usa?" Mamoru shook his head, rubbing at his face as if to wipe away all of his problems, while the dusky-skinned brunette said, "The situation has not changed, _hime-sama_. She will not be cured in the hospital, and no machines will keep her alive any longer. Her sickness lies in the magical and spiritual, not earthly." "Then there's no hope?" Haruka ventured quietly. "We would never get to the stolen crystal in time, not with the Death Busters expecting us." "And that is if that woman did not entirely eat her spirit." Her partner seemed to be finally wearing down; she didn't even bother to inject a modicum of hope into her voice for the benefit of their royal audience. "For surely, she was a daimon, and that is what daimon are supposed to do; live on the untalented spirits like sustenance." The tall brunette snapped, "There's always the possibility we'll make it! Don't say such dismal things in front of Usagi!" her fists clenching tightly at her sides. A small fight could have very well broken out between the three – Makoto looked to be spoiling for any sort of release, and Haruka would have been glad to oblige – when the building began to shake again in an aftershock. It only lasted half a minute, but it was enough to knock them onto their hands and knees. It was also a signal of worse to come; an earthquake occurring after Hotaru-not-Hotaru had stolen Chibi-Usa's holy stone was surely not coincidence. None had been anticipated, though it was hardly an exact science to predict. People were running down the hallways again after the building stilled, shouting in alarm. As the group stood up, an elder doctor came to a jogging stop in the doorway, breathing as if he'd gone for a marathon. "You, there! Are you here visiting a patient?" he demanded. "Ano…_hai_," Makoto answered, being closest. "Tsukino Usagi, on the seventh floor." "I don't need a name. But it's on the news, official warning; we have to evacuate the hospital. The entire bay region is being told to evacuate," he explained rather brusquely, still catching his breath. "Everyone. That earthquake's epicenter was in the Delta, and they've calculated another about to hit in two hours." He turned to leave, ignoring their stunned faces. "So find your patient, and if she's well enough, take her home. If not, she'll be evacuated to the Children's Hospital across the city with everyone else." Setsuna muttered, "Evacuation at this level of people, that's enormous. If only I could reach the professor…the warp must be growing worse, space being disturbed." "No doubt, they've finally begun their worst plans," Haruka said, "if even this hospital must be evacuated. We're not even within the unofficial boundaries of the Delta itself, we're kilometres away." "We're still close enough to be a concern. And with so many sick children, it would be a precautionary measure to get everyone as far away as possible." Mamoru ran a hand back through his hair, actually mussing it into neatness. "But Chibi-Usa…" Everyone fell quiet again, realizing the unspoken. The hospital's machines were doing almost nihil to keep her alive, but even that was better than nothing. If they allowed her to be evacuated, she would be too far away to reach in time; if they took her home, nothing would be keeping her body functioning. And no matter what, they had to go to Mugen Gakuen and stop the Death Busters. They could only wait so long before the second earthquake came, and caused an even greater calamity; the history of the Great Kanto Earthquake was not far from their minds. The dusky-skinned brunette glanced over at their prince, magenta eyes assessing him clinically, thoughtfully. She remembered, a vague sort of memory, of her lavender king revealing a great power of his own, something she couldn't rightfully name. But it was a marvelous power, and the idea was beginning to grow in her head, taking shape, because it could work. It really could. "We take Small Lady home," she said suddenly. "But, she'll die," Usagi protested faintly, sinking onto the couch. "_Iie_. I think I know how we can save her. But first, we have to get her out of this sterile prison." "How, Meiou-san?" the tall brunette asked again, confused, needlessly wasting time. She received no answer as the soldier of Time hustled them all out with flapping hands reminiscent of a clucking grandmother, driving them to the elevator. Obviously, this new and improved Peppy Pluto was something they'd have to get used to. There was a veritable deluge of people abandoning their homes for the inland. Cars choked the right side of the road, slowed down to a crawl as everyone disregarded traffic lights and indeed common sense and tried to cram in as tightly as possible to leave. People on foot were pulling wheeled suitcases and loaded down with overstuffed backpacks; obviously, they didn't expect to be gone long, or had taken only their most precious items, knowing their homes could be gone within the day. Despite the beeping horns and bumper-to-bumper traffic, it was an extremely orderly evacuation, one most of them had most likely planned in the back of their minds for years. And many of them spared a puzzled look for the blue Ferrari that sped down the left lane, going in the wrong direction. Haruka had taken one look at the traffic jam and ripped out into the opposite, arguing that they'd get there faster, and wasn't Chibi-Usa's life hanging in the balance? Neither future monarch had argued with her on that point. Mamoru cradled the pink-haired child on his lap in the cramped back seat, trying to concentrate as he lay his hand directly over her heart. Next to him, Setsuna was saying, "And I'm not sure what else we can do, _ouji-sama_. Just concentrate. Imagine your spirit and your energy filling her up, making her heart beat. You have this power in an older body, you must have it now!" "I'm trying, Meiou-san," he muttered, closing his eyes tightly. This was his dying child, his responsibility; he needed desperately to make her body function again, if only at the most primary levels. Anything to keep her going. "Come on, Chiba," he added through a clench of teeth, "you can do this. For Chibi-Usa, you have to!" In the front seat, their princess and twice-proven saviour was watching the passing of traffic, her face pale and her eyes rimmed raw red. But she didn't cry, had not shed a tear since she'd disrupted Kaolinite's spell and sent the witch packing. There was no more time to sit and bawl. Seeing so many people driven from their homes and lives by the cruel arrogance of the Death Busters, she was finding the strength and determination to leave her child, her prince, and defeat the enemy. Every single scared and resigned face was imprinted in her memory; so many. So very many. Everyone else was going directly to the school, being of no use otherwise, transforming on the hospital roof to make the several kilometre run. The cats, having been left at Alex's condo, were staying there despite the dangers – Luna had turned on the computer and found a program remarkably like their old one below the Crown, allowing them to communicate with the girls. They could also see the tall tower of Infinity from the bedroom balconies. Diana was inconsolable; she was apparently curled up on Alex's bed, refusing to talk to either of her parents. Another hurt by the policies of the Death Busters. "We're here." Mamoru's building was cold, only half full; Juuban was not close enough to the bay for evacuation, but many citizens were leaving anyway. They had passed Minako's parents, who lived near Shibakouen and closer to the bay, standing out on the sidewalk in front of their house with suitcases and bags, calling out frantically for their daughter. It would have been funny in any other case; the long-haired blonde often complained that her mother had given birth to her merely to have a punching bag around the house. Now, that same critical woman was crying so hard she could hardly say Minako's name clearly, frantic that she was dead or missing. Usagi's grip on the door handle had gone white-knuckled by the time they stopped. Parked on the wrong side of the road, the traffic still too thick to even attempt crossing over, they climbed out and ran for it, shaken by a second aftershock just as they made it into the building. And this one not only knocked them off their feet, it kept them flat for at least a minute, unable to get up for the movement of the ground. The situation was worsening, no doubt about it. Now even more cautious, they took the stairs instead of the elevator, Haruka in the lead, shoving people out of the way who were intent on leaving. A quarter of the building seemed to be in the process of using the stairs to escape, carrying their bags and valuables; one woman was carrying a lamp styled like a Ming dynasty vase, and another a two-foot long potted bonsai on his back. Several began fighting on the floor just below Mamoru's, yelling that someone had broken their son's toy car on purpose. Haruka took extreme pleasure in pushing them aside, telling them she'd break their hands to match the car if they didn't move. "This is madness," she remarked as they finally emerged onto the correct floor, which was amazingly quiet. "Arguing over silly things instead of leaving for safety." "Where can they go? Nowhere will be safe, if the Death Busters succeed," Setsuna said in return, closing the door behind them. And then, Mamoru's home, dark and cool, small objects fallen and strewn on the floors. Haruka, having done her part, busied herself with picking up these items and placing them back on their shelves or tables, while the other three disappeared into the bedroom. Here, Mamoru practically collapsed onto his bed, sweating with the exertion of maintaining his tenuous link with Chibi-Usa. Both of them glowed faintly golden as he gave her part of his energy, and though she was still pale, she was no longer so dangerously white. But she still didn't breathe or even move under her own will. "Mamo-chan…Chibi-Usa…" Usagi pressed her fist against her lips, trying to swallow her rising tears. "_Daijoubu_, Usa," the dark-haired prince sighed, looking up at her. "It was hard to establish, but I'll be fine now, slowly. As long as Chibi-Usa's body is alive, I'm succeeding." "But, Mamo-chan, you're trying so hard…!" Setsuna reached over and touched her hand to Mamoru's forehead, testing its heat; then, she curled her fingers around his free wrist, marking his pulse. He smiled a moment, marveling that he, the hopeful doctor, was having his pulse taken, instead of the other way around. "He's already relaxing. The initial stress of making the link tired him, but his pulse is steady, and his temperature is nearly fine. Soon it should be as easy for him as breathing." She smiled brightly, patting the back of his hand before releasing it. The _odango_-haired blonde opened her mouth, most likely to protest; then, after a momentary reflection, shut it. She crouched, smoothing her skirt beneath her properly, and kissed her pink-haired child on the forehead. Her skin felt cold beneath her lips, utterly still. Hovering there for a minute, she recalled so many images of Chibi-Usa's laughing, smiling, brilliantly alive face. The innocent child, alone in the icy world. "I'll save your bright, happy spirit, Chibi-Usa," Usagi whispered. Leaning up, she then gave her prince a kiss, though it was a lingering touch of mouths this time, sharing one another's breath. Love, and all of its ups and downs. Oceanic blue stared into crystal blue, realizing what he'd known out in that freezing Arctic world, holding her body as he now held Chibi-Usa's; love was not choice so much as chance. And in this life, he had managed to find it, and he never, ever, wanted to let it go. It didn't matter anymore that their love was destined, it was still truly miraculous love. "_Aishiteru_, Usa," he said. "_Aishiteru_, Mamo-chan," she returned, smiling at him so innocently. The dusky-skinned brunette touched her shoulder, barely a tap, and she stood up. Exiting the bedroom, they found Haruka standing in front of the door like a guard, incongruous as it looked in her skirt and blouse. Arms folded, she turned around at the click of the latch, stormy grey seemingly shuttered behind her lashes. "Is Chiba-san going to be alright?" "He'll be fine. As it's his daughter he's linking to. But we can't delay any longer; we must meet the others at the school," Setsuna said, turned to look expectantly at their princess. "Then we have to leave now, and save Chibi-Usa's spirit! Before the earthquakes hit again." Usagi touched her brooch unconsciously, moving past them both to hit the lights. "Everyone is waiting for us." Getting back down to the car was far easier than the trip up; now they moved with the flow of traffic, which had dwindled down to nearly nothing. Outside, the Juuban district was loud with the sound of engines; apparently more people had decided to cut their losses and flee. But no one was desperate enough yet to use the left lanes and break several traffic laws at once, which meant the blue Ferrari had plenty of room to drive correctly back towards the Delta. Not even the few cops they passed – who could use the left lanes lawfully in this emergency – seemed inclined to stop them. If they wanted to essentially commit suicide by going back, they were welcome to it. "This can be over quickly. All we have to do is reach the woman, whoever Tomoe Hotaru has become, and kill her first. Then, once we remove Tomoe-san and that witch, Kaolinite, all we have left is their secret lair, no doubt where they hide their –" "Kill Hotaru? What do you mean, kill Hotaru?" Usagi interrupted. " – where they hide their evidence, and Tomoe labs. Both of those can be destroyed easily with our powers," Haruka continued, as if she'd never spoken, her eyes on the road. "We should also destroy the school building just in case; the rubble will sufficiently cover up everything." Usagi repeated, "What do you mean, kill Hotaru? She's innocent! If I can reach her, I'm sure I can persuade her to change her mind and help us defeat the Death Busters. Surely…" "_Hime-sama_, Hotaru is gone!" Setsuna met her eyes in the rearview mirror, magenta narrowed angrily. "All that is left is that woman, and it was that woman who stole Small Lady's spirit so cruelly! To kill her would release the body forever, and save Small Lady. Can you continue on your path of righteousness if it sacrifices your child?" "She's right, _koneko-chan_, we've got no other options!" the tall sandy-blonde agreed, taking the turn at a squeal again. "Her body was so wasted by Tomoe-san's experiments, and her soul harboring the god of ruin; if we kill that woman, we've done a favour. We have to stop them, or else we'll be watching the world die instead. It won't matter if we've stopped Saturn from coming, the Death Busters can put themselves in her place and condemn our planet!" The dusky-skinned brunette turned to look out of the window, releasing Usagi from her gaze. "And what of the Crystal Guardian, trapped by the enemy? Would you let her die as well, just to attempt the salvation of one body against millions? She would be telling you the same as we are; she knows what must be done. Don't mistake compassion for condemnation." She reached forward to touch Usagi's shoulder, squeezing. "We aren't murderers, _hime-sama_. But we have to do this. You have to understand." Usagi lowered her head. "I know, I know what has to be done. But I don't want to kill! I don't want to take life! Even so, I've done it, you've reminded me of that, Meiou-san; I've killed to stop the Dark Kingdom, I've killed to save the future from the Black Moon. But everyone is so kind to me, so compassionate, that I've forgotten what terrible actions I've taken." "_Hime-sama_, I don't mean to be cruel," Setsuna began, but she was stopped by the turn of Usagi's head, her wavering, gentle smile as she met her eyes again. "_Iie_, Meiou-san…Sailor Pluto! You're not cruel. You're a true sailor soldier, and you accept the responsibility of keeping us all safe. By reminding me of what I've done….perhaps, every future queen needs that. To make them a kind and gentle ruler, knowing the difference between right and wrong, and of sacrifice." Usagi sniffed softly, wiping her hand crudely across her nose. "And I have to accept responsibility too, for my planet." The car shook sharply; the _odango_-haired blonde slid back into her seat quickly, turning to see what appeared to be everything gone wrong. If she hadn't seen the familiar shape of the Infinity building in the distance, and the Shugoshin building nearby, she would have thought they'd taken a wrong turn. Many of the buildings had warped as though they'd been made out of plastic, left out under the sun for too long; twisted like a Dali painting, they bent over towards the ground, or spiraled up towards the sky. All manner of weeds and plants had sprung up, thick and twisted around light poles and mailboxes and even buildings. The air was thick and hard to breathe, fetid with the redolence of rotting greenery and brimstone. And as Haruka carefully drove over the cracking concrete, they heard the sound of more stone snapping, holes appearing in the road behind them. "_Kami-sama_," Usagi moaned, pressing her fingers against the window. "Luna, Artemis, Diana…._minna_.…!" "LeBeau-san's condominium building seems perfectly fine," Haruka soothed her, glancing towards the solitary lights on the eighth floor. "Outrageously fine, considering the damage everywhere else." She pulled the car into the Ten'nou condominium underground garage, turning off the engine. They were the only ones there; every single space was empty, with only the tire marks and pools of dripping fluids to mark that they'd even been used. Not surprising, considering that the building itself had looked, close up, to be in bad shape; windows broken, cracks running up the sides. The Kaiou and Meiou complexes undoubtedly had suffered the same sort of damage, and Usagi realized suddenly that the three outer planet soldiers, even if they defeated the enemy, were effectively homeless. Herself and the others lived far enough away from the bay area to still have homes to return to after this was all done. They got out, leaving the car behind as they walked out of the garage, finding themselves in a wilderness of cracked concrete and madly growing plants. "Well, I know the developers are most likely crying right around now," Setsuna remarked calmly as they stomped their way through irate plant life. "All of this excellent real estate destroyed." "Well, that's what they get for buying from a mad scientist," Haruka snorted. At the edge, where the concrete roundabout in front of the school connected with the sidewalks circling the condominiums, a huge slab had broken up, lifting the path up nearly a metre. The tall sandy-blonde hopped down, landing neatly despite her choice of shoes, and reached up to grab Usagi by her waist before she could protest. Swinging her down carefully onto her feet, she said, "Can't have our princess twisting her ankle before the big battle, ne?" "_A-arigatou_, Ten'ou-san, but that wasn't necessary." "Obviously not, as you'll notice Ten'ou-san not helping her elders down," Setsuna added with a put-upon expression, hopping down herself. The tall sandy-blonde gazed at them both with a wry smile, turning to walk away. "Are you that old now, _obaa-sama_, that you need help?" she retorted mildly. Laughing, their amusement tapered off as they approached five familiar figures waiting for them in front of the Infinity building, spots of colour against what had become another Dali nightmare; it shimmered like a mirage, wrapped in vines and weeds. Neptune, watching them expectantly; Venus, at her side, rocking on her heels; Mercury, staring at the building through her goggles; Mars, eyes closed, head tilted up, as she felt the energy around her; and Jupiter, pacing in a tight circle, anxious. All of them turned to face their princess as she approached. She stared at them, already in uniform, and up at the building behind them. Foreboding and dark, she felt a stab of fear in her heart; she didn't want to go in there. But she had to. Chibi-Usa's life hung in the balance; Alex was somewhere inside, waiting for them. The entire city, if not the planet, was poised to be destroyed. "_Minna_," she sighed, touching her brooch, clasping it so hard the ornamental metal pierced her hand. "Let's go. We have so many people to save! Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!" Behind her, she heard, "Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!" "Pluto Planet Power, Make Up!" _Kami-sama_, the rush of power from the two of them, it was enough to make her gasp, so close was she. Her eyes closed as her own transformation wrapped her up, bound her snugly, infused her blood and body with energy. She landed, feeling the cracked stone beneath her heels, and turned to see Pluto toss her head slightly, freeing the tumble of her green-black hair, and then Uranus stretching, reaching up as if to touch the sky. Back around, and everyone waiting for them to step forward into their ranks, a strong front united; Sailor Moon took the first step. "Bothersome pest! That shining energy will be mine, if I have to reach beneath her ribs and yank out her beating heart myself!" Kaolinite frothed, raging for the fifth time since Usagi had disrupted her spell. No one was around to hear her, anymore; after the first screaming session, Mistress 9 had begun laughing and disappeared into the cavern with the Taioron Crystal and their Master. Two seconds later, Tomoe had left, headed for the lab, giggly as a schoolgirl with the prospect of unconscious soldiers to experiment on. It didn't matter, she loathed them equally. She resisted the urge to roast the American, still trapped in a state of suspension and floating again above her scrying pool, but that wouldn't do her any good. It was, however, a strong urge after realizing that she knew where she'd seen the girl before; trapped inside the hallways of the Dome, facing Viluy. With the makeup she was wearing, and her hair pulled back from her face, she looked slightly different, like a fraternal twin instead of identical, enough to have Kaolinite sure she was hallucinating at first. Going through the trouble of wiping off the makeup and undoing her hair and even changing her clothing to match what she remembered, Kaolinite was then positive it was the same person. No wonder she had been in the building under an assumed name, trying to snoop around. Whatever tie she had to the sailor soldiers was sure to bring them stampeding to their front door, right into their trap. That is, once she decided on the trap in particular. The second aftershock freed some smaller stones from the ceiling, falling noisily onto the ground, clunking Kaolinite right on the skull, and splashing into the pool. She howled, biting back several curses; the spell to open the doorway for their Master was powerful indeed, and the planet was just too damn fragile. Once again she was glad she was going to be above ground when the doorway was completely opened; the cavern was most likely going to be destroyed. It wouldn't be able to handle the seismic side-affects. "I need a brilliant spell," she sighed angrily, pacing around in a circle. "A miraculous spell, that will destroy those arrogant soldiers. But what can I do?" Tapping her lips with the sigil of her staff, she mused on the idea as she circled around and around, dreaming up faintly ridiculous, disturbingly violent scenarios, with lots and lots of gushing blood. Gushing blood meant death to humans, so she added even more. As she spun around for the seventh circle, her eyes fell on her chest of dolls. They'd been gathered up after that last summoning, and placed back into the box, and set back on the table. But the last aftershock had knocked that table over, spilling the now-broken trunk onto the floor, the dolls thankfully whole but now strewn everywhere. "My tools! _Chikusho_…thrown about in the muck like garbage!" she raged again, running over and punt kicking the useless box off into a corner. She set the table upright, picking up the dolls and carelessly wiping them clean, setting them in an orderly row. "What if they'd broken? How would I summon those fool spirits?" She stared at the dolls thoughtfully, brows drawn. Ah, now there was a real idea brewing in her brain, a wonderfully simple, effective plan. After all, it was those three carriers of the lights of reckoning that she needed to be careful in dispatching, Sailor Moon that she had to steal away the light so close to the Taioron Crystal. The other four were weak and useless, and could be rid of easily, leaving the rest scared if not defenseless. "Ara ara, Magus Kaolinite, you are a wicked genius!" she crooned. "Six witches; the two strongest will add their fading power to mine to create the trap, and the four pitiful witches will destroy those four soldiers, one by one." She picked up the Janus-faced doll, smiling at it. "But how shall I create the spell? A binding curse, perhaps?" A binding curse would be the most effective, sending a specific witch after a specific soldier. But she needed names for that, even if it was their titles as a soldier, and she knew of only Moon, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Venus. She mused over this problem as she held the Janus-faced doll, tracing its two unique sigils. She wandered back to her pool, summoning an image of the four soldiers with an impatient wave of her staff. A tall brunette with a ponytail, clad in green and pink; a slightly shorter, long black-haired girl in red and purple; Venus, with long blonde hair in her golden orange and yellow; and a petite blue-haired girl in sapphire and ice blue. Again, she tapped her staff against her lips, thinking. She would bind Venus to Mimete, matching colours and what she sensed was a silly personality. But of the others… Eudial and the red and purple soldier would be perfect. But what was her name? What planet could she possibly be, with those colours; and with fire at her command, she vaguely recalled that from Ise. Then she snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course; Mars. Sailor Mars." The other two were a bit harder, as she didn't recall seeing either of them do their attacking spells, nor had she ever really watched them in battle. But the sapphire and ice blue soldier seemed matched to Viluy, which marked her as an intelligent mind. And the green and pink soldier echoed with Tellu, both of them in love with plants and greenery. "Mercury, perhaps?" she queried the image, smiling as she felt an answering ripple of magic. "And then, Jupiter of the oak and trees and all manner of green things. "Excellent." Now four of those dolls rested in strategic places of power within the front hall of the school. Their mismatching eyes glowed as the spirits of the sailor soldiers came near; and ghostly images rose like smoke, uncurling and giggling. Though the soldiers didn't know it. They had assembled into a rough circle formation around Sailor Moon, with the three outer planet soldiers at the front, talismans out and ready, and the four guardian soldiers at her back. The three were their offense, powerful enough to punch through whatever came their way, while the four had styled themselves defense. And Moon was, as always, protected between them, the heart moon rod loosely clutched in her hand. As one, they moved through the front door, and into the building. Almost immediately, those doors disappeared, leaving a smooth wall behind. They were trapped, but they had expected that, and they continued onward. "We have to make it to the basement," Venus said, not bothering to lower her voice. "That's where the hidden door is." "So there is in fact a secret level beneath the school?" Neptune queried. "_Hai_; the blueprints and building records confirm it, though only someone willing to figure the mass of earth removed against the mass of the entire building and all its levels would find this," Mercury answered without a hint of ego, entirely modest on her extraordinary find. She had put on her goggles, and was even now watching the walls around them; even though the electricity was out, and everything was dark, nothing else seemed amiss. They reached the large fountain, several of them looking up into the higher floors. Without the comforting ripple of the water, everything seemed loud and obvious and frightening; even their footsteps sounded obnoxious. "The energy distorting the Delta doesn't seem to be within the building at all," Mercury finally reported, staring up into the inky blackness. "It's very possible that because this is the very epicenter, there exists an ‘eye,' much like a hurricane's calm center. No distortion at all." "That doesn't mean it won't happen before long," Uranus said grimly. As if to prove her right, the giggling began audibly for them to hear. Everyone turned as one to eye the tall sandy-blonde, who shrugged; wasn't her fault that she'd pegged it right. They stepped out, fanning around Sailor Moon, watching the shadows carefully. "They know where we're headed," Jupiter remarked. "Well, Kaolinite did say she knew you were all soft-hearted," Uranus agreed a bit angrily, bringing her sword up to face level. "You'd head right for LeBeau-san." "And we won't apologize for it!" Venus snapped back. "_Sensei_ is a strong fighter as well, and she'd want to be at our side, defending this planet." The giggling was growing louder, echoing around them in the large foyer. Several pinpoints of red appeared within the shadows, twinkling like miniature stars; without hesitation, Pluto brought her rod around to aim at the closest, snapping, "Dead Scream!" Her attack had barely left when the pairs of eyes vanished on the spot. But the power did leave a spectacular hole in the wall, through which they could see the surrounding foliage. And no sooner had it done so, several tendrils of black shadow came whipping out, and Neptune and Uranus threw themselves closer to their princess to protect her. Expecting the worse, they poised to defend themselves, talismans raised. But they didn't even attempt to attack her. Instead, shockingly, the four guardian soldiers found themselves entangled, wrapped tightly. Arms, legs tightly bound, mouths scarred by black gags to keep them from calling their powers. "Venus! Jupiter!" Pluto gasped as the two frantically twisted. "Mars, Mercury!" Moon cried, trying to push past her two protectors to reach them. The shadows dragged them away before they could even plead for help, unable to reach out or struggle for freedom; their bodies were swallowed by the darkness entirely, and they were gone. "_Minna_! _Iyaa_! Let them go, let them go!" the _odango_-haired blonde screamed, breaking away from Uranus and Neptune to run forward, though there was nowhere to truly go. The shadows breathed around them, thickening, but hiding their prizes well; the four could have been anywhere in the building by now. "So suddenly, we're separated…" "And this means more time wasted; Venus knew the exact location of the hidden door." Pluto sounded annoyed, though even Moon could hear the undercurrent of concern lacing her voice. If the enemy had gone out of their way to capture the four first, that meant they had a specific plan in mind. "What can we do?" Neptune lifted her mirror, staring into its silvered surface. "We can't waste time looking for them; this entire building is a maze in the dark. And my vision of their location is completely distorted." She stared a moment longer, than added, "Nor can I find LeBeau-san. All of them are cloaked by the witch's magic." Sailor Moon gripped her rod tighter, looking up into the multiple floors of the school, lost to darkness and shadow above their heads. All except for a twinkling white light so far above, perhaps a room hastily exited. "There's a light on, up there," she remarked, pointing upward. "So far overhead; could someone be left behind in the school?" Everyone looked up again. "Perhaps the enemy," Pluto said, narrowing her eyes in an impossible attempt to see. "So high in the building, wouldn't that be the principal's offices and administrative rooms?" "_Hai_," both Uranus and Neptune answered. "Most definitely a trap then, ne?" Moon sounded, of all things, severe and the beginnings of angry. The Black Moon had kidnapped her friends; now the Death Busters had snatched them as well. An excellent way to get her blood up, not that attacking her child and kidnapping her oldest friend didn't qualify; but this meant war. This was deliberate. "Would that Magus Kaolinite woman be up there?" she queried, swiveling her head to look around at the tall sandy-blonde and aqua-haired beauty. If she didn't know better, she'd swear they were looking at her with something akin to respect, if not awe; and a wry smile, in Neptune's case. "Most likely. Tomoe-san has his laboratories, and I have no doubt that he would be hiding there, plotting his own mad schemes," Uranus replied thoughtfully, envisioning the man doing a mad Dr. Frankenstein dance around his various vials and Bunsen burners. "And Magus Kaolinite is the one hiding everyone from your mirror?" "_Hai_, no doubt. After all, we've dispatched the Witches 5, ne?" The _odango_-haired blonde nodded once. Then, she began to look around with a curiously intent expression, affecting a sort of crouching creep around the boundaries of the foyer. Unsure of her intent, the three just watched her in various degrees of confusion, wondering what in the name of the _kami_ she was doing. They gained an answer when she finally lifted her rod with a mutter, producing the most extraordinary flare of power at its crown, just enough to light the four metres around her, showing them the foot of the stairs. "That's…that's very amazing, Sailor Moon," the dusky-skinned brunette finally said. She smiled, though they could only see the barest curve of her face in profile, at an angle away from them. "I wasn't sure it would work; producing just a little bit of power like this isn't so easy." Holding it up like a torch, the explorer in the jungle about to enter the mouth of the cave, she said, "If we stop Magus Kaolinite first, she won't be able to use any more magic to prevent us from finding their secret room. And because of the darkness, we'll use the stairs; if that terrible woman can cast a spell, she could drop the elevator with us in it." "A clever plan, _hime-sama_; as well, the witch can tell us where the woman is hiding with Small Lady's holy stone," Pluto agreed, holding her rod in a cross grip as she jogged quickly to match Sailor Moon's rapid strides. The other two followed, neither arguing nor agreeing, but the general feeling was that they were in favour; how could they not be? Their princess was actually taking a strong charge. And with the four guardian soldiers taken by the shadows, this was the best plan they had. Neptune continued to stare into her mirror as she kept in pace with Uranus easily, watching for even a sign of their allies; but there was nothing but blank glass mocking her. Taking the stairs in a 56-floor tower was by no means a rapid means of transportation. Though the stairwells continued all the way to the top, the steady incline was not easy on the feet nor the knees; and by the tenth floor, they were feeling the ache already. But they continued doggedly, slowing down to even out their pace and ease the pain in their muscles. "If Venus were here, she could pull us all up on that golden chain of hers, ne?" Uranus sighed, glancing once over the edge to see the darkness beneath them as they climbed. "Ah, but the wind is light and free, and needs no such help," Neptune countered mildly, lifting her eyes finally from her mirror to gaze sidelong at her lover. The tall sandy-blonde had no comment for that one; and in the shadows, none of them could see her flush. Sometimes, the aqua-haired beauty inferred more than she let on, which made for an intuitive, caring lover, but also something of a paranoid partner. More stairs; through the open doors they could see empty classrooms and vine-choked windows, though many of the rooms were properly shut off from view. One of the science classrooms looked particularly ominous, with the shapes of vials and the requisite human skeleton facsimile hanging as though a dead man at the gallows. No doubt about it, the place was spooky as hell without the benefit of lights and the rush of students. It was as if the very essence of the Death Busters and their Witches 5 had permeated the walls, like unseen ghosts earthbound. Twenty floors, and the higher educational grades began to show, mostly from the lack of candy wrapper refuse and American-style lockers for the students' personal objects. But some of them were hanging open, a few half off their hinges as if yanked open in violence, their contents gone or hastily removed with some to spare. A paper trail led from one right across from the double doors off down the hallway where they couldn't see; a faint breeze rustled them, sending them skittering across the floor. "That's odd," Uranus muttered, watching them twist and roll end over end. "The entire building is state of the art, sealed up tight. Where would that wind come from?" There was another gust of wind, blowing the papers back in the opposite direction, and a cool breeze tousled their hair. Above them, there was the sound of feet, and the appearance of several students looking over the railing, mouths spread wide in painful jester's grins. "They've bewitched the students!?" Moon gasped, looking down as another group appeared on the stairs beneath them, still dressed in their burgundy and green plaid, barely old enough to be in junior high. In front of them, a cadre of older students appeared, taller and disheveled, their clothes ripped and hanging in tatters, faces streaked with sap and blood. One of them, a black-haired boy, opened his mouth obscenely wide to show a shark's grin of razor sharp teeth, completely inhuman; and Neptune whispered, "_Kami-sama_; they're daimon. They're fully daimon. But they've retained their human bodies!" "Just like we suspected of Tomoe-san, and that black-haired woman, ne?" Uranus jeered, bringing her sword up in a parry. The _odango_-haired blonde looked around at her, shock evident on her face. "You can't attack them! They're students!" she protested, putting out a hand to grab at the other girl's wrist. That seemed to be the signal; as one, the three levels of students rushed forward, down, and up, mouths open in those terrible snarls, eyes swirling and glowing like twin stars. Uranus twisted her wrist free with one decisive jerk and met the opposition at a run, swinging her elbow around into the closest jaw. Neptune turned to meet the group coming from below, calling her power in a rush of water and energy to sweep them down the stairs. Pluto faced the upper crowd, using her rod to parry and jab as they attempted to overwhelm her with numbers. Sailor Moon looked frantically around, eyes wide as she watched her allies beat back the students almost viciously; though only Neptune had used her powers, they seemed not to care that they were inflicting serious injury. One boy fell back with his arm hanging at a bad angle; two girls, twins, met the business end of the lavender rod and dropped with bloody noses and swelling faces. "You don't have to do this!" she pleaded, holding up the heart moon rod, "I can heal them, I can save them from this terrible fate!" "They're fully daimon, Sailor Moon! How can you heal them? It would most likely kill them just as easily as we can do," Neptune countered, gracefully kicking a struggling student in the chin, sending him flying down the flight of stairs. "Leave this messy business to us." Uranus spun, catching a bespectacled girl in the chest; there was a sharp crack as a rib or several broke. "They'd kill us if we allowed it. And we can't afford to waste any more time!" The _odango_-haired blonde screamed as a boy half her size dropped from three floors up, landing on the step in front of her, and leapt onto her like a monkey, grabbing her throat. She fell back hard onto the steps, pushing against his shoulders to dislodge him, but he was so small that he simply twisted around her hands. His own fingers clenched tighter around her neck, and she choked, hearing Neptune's cry of warning; but all she saw was the boy's face as he lowered his head, opening his mouth. She could feel that peculiar sensation again, the same as when Tellu's mutant plants had begun to siphon away her soul, feeding on it like sunlight. Her fingers relaxed, allowing the heart moon rod to slip away, its light going out. "_Iie_…" A group of girls took advantage of Neptune's shift in attention, grabbing her by the hair and arms, yanking her back into their midst. Uranus and Pluto were frantically trying to beat away the students who had grabbed hold of them as well, unable to use their powers in such close proximity; the garnet rod was flung away, the space sword sunk deep into the wall. "Sailor Moon!" Uranus screamed, sounding in her desperation so very female and helpless. "…._iie_…" Chibi-Usa was cold, her eyes closed. In the future, her body was unresponsive, beautiful as a statue. Lying in the snow, dead, sacrificing themselves for her, were her four new friends. "Not again! Not ever again will it happen!" The _Ginzuishou_ appeared as it had in the future, though she had thought it a dream; that vision of the lotus, each petal shining, cut like the finest diamond. The power of the Moon, of her will, rolled forth like the sea, up, down, around; it was a blaze of illumination. Her eyes opened to see the boy vanish in a disintegration of ash, her throat constricting one last time then relaxing to breathe again. Around her, the students were becoming ash and then nothing, blown away by her holy stone, their bodies completely useless. Nothing left but the daimon wearing their skin. Uranus dropped to a knee, staring with awe as her visionary princess stood, her hands protectively cupped around the crystal lotus like a figure in a painting. Neptune coughed, pressing a gloved hand against her bleeding cheek as she gazed at the very same sight, a goddess come down the earth. Only Pluto seemed untouched by the mystical, knowing she'd seen this before but not truly remembering it; she dropped to a knee as well, but to gracefully bow in the presence of their sovereign. Slowly the light retracted, dimming, leaving the building a little colder from its disappearance. She opened her hands, holding them palms up as if to show she wasn't hiding a thing up her sleeves; the holy stone vanished, presumably back into her golden brooch, and she looked up into the stairwell. "You were right, Neptune," she sighed ever so softly. "But surely, to ease their suffering gently was the correct way." The aqua-haired beauty nodded as though she'd been given a wise bit of advice. She pulled her hand away from her cheek, lifting her mirror in an almost ridiculously normal sweep to check on her injury. "_Gomen nasai_, Sailor Moon. For so long, we've had to accept that the quickest way is not always the kindest. To defeat the enemy, one must sometimes emulate the enemy." Rather dazed, Uranus lowered her head, looking around at the scattering of ashes at her feet. So beautiful her little _koneko-chan_ had become, exactly as she'd dreamed. What would it be like to make love to such a person, possessing that power and combination of innocence? It was almost enough to make her beg for even an hour's time, an allowance to win her heart and body away from her stoic prince. In love with the moon…_kam-sama_, she had to be mad to wish for the impossible. And then that goddess turned and looked at her and stared, as if she could see those crazy thoughts in her soldier's head. The temptation of such a divine personage so close to touch, to worship; was this what they meant in the old tales of being moonstruck? For the love of the _kami_, if she had to go through this every time Sailor Moon used her holy stone, she was going to go entirely mad. But she smiled finally anyway, one of her slightly arrogant, entirely calm grins, acting as if nothing was amiss, and stood up to pull her sword out of the wall. Pluto had recovered her rod as well, calling it to her hand. And so they continued to climb as if nothing had gone wrong, their steps kicking up little eddies of ash as they went. Great glittering spans of metal and working parts, all tiny as science has discovered to make them, working infinitely faster, better, than their predecessors. Machines dispensing all of the information available at her fingertips in an instant. Paper printouts like works of art with their tiny printed words, reams and reams spitting out of the printers. "So much wonderful information," Mercury sighed, "so much I could accomplish! Ara, the newest discoveries out of the Geneva Institute, and the latest updates from America!" "Isn't it lovely, Sailor Mercury? Everything converted into bytes and kilobytes. So much data to be found and digested." The girl swiveled around in her chair, legs folded beneath her burgundy skirt. Her ice-blue hair swung with the movement, brushing her shoulders, matching her narrowed eyes. "For a genius in this day and age, studying can be endless. One could wish to be a computer and contain all the information in the world, it's the only way to know everything." Who was this girl speaking to her so calmly? Was she a fellow student, a genius like her, unable to leave the computer lab for its frankly addicting pull? And her voice sounded familiar, though she had not said ‘Mercury,' but another name, a different name beginning with the very same letter… "But I'm happy with studying, learning what I desire. To become a doctor as I wish, I have to study on my own. Otherwise it's useless." "But aren't you always so busy? Much too busy to study properly. The girl genius, unable to fill her brain with everything it needs, because she's working so hard to fight. Ne? Don't you get tired of fighting and protecting that truly unimportant girl?" Something cold crept up her bare legs, not entirely uncomfortable. Unbidden, several equations came to the front of her mind, reforming themselves to show her their variables and answers, mutating into entirely new numbers. So much knowledge in her brain, but not enough, clearly. But she could always study more, if she had the time…all she needed was time… "Hai, so tired of fighting. So much time wasted when I could be studying, cramming in more hard facts. I never asked for this vulgar life." The girl smiled, reaching aside to type on a nearby keyboard, fingers racing adeptly. "Ara ara, Sailor Mercury, is this true? Surely I can fix that, as I am the model science student. Do you know that the human body produces so very much electricity?" she asked intently, as Mercury vaguely noted the cold travelling further up her body. "Enough to power a computer, ne? You would be a complex data machine, one with the technological marvels. Isn't that better than wasting time as a sailor soldier?" "_Sou yo_, fighting is so terrible a waste of my time. Being a doctor is truly miraculous, saving each life personally, instead of the clinical preservation of millions you don't know…I desire that life. More information! More knowledge!" She raised her hands, only mildly interested to see them partially disappearing beneath the metal wires that shunted into her skin. "The modern age is amazing in that you've discovered more in the past hundred years than the long-gone five hundred. Think of it; artificial intelligence is gaining on living organisms daily. Soon, all of it will be metal and machine, no longer soft and stupid. Information will be universal, and everything will be equally available to all. You can be the first step, Sailor Mercury; give up your flesh and blood to the machine. It's only a matter of time anyway, and isn't sterile immortality better than eventual death?" Flipping back her icy hair, the girl smiled as Mercury's eyes went strangely glassy and dim, her brain teeming with so much new knowledge she didn't care anymore…. or more accurately remember…wasn't she looking for someone? Couldn't be very important at all. Mars didn't understand what she was doing in this room, sitting at the desk as if this were entirely normal. For one, there was no bland-faced nun staring back at her as if she could read her soul and every single sin imprinted, dictating their lesson for the day. Only an eagerly smiling girl with medium-length hair the colour of blood, tied into two sets of loose ponytails on either side of her head. Her eyes were the same shade of crimson, wide with anticipation, and she played with the sleeve of her burgundy Infinity uniform. "_Konnichi wa_, Sailor Mars. Today begins the lesson. And you're far behind in your studies." She should know this girl; the recognition was vague, almost nonexistent, but she felt that she should have this girl's name. Secondary to her confusion was the fact she was even here to begin with, and she queried, "Ne, what am I doing here? I'm not supposed to be here. I have an important person to protect. Don't I?" "Yare yare," the girl sighed, folding her arms. "The lesson has begun, and you've spoken out of order. In Etiquette, you've failed shamefully." She gestured lazily with her hand – between her fingers appeared a familiar looking staff topped with an Infinity symbol and black star – and Mars screamed soundlessly as her body burned. An illusion, the red-clad soldier realized; her skin was unmarked, her uniform whole. But she felt the pain as surely as if she'd been dropped into a raging bonfire unawares. "You've fallen behind in your skills. Surely this isn't what you desire to do in life, ne? To fight useless battles instead of learning propriety and grace." "_Hai_; I desired nothing but solitude in my faith, to run the temple once ojii-san passes on," Mars murmured, as if trying to convince herself that her answer was correct. "To be a proper maiden of the temple, tending my soul through worship of the spirits." "And yet, you brutally destroy. You create chaos in the spirit world by fighting enemies who have no honour to formally relinquish to you; like hoodlums, you beat down the opposition with no skill, no grace!" The girl smiled, turning in a swirl of skirt to write on the blackboard with her staff, words burning themselves onto the surface; Today's Lesson: Etiquette. "No longer will you have to suffer needlessly. I know what your soul desires." The dark-haired shrine girl felt herself straightening as if pulled by wire, perfect posture ramrod straight. Yes; this was the class she'd dreamed of, surely, and she would not act surly as a child. But there was still that itching suspicion she knew this girl, even as she came closer, wielding her staff between both hands like a riding crop. "Your spiritual faith desires the grace of a true believer, a perfect maiden giving herself wholeheartedly to the gods. Your temper desires to learn the true way of bushido, of the samurai class. And luckily I, Arimura Yuuko, teach etiquette and military arts; and you'll never have to leave here. No longer will that undisciplined girl, Sailor Moon, misdirect your wishes." "_Hai_…" _No!_ "Etiquette and military arts…" _Trickery, deception, I can sense it, I have to fight this illusion!_ "Arimura-sensei can teach me…." Grinning, her eyes were twin stars even as the vibrant purple of Mars's began to fade. "_Sou yo_. Don't worry, Sailor Mars. This will be the last lesson you'll ever need." _Sailor Moon…_ "_Minna_! Sailor Moon! Sailor Uranus! Where is everyone?!" Jupiter's voice rose in irritation as she ran down the corridor, heading for what seemed to be a gentle light source. She didn't even know where in the building she was; every single map posted around the hall corners had been turned into a writhing Bosch nightmare. And no one was answering her calls, even though she was positive she'd run the entire length of the floor. Of course, the enemy could have had her running in circles. If the light she ran for wasn't anything of consequence, she was going to blast a hole in the wall and escape for the outside. At least then she'd have an idea of where she was. She even called power to her hand in preparation as she finally emerged into the light. What she wasn't expecting, however, was the lovely smell of plants. "_N-nani_?" she moaned, releasing the power and dropping her hand at her side as she stared around. A greenhouse, she'd run right into the school's greenhouse, and it was enormous and absolutely wonderful. The kind of glass wonderland she longed for if she ever had the money, safely protecting so many beautiful flowers from the seasons outside. She could feel the moisture in the air against her skin, keeping everything damp. But it was almost a little too much, she could see the puddles on the floor, and if she used her basic attack, she could accidentally either short out the lights or electrocute herself. But she was in a greenhouse; what harm could befall her? Wouldn't hurt just to look around. The roses were enormous and fantastically fragrant, all pinks and peaches, the colours that had retained or enhanced their scents over the commonly used red. She gathered up the blooms carefully in her arms, breathing them all in deep, luxuriating in the feel of their petals against her cheek. Little tea roses, their blooms smaller and flatter, she stooped to smell them as well, practically giggling in her enjoyment. This was a paradise! "Oh, if only this were a reality for me, this beautiful garden…I could drink tea and grow content and find a lover to share it with. So many roses, and they smell so beautiful!" "Would you like to stay here awhile? Our roses are especially unique," a voice said behind her, and the tall brunette stood and spun to face a green-haired Infinity student. "We breed our own roses, enhancing their many attributes. Isn't it calming?" Green-hair, like that of a leaf, she'd seen that before. A laughing, taunting face; but this girl was staring at her with a quirking smile, neat and proper in her burgundy top and green plaid skirt. "Hai, hai! I love roses. If I could live in such a garden, I would be happy. My dreams are always full of scent and colour." The student gestured to take in all of the garden, and the blossoms and leaves seemed to swell, lifting and arching towards her. "But why not? You can stay here if you like. Your body and gentle spirit seem bruised, as if you've been poorly handled. Just like a flower, the merest selfish touch can hurt it; and you've never been handled softly, have you? Always pushing aside your needs for that of someone else." "But I love to be considerate and kind! Just like the roses, I want to bring happiness to everyone and make everyone smile." She breathed in deep, feeling her body relax; there was no need to hurry and leave this wonderful world. "Happiness and smiling faces…" "You can be considerate certainly! Just stay awhile, just a little while, and relax. There's no need to fight, truly, not when you've found this rose garden. Doesn't it make you feel better? These roses can take away all of your worries," the green-haired student purred, watching Jupiter sink slowly down onto the path. Oak green had dulled to a rotting mold colour, and her kneeling position soon began to teeter into a recline. "All of my worries…_sou yo_…nothing terrible can happen when I have such beautiful roses around me, smelling so sweet. I never ever want to leave!" Ever? "Never." "This is your big moment, Sailor Venus! Come on, you'll be famous! Singing with the idol Hanyu Mimi, that's your step to stardom!" Was it? The long-haired blonde ran onto stage, wielding her microphone, laughing. Why had she been so hesitant? This was indeed her dream, to become a beautiful and famous idol, and there was no better idol than Hanyu Mimi to catapult her into that place. Mimi, with her short blonde hair and burgundy and green plaid uniform, already in the middle of the stage with her microphone, singing beautifully. Unlike many famous idols, she could actually carry a tune. But wasn't her dream unimportant to her function as a sailor soldier? She slowed down in confusion, knowing that was more important somehow, being a girl in a silly costume and fighting evil. Even now she wore the orange sailor suit, and she played with the skirt, knowing there was something she had to do. Someone else wearing this suit, in red and blue, crying her name in anguish… "Come on, Sailor Venus! You're my special guest star! Don't keep your fans waiting!" Mimi crooned into her microphone, throwing up her arm in a pose that worked a roar of approval from the crowd. The long-haired blonde looked out at them, unable to see a single face for the bright, illuminating lights shining on them both. Maybe there was no one at all. "Sailor Venus, this is your big moment! Everything you've dreamed!" "_Ha-a-a-a-ai_!" Venus sang, hitting the note perfectly. She had practiced for months now hardcore on her voice, honing it to a perfect edge, though the time she had for auditions was dwindling steadily. It took a lot of time and effort to save the world, and unbidden, a tiny flare of irritation swelled in her heart. Everyone was so selfish, demanding more and more of her time…why, she could be famous, Aino Minako, the beautiful idol, instead of Sailor Venus, the unimportant soldier. "I've always dreamed of this! Who wants to fight? I want to sing and dance!" Mimi laughed. "Isn't such a thing absurd? Fighting and getting dirty and ruining your voice, why, no one would desire that! Come on! Your friends aren't truly friends, asking you to sacrifice so much for their selfish desires!" But that wasn't selfishness, that was their duty. Wasn't that why Ace had given her his curse, freeing her from any obligation save that of her supreme duty as a soldier? Her destiny was to fight, not to sing and dance. And she didn't want that destiny, she did want to sing and dance and fall in love! "Forget Ace!" she said into the faceless crowd, pumping her fist up into the air. "Go forth, Venus! I'll sing my way to the top! That's all I've ever dreamed of doing!" she laughed, hearing everyone – no one? – scream her name. Venus, Venus, Venus. She would have gone forward to receive their praise, but she seemed to have wrapped the microphone cord – there hadn't been one a minute ago – around her legs. The smiling blonde idol. Kaolinite rested her feet on the desk, arms folded behind her head, as she watched four of the ghostly figures of the Witches 5 laugh in miniature. The waxen dolls she'd made of them had gained a head each, save for Cyprine/Ptilol's doll; Eudial and Mars, Mimete and Venus, Viluy and Mercury, and Tellu and Jupiter. And just like before, the only real stamp of personality was in the astrological sigils upon their brows. Drawing those unique sigils on the desk in wax is what gave her the anchor now to see these images, the dolls still scattered on the first floor. Each soldier had their own ghostly figure as well, though they stood smaller than the witches, smiling stupidly in their euphoria. She could only imagine what her little brats had conjured up for each of the girls, as she'd done really nothing more than bind them together, and let them run wild. Whatever it took to get the four out of her way, that was all she had commanded. If it meant they would eventually die, wasting away for lack of food or water, so much the better. She noted a shimmer above Cyprine/Ptilol, and she eyed it with interest; both witches rose up, see-through shimmer, and smiled in unison. The two of them she had not bound to any particular soldier, but to the stairwell doors that opened onto the floor beneath her. As she had noted, the soldiers were terribly predictable; once she took away their four, they would, in befuddlement, decide to rescue them or find Kaolinite and force her to release them. Uranus and Neptune knew she was acting principal with Tomoe's lack of concern about the school, and where else could she so simply be? The appearance of the two small ghosts meant that she had been right, and the remaining soldiers were coming for her. How in the name of the _kami_ and all their shades her witches had not been able to impressively predict the soldiers' movements and destroy them easily was beyond her. Then she remembered how arrogant they had been, just exactly like the teenagers they'd once chosen to discard in their quest for power. Ah, well. You win some, you lose some. An unusual shadow appeared across the desk, candle flames flickering, and Kaolinite scowled. "Is there a reason for disturbing me? I have an important mission to accomplish." "Truly, Magus? You seem to be very relaxed for such an important mission." Mistress 9 idled her way out from behind the red-haired witch, trailing the ridiculous length of her hair across the floor, and eyed the effigies. "Sending the impressionable ghosts of your witches after the four soldiers, I see. And what about that girl who bears the brilliant light, Sailor Moon?" "She'll be arriving shortly. The soldiers are stupid believers in sacrifice and love. She'll come running to save her friends, and I'll have her shining spirit. All of them will be in my hands, as a redeeming gift to the Master." Kaolinite watched Cyprine/Ptilol, the duo still smiling ghoulishly, though relaxed in their stances. "So then, where are the four in their trances?" "Wherever my witches had taken them. There are plenty of locked rooms and windowless closets to entice their bodies into, their minds lost to my spell." Mistress 9 smiled, playing with the golden brooch she'd fastened to the strings of pearls draped across her breast. Kaolinite scowled further, noting its presence, and what the woman was obviously trying to convey. "Magus Kaolinite, I hope you succeed, if only for your own sake. The Master will tolerate no more failure! Already, the plan is in motion, the spell has been cast, and you have used up you usefulness in all other ways." "Is that a threat?" Kaolinite hissed, half-rising out of her chair. "_Iie_. Merely a warning. Suffice to say, you're not worth the effort of a threat." So saying, the woman turned, walking away into a shadow and vanishing into the air, the tips of her hair becoming mere shadows themselves, and remained striping the carpet. Once she was well and gone, Kaolinite let out a curse, stomping up and around the desk, eyes narrowed to slits. "So the bitch thinks me worthless now, that she's awakened in that pitiful girl's body? Arrogance! Who brought together the Witches 5 to do our bidding? Who has run this school to lure the best souls for the harvest? Not her! Not the Master's sleeping second!" she raged, clenching her fists. "Not the one I've had to nurture and baby, awaiting her arrival!" She paused, noticing Cyprine's bent and waiting position, staff held out. Ptilol was still placid, though gone tense, obviously anticipating the battle. "So, they've finally come this close. Witches, do not fail me this very last time!" Growling stomachs echoed up and down the stairwell; again, they looked at her. "_Gomen nasai_," she apologized for the fifth time, "but I didn't have time to eat today." "You could have had a snack from the vending machine," Pluto chided. "I offered several times to get you some," Uranus sighed. Their princess looked around curiously as they climbed, arms crossed over her stomach as if it hurt. "You're making me feel hungry now too, Neptune! That reminds me, I haven't eaten for a few hours either." Despite themselves, the other three had to chuckle. It was their only source of amusement since leaving the scene of the cleansing, so many floors behind them. The soreness of their muscles from the steady incline had become that tingling ache of hours spent on their feet. It was almost enough to send them running for the nearest elevator and see if it worked, but the thought of a possible bewitchment kept them doggedly climbing. And they had not taken any serious breaks either; what time could they waste? The walk had also been eerily calm since that last attack; though the three outer planet soldiers still held their talismans, they were loose at their sides, no longer poised for battle. Sailor Moon still held her rod like a torch to light their way with one hand, pulling herself up each flight of steps almost comically by the railing with the other. No amount of endurance was enough to overcome her lacking exercise regimen as Tsukino Usagi, and she was stoically ignoring the stitch in her side. Every so often, Neptune glanced into her mirror and, seeing it empty, let it drop. For so long, it had given her nothing, not even a hint of warning or clue; merely silvered glass, mocking her. So as she lifted it this time, as they passed the fifty-third floor, she expected the very same. This time, it showed her a laughing face, familiar to memory, and she said, "A trap, but somehow, it's impossible…it's the witch, Cyprine!" "Cyprine!?" the other three echoed, halting entirely in the stairwell to stare at her. "_Hai_, in preparation for us to arrive; but we witnessed her death! How can magic call back her spirit from the winds? Surely Sailor Moon's power is stronger than that." Pluto shook her head, looking up towards the last two floors. "With such powerful magic, there's no doubt that the Magus Kaolinite has that ability. If they were truly her servants, she could have bound a piece of them to her, to call them back in any form." And yet she smiled, though it was not entirely humorous. "But we're ready this time, ne?" Everyone nodded, once. They took the last floors at a run, forgetting their aches and pains, weapons held at the ready. Cyprine laughed at them from the fifty-fifth floor, greeting them, "_Konban wa_, sailor soldiers! Once again, we've been given the opportunity to destroy you, to please our Master!" They could see her raise her staff. "Magus Kaolinite, share your power with us, so that we may strike down these enemies; Ribbon—" The staff swung down, aiming for the stairs. "—Buster!" "Submarine Reflection!" Neptune countered, holding forth her mirror as a blast of light shot straight into the heart of Cyprine's attack. The resulting explosion threw them back down the stairs, blowing the double doors off their hinges. But the attack had done its job, revealing the truth behind the surface illusion; Cyprine was an insubstantial ghost, no more alive than a recording. She flickered, as clear as a dusty pane of glass, frowning with the memory of annoyance at their quick deduction. "No more alive than a ghost," Neptune said, tossed atop the pile of bodies. "Can we get rid of her quickly, then?" the tall sandy-blonde queried, somewhere down below. "Sailor Moon can lay her to rest, again, as before. But we'll have to avoid that dangerous power, that ugly magic Magus Kaolinite has given her." "Get up, sailor soldiers! Are you so quickly beaten again?" the witch taunted, dead enough to not recognize the possible futility of her own situation. She was no more dangerous to them than a heat mirage, until Kaolinite funneled power through her again. Then she'd be a deadly annoyance. Uranus raised her hand, calling power; "World Shaking!" Cyprine giggled as the golden ball of energy flew straight through her, barely disturbing her figure with no more than a ripple, and careened through a closed classroom. The sound of exploding wood and glass was very loud. "So she's also insubstantial," Pluto mused. "A true earthbound ghost." "Merely memories, sailor soldiers, but that's enough. The Magus has given us the task of finally taking your shining spirits, without failure!" another voice laughed above them; Ptilol, standing on the fifty-sixth floor. "They repeat themselves a lot," Sailor Moon murmured thoughtfully, able to puzzle them out now that there wasn't a lot of screaming and fighting going on. "Do they know what the other thinks?" Obviously, she hadn't spoken quietly enough, as Ptilol said, "We're mirror twins, bright star. Of course we know…" "…what the other is saying," Cyprine finished, lifting her staff. "Chronos Typhoon!" "Deep Submerge!" Both attacks flew before either witch could summon Kaolinite's power, though they had begun to invoke her; they faintly glowed red, and it was plain to see the shock in their eyes as the power sent them bodily flying. Ptilol disappeared back into the fifty-sixth floor, along with half a chunk of the stair railing; Cyprine went airborne and through the ruined classroom behind her. Frankly, both soldiers were surprised. "…how in the name of the _kami_ and all their shades…?" Neptune began. "They were solid when before they were insubstantial! Did the appearance of both of them cause that?" Pluto queried, taking a few steps closer. Sailor Moon tried again to get around the taller soldier, failed, and settled back almost angrily. Why wouldn't they allow her to fight beside them? Though the four guardian soldiers protected her, she at least had the opportunity to use her power. But she had to admit; she was given a lot of time to view as a spectator, and make her own critical guesses about their current enemies. In a mildly irritated huff, she said, "They were glowing as they were hit." When she received three curious but not entirely understanding stares, she frowned. "They were glowing red, didn't you see? Perhaps that's why you could attack them." "Glowing red…?" the aqua-haired beauty murmured, touching a finger to her lips. "When they were summoning Kaolinite's power, they glowed red, ne?" "So we'll have to wait for them to call for more power again, and then attack," Uranus deduced rapidly, flexing her hand and wrist in preparation. "Sailor Moon, you and Pluto can take on Cyprine; we'll handle Ptilol." "_Hai_!" The tall sandy-blonde made a step of her laced fingers, and boosted her partner up to grab the remnants of the stair railing above. She then leapt to catch Neptune's hand, and climbed up herself. They vanished onto the fifty-sixth floor together. Pluto gripped her rod tighter, looking back at her princess; "_Hime-sama_, are you ready?" "I have to be. For everyone's sake, let's go!" Ascending the last steps, they came into the fifty-fifth floor slowly, weapons raised; it took only one glance to see that Cyprine was long gone from the classroom. Or rather, what was left of it; most of the outer wall was gone, and they could see a storm-cloud sky, dismal over Tokyo's bay. Papers fluttered in the emptiness like flocks of birds. They were also left with a bit of a dilemma: left or right? Down either way were closed doors, giving away nothing, though not very many; so high up, the amount of students using these hallways was almost an insult to the spacious floor plan. Above their heads they could hear the rumble of power, the windows rattling around them. "Should we split up, Pluto?" the _odango_-haired blonde queried, looking down the right hallway. Pluto hesitated visibly. If it were any of the other soldiers, she would have agreed, and gone left without discussing the point. But this was not an ordinary soldier standing beside her, but their shining princess in the guise of one, powerful, but hardly useless. And yet, it was her lonesome that had defeated Metallia, who had destroyed Death Phantom with the aid of her own child. She was not merely a soldier or a princess, but something akin to their saviour; even, to take it further, knowing what would come, a messiah. But they would waste time if they didn't split up, and Cyprine was hardly the danger she had been alive. All it would take were some well-timed hits, and she would be dust again. What else could she say but, "_Sou yo_; you go that way, I'll walk left. If anything dangerous happens, call for me." And she stood and watched her princess walk away, rod held high to light her way, opening the first door. What could happen to her alone that couldn't be just as bad at Pluto's side? Halfway down the expansive hallway, Pluto opened a door, and found out. A multitude of hands grabbed her, insistently yanking her inside with the strength of far more; she was released once she was entirely inside, the door slammed shut. She stumbled, reeled, and pirouetted like a drunken ballerina before regaining her composure, half-crouched on the floor beside the teacher's desk. What she expected to find, as she held her rod out, gasping slightly for air, were more student daimon, or Cyprine, laughing at her. But not the multi-school mix she was staring back at. Girls and boys in their various colours and uniforms sat in the rows of seats, hands clasped atop the wooden half-desk. Young and nearly her age, their eyes were dull, pupils retracted to pinpoints, staring straight ahead as though they were waiting for the teacher to arrive. Even the students who had assaulted her were sitting down, neat and straight in their uniforms. She recognized two by their colours as Juuban Junior High, one – no, four – from T.A. Girl's School, one from Shibakouen, and even one from her old high school. Also two she recognized wearing Makoto's unusual tan uniform, though theirs were the proper summer sleeves. But what in the name of the _kami_ were they doing there? The bay region was being evacuated, and judging by the addresses given to the doctor for Chibi-Usa, three of those schools were over two and a half kilometres away. They should have been long gone. And why would they even be at Infinity to begin with? If Neptune had been with her, she could have hazarded a guess; Bidou Yui's science convention, perhaps. No doubt other Infinity students had gone, perhaps even unwittingly carrying the tools to infect other innocents. Or perhaps they had been hopeful inductees to the school, forcibly infected during their tours, and sent home completely unaware. Slowly she stood, still holding her rod in a position of defense, watching the entire room with one sweep of her eyes. Nothing. She didn't even think they were breathing. "Who are you? Are you daimon?" May as well try the polite approach. One boy, who wore the uniform of Juuban, said, "We are as our Master wishes." Another in purple skirt and kerchief, asked, "Are you the life-force/bright spirit/rotting body called ‘Sailor Soldier'?" "I am Sailor Pluto." She frowned, fingers twitching slightly around her rod, like an irate trigger finger. "But are you daimon? Do you carry daimon inside of you, the monster?" The group as a whole rustled, their heads turning to regard each other carefully, then, in a smooth and eerie motion, looking back ahead to her. "We are as our Master wishes," they echoed. As one they stood, of varying heights and sizes. She prayed silently that her princess had not run into a similar group of children, and whispered, "Dead Scream." Sometimes, she didn't think she was given enough credit. Sure, she was a silly schoolgirl much of the time, carefree and careless, perhaps even a tad thoughtless. But she had also seen too much in too short of a time, events that no average teenager should ever see and come out of still smiling and laughing. Babbling and drooling and brains a scrambled mess, perhaps, but not coherent, and definitely not still alive. But she'd seen it. She'd felt that inescapable hand of death close around her heart and squeeze, seen her friends scattered in the snow. An entire city rotting like the open grave, the eventual future. And she was usually the one left to stand all but alone and make everything right again. She was thinking on this as she sat in the third classroom she'd entered, perched naughtily on the edge of the teacher's desk, legs idly kicking. Also she was thinking about how nice Mugen Gakuen was in respect to her own school, much roomier and cleaner and newer. The desk she sat on was a solid wood block, instead of her own classroom's somewhat shabby teacher's desk, scuffed from the years and splintering. Sakurada-sensei, still teaching her English class in ninth grade, was often peeling off pieces during study time; otherwise she stabbed herself. It really was too bad that the school was just a front for the enemies, and would probably either be demolished in the fight to come, or vacated entirely and bulldozed for another building. She doubted it could continue either way, not with the local news attacking it almost daily now over ‘mysterious illnesses' and disappearing teachers. And Tomoe-san seemed to be a living target, with several dropping hints that he was unfit to even walk the streets. If little Hotaru came out of this alive – and though she was adamant they had to try and save her, she feared personally that she would be damaged irreparably – she would have to ask her about her father. How terrible it had to be, living with that sort of slander. Head bowed pensively as she mused, she felt, rather than saw, the entrance of the witch. Not even a dim shadow marked her position, even with the light of the heart moon rod still in Sailor Moon's hand, and the dimmer, murky rays managing to pierce the vine-choked windows. Just a presence in the air, and the _odango_-haired blonde lifted her eyes, peering at the coyly smiling witch. "Ara ara, Sailor Moon, have they left you all alone?" "_Iie_; we trusted in each other's strong spirits, and came to find the enemy. To save my friends, I'll have to defeat you again." She slid from the desk, holding her rod higher, prepared to attack. Cyprine's laugh was positively explosive in the quiet, and the soldier flinched. "Is that so? They've left you alone for the wolves, and I can see that magnificent spirit, waiting for me to rip it from your body! This is the hunt, and you're my prey." They were standing a good fifteen metres away from each other, from door to desk. Plenty of space to move around and attack, though the room was going to suffer for it. The witch smiled, invoking Kaolinite with barely a whisper – all Sailor Moon had as a clue was her split-second red aura – and sent the back row of desks flying towards the front. "_Shimatta_," the _odango_-haired blonde moaned, rolling backwards over the desk in a summersault she couldn't have attempted in gym class if she tried, dropping awkwardly behind it, and taking the chair down with her. She ducked instinctively as the desks smashed over her head, destroying the blackboard, and raining wood, metal, and board onto her back. More than a few landed hard enough to bruise. "This is not going to be so easy…. Usagi, full throttle! I have to do this, for everyone!" She twisted up, catching sight of Cyprine near the window, and held firm; as the witch's lips moved, she cried, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" and ducked again. Scuttling quickly around the desk, she was rewarded by Cyprine's anguished howl, and she flung herself forward behind the first row. Almost a close second later, the solid wooden desk she'd been admiring was blown into expensive giant toothpicks. "Where are you? Come out, little soldier, submit to your destiny! Come out!" Cyprine sounded pissed off to find no body lying in the wreckage. "Give up your shining spirit to me, that brilliant light my Master desires…_n-n-nani_?!" Sailor Moon couldn't see what had shocked the witch so badly; she was still flat on the floor, crawling towards the closet at the back wall. And crawling even faster once she heard the familiar sound of magic again, and the first row of desks went boom. "I have to make it, I have to make it," she chanted beneath her breath, her side still aching from the climb, her knees voicing displeasure as she slammed them into the hard floor in her haste. "I'll make you die slowly for your fellow soldiers' impudence, I'll make you feel pain before I rip out your spirit! Ptilol, my mirror twin, gone, gone again into that empty space…" the witch moaned, though she took the time to blast the second row. "Ptilol!" "So they've defeated her?" The _odango_-haired blonde rose up at the back wall, lifting her voice for Cyprine to hear. "It didn't have to be that way. You could have given up that evil for your own happiness! None of us wanted to be enemies. This was all a mistake." "_Urusa-ai_! I gave up that pitiful existence for true happiness! This is what I craved, and you took it out of our hands!" Cyprine glowed, a vengeful ghost, as she screamed, "You, with your shining spirit, and lovely attitude, you could never understand that kind of desire! Ribbon BUSTER!" The closet door was open as she'd left it, which made it easy to pull out her weapon. Cyprine's expression was no doubt priceless, but Sailor Moon couldn't see it, not with the large mirror she was holding out. A floor up, there was the smell of burning wax. Pluto ran down the corridor, shouting her name. "Sailor Moon! _Onegai_, Sailor Moon! Answer me!" Desperate, she was terrified that she would find their princess already dead, unable to fight the initiated students she had run into herself, or, even worse, Cyprine. Why had she been so stupid to leave her alone? The hall was so damn dark she collided with another body before she'd even seen them, and they went down hard to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Still on edge and in survival mode, to be kind about her paranoia, the dusky-skinned brunette was on her feet almost instantly. "Daimon! Your Master has yet another life on their hands; Dead Sc—" "Pluto?" "_Nani_…?" A light flared, and the wan, porcelain face of her princess was smiling at her, still sprawled back on the floor. She had bits of wood in her long blonde hair, a few splinters sticking out of her uniform like a shedding porcupine's quills, and a rising bruise on her forehead. But she looked to be otherwise alive, healthy, and most importantly, not daimon. "Ne, Pluto, is everything alright?" Maybe not; Pluto seemed to have a ridiculous grin on her face. But then, it was ridiculous mostly because it just didn't seem right for the soldier of time to be wearing. "Perfect. Did you find the witch?" she queried, helping the _odango_-haired blonde to her feet. "_Hai_. Don't worry, Pluto, she's been properly put to rest. And I think her twin was stopped as well." "How do you know that?" "She told me so." "Pluto! Sailor Moon!" Neptune cried, both she and her partner looking relieved to see them as they stepped through the doors. The aqua-haired beauty was sporting a serious scrape across her thigh and a cut on her stomach; the tall sandy-blonde was holding her ribs as though they hurt her terribly, but she was otherwise visibly unharmed. Half of the hallway was demolished though, pockmarked with burn holes. Sailor Moon ran forward to hug them both tightly, as if to reassure herself that they were still alive. Uranus held her a bit longer, gripping her shoulder so hard it hurt. They separated as Pluto asked, "How did you finally defeat Ptilol?" Neptune held up her mirror with a flourish. "I reflected her attack." "That's how I stopped Cyprine too!" Sailor Moon said, looking pleased with herself. "I found a mirror in a closet, and tricked her into attacking me." She seemed oblivious to the sudden questioning stare both soldiers gave Pluto, trying to appropriately convey, "Were you out of your damn mind, letting her fight Cyprine alone!?" through a quirk of eyebrows and a moue of lips. Pluto's return shrug attempted to approximate, "She's the princess, I'd like to see you try and stop her," and rather excellently did so, in her opinion. "Ne, where do we find Magus Kaolinite now?" the _odango_-haired blonde queried, breaking the stare-off. "At that last door on the right," Uranus directed, pointing down the hallway. A faint red glow trickled from beneath the closed door, giving a rather good clue. Together they ran, their footsteps sounding enormous in the otherwise empty corridor, their various weapons already alit with power. As if to confirm their suspicions that the Magus knew they were coming, the door slammed open on its own just as they reached it; they didn't even have to slow down as they entered the spacious office. But they stopped at the sight of Kaolinite, clad in her black witch's dress. She stood behind the desk, illuminated by the half-melted candles sitting atop it. Even from the doorway, the ghostly figures of the Witches 5 – or now, 4 – were visible, rising from the waxen sigils on the desk, laughing and cavorting above the smaller images of the four guardian soldiers. "Minna! Mercury, Mars, Jupiter Venus!" the _odango_-haired blonde cried. "Witch, release them!" Pluto demanded, aiming the garnet rod carefully. Kaolinite merely laughed, picking up one of the candles. "Now why would I do that? I have no hope left but to take your shining spirits and present them to my Master. Or I'll suffer death that no one can save me from, with no proper magic." Slowly, she dripped the melted wax onto the desk. "Didn't I warn you, Ten'ou Haruka _no_ Sailor Uranus? You soldiers are possessed of limited minds, and limited ideas. I knew you'd come to me, that you'd defeat this bloodthirsty trap." It was hardly surprising that the door behind them melted into a solid wall, or that the windows did the same as she spiraled the melted wax. None of them spared much of a glance for either mode of exit disappearing, because to take their eyes off their enemy would be possibly fatal. And to say they were loaded to the bear was no understatement; all of them were aiming their weapons at the red-haired witch. "So we've come, as you've predicted. But your predictions can only carry you so far," Neptune chided softly. "Human beings are not the predictable animal when trapped. To survive, we'll change our strategies." "You'll be as predictable as I've envisioned," Kaolinite countered, pinching out the flame of the candle. "Human beings are indeed the predictable animal, as I realized once I took this body, this flawed, weak flesh. In the face of death, you'll freeze." "Space Sword Blaster!" Only the _odango_-haired blonde jerked, startled, as Uranus leapt forward, the words barely leaving the Magus Kaolinite's mouth as she invoked her power. The blade of her sword glowed bright as the sun, lengthening as she swung around, slicing up at the witch's outstretched hand. And though she missed, Kaolinite flinching back in the nick of time, she left a visible scratch across her face, a long line of crimson reaching from chin to brow. Hissing, the witch slapped a hand to the cut, turning away; the tall sandy-blonde smirked. Pulling back, she wiped an invisible smear of blood from the blade, remarking, "Yare yare, Kuromine-san, is your vision clouded already from our brilliance?" "I wouldn't taunt her so quickly, Uranus," Pluto chided under her breath, narrowed magenta watching the red-head's shaking shoulders; she was making a strange keening noise, perhaps of pain. But her face was still resolutely turned away, hands hidden in its shadow. Sailor Moon lifted the heart moon rod higher, visible conflict in her face. After all, Kuromine Kaoli was a human being, so far as she knew, a crafty, villainous witch, but as human as the rest of them. She couldn't just strike her down, especially behind her back. Only the enemy would be so cowardly. "Magus Kaolinite, onegai; release my friends! Release them, and turn away from your path of darkness! It's not too late to forgive…surely, your hatred can't be so great as to destroy this living world." Neptune stared at her with a strangely musing expression, as if forgiveness had not occurred to her. And it had not; as far as she was concerned, the Death Busters had to be stopped, because they were a threat, not only to her, but also the world. How much love and passion could a person hold in their heart to be so openly forgiving to them? "You truly are a princess, Sailor Moon," she sighed quietly. Kaolinite twitched, no longer making any noise save that of her rising breath. The candle flame began to shake violently, as if a stiff breeze had tickled them, though the soldiers felt nothing; one by one, they began to go out. "My hatred?" she rasped, breathing so quickly that it distorted her words into a crazed giggle. "My hatred is not great at all, merely indicative of my suffering! Accidents occur and no one can stop them, but they can be fixed, ah, yes, they can be fixed!" There was an unearthly glow still present for them to see by, even as the last flame went out, and they realized, slowly, terribly, that it was the very air. Everything distorted around them, space colliding, it coloured the air and made them see negative. But they could see, and what they saw, as the witch turned to face them, was a ghastly thing. With nimble fingers, she pulled at the skin of her face, peeling it open at the now-bubbling gash the space sword had left behind. "Is my true face so terrible, sailor soldiers? Long ago, I was considered beautiful by the standards of my race. But that world is gone! Gone, gone, gone, to a mistake!" All of them watched, unable, by gruesome curiousity and paranoia, to look away, as she peeled away her skin like a well-fitted suit. What merged was both familiar and not; it was daimon, but not daimon. Eyes like nebulae swirled and pulsated, and its body was almost smoky, like a living black cloud, not hunched down and stunted. Two long arms, and two long legs instead of several small appendages, ripped and tore asunder the rest of Kuromine Kaoli, and dropped it like a rag on the floor. The _odango_-haired blonde repressed a shudder as she realized that it didn't remind her entirely of a daimon; it was a flash of memory of Metallia's cloud, with those familiar eyes-not-eyes. "You seek to divert me, and stall our great plan. But you'll fail. Soon, that mistake will be rectified, and this will become our new star, our loving home, and you'll be dead. It ends now with a fatal blow!" the Kaoli-daimon shrieked, springing forward. Pluto and Uranus tensed, prepared to meet her head on and strike in turn, weapons held tight. But before they could move, as the former witch was still airborne, they were beaten to the punch by a blast of white light, and a shout of, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Dust. They shielded their faces from the cloud of remnants, though there was barely enough to fill a plastic baggie. Blinking, they turned to see Sailor Moon still holding the heart moon rod out, her arms ramrod straight but beginning to shake terribly, her face pale and her expression entirely fearsome. "May the _kami_ and their shades forgive you, as you cross into death," she said softly. "Kuromine Kaoli-san." Atop the desk, the witches flickered, and went out. There was no end to this prison, but not entirely a beginning, either, for the mind had no true restrictions, and was yet bordered by viewpoint. And it was not an entirely rational viewpoint, as she'd realized early on, which made the sensible insensible and kindness into evil and common sense into utter incoherence. She was so small and insignificant now, crushed to the back, like a fan standing in the wings, watching the play and unable to join it. The echo of another's thoughts shook this new world, and she was horrified to know what was going on against her will. It was no wonder that it had wanted out so badly, with such grand designs. And she had merely been in the way, an unwanted tenant in the house she owned. Turning around in the landscape of her mind, and seeing her face smiling back at her. The hands around her throat, squeezing out her life like toothpaste out of the tube. But she had finally fought back, scratching and kicking, and had succeeded in throwing the other away, regaining a precious minute of control over her body. More fighting. They had gone at it like animals, with a respective need to survive, meaning one of them had to die or at least give up. Her body swapped between two personalities, growing and shrinking. It had been as Chibi-Moon had crawled through the window that the other had at last gained the advantage, nails digging into her skin, choking off her life. There had been darkness and then darkness; it had been a relief, almost, after so many years of suffering. She didn't know that her body had been used obscenely, that her only friend had been raped of her precious spirit at her own hands. Beyond all that, and free. And then she'd woken up. Someone had been bending over her, in her own mind, a calm, lovely person with the patience of the eternal, holding her hand. Saying, "Not yet, Tomoe Hotaru." She'd heard that voice before. Heard it every day of her life. And then the other had nodded, and in her free hand, Hotaru had seen a wicked, curved blade. "We are you, and you know my name, Tomoe Hotaru. Say it." "Saturn. Sailor Saturn…." "The secret you held in your heart, that was to be forever silent. But now we've come to the unapproachable divide. Soon we'll be together again. Soon everything will end." The blade lowered, coming close to her forehead. Its tip touched her skin, or what approximated her skin in this world, and she felt the cool texture of the metal like a kiss. She looked up, unafraid, as the blade rose above her head, cutting through those restrictions, opening wide a bright, perfect hole. Again, the other held out her hand, and she took it, squeezing briefly. Together, they left their villainous body, hand in hand. Hotaru asked, "Ne, do you know the secret of the ending? Have you always known this would happen?" And Saturn stared at her, violet eyes calm. "It's not a secret at all. It's simply the path taken to get there that involves the surprise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I do enjoy people talking with their multiple personalities inside of their heads. Because this series is ripe for a disorder of some type. And Saturn is just that cool that she needed a chance to talk.


	32. Act 32 : mugen neuf - [Mushozoku Chitai] Ni

##### 

It wasn't easy to run down what once could have been a road, with its cracks and crevasses already overgrown. Especially when one has a considerable handicap in being rather short-legged, making the constant jumping and climbing a bit of a pain. And entirely, when one is carrying a heavy sketchbook, pencil bag, and collapsible easel upon one's back.

The sky had already gone the ominous blackish green of an oncoming hurricane, though one could clearly see that it didn't extend any further than the Delta. It was like a mushroom, growing large and heavy over the reclaimed land, with jagged streaks of lightening. Frighteningly as well, the ocean had pulled back, revealing its dirty, refuse cluttered bottom, a sure sign of an oncoming tsunami.

Chouko Iretsu thought it was absolutely marvelous.

Hopping to a reasonably level patch of concrete, he stared up with eyes that had once been sightless and looked assessingly at the ruined tower of Infinity. The greenery had overtaken the once-clean, straight walls, warping and cracking them into some forgotten relic of an earlier time; windows glittered, broken, a multitude of crying eyes. At least, that was the poetic explanation in his head, a beautiful song to describe what was in fact a terrible injustice. No one had to tell him that this could be the peril of the world again; so many signs had been strewn in his path like pearls.

He was beginning to discover that not only had his beautiful princess restored his eyes, but she had given him a prophet's sight; a lingering kiss for his loyal servitude. It was not unlike the dreams that had shown him the memories of his previous life, though he now went forward instead of back. And these last weeks had been filled with them, of rising water and ruin, of a scythe so sharp as to pierce the world and rend it asunder. Monsters on the television, which had had taken to watching despite his aversion, terrible and ugly.

And of course, the greatest proof of all, of his princess and her court skipping classes, whispering in huddled lunchtime groups. Once more, they would save the world.

This time, he planned to capture it.

Once more he leapt and ran, heading for a building closest to the ruined triad of the condominiums surrounding Infinity; he knew that somehow, those three destroyed towers would be the boundaries for whatever the school would release. His post would have to be close enough for a clear view, but far enough away to be safe; it would be something of a problem if the scribe died before carrying forth the report.

It was the coffee shop Minako and Alex had visited not a day previous; now, it was no longer even plainly a shop of any kind. The sign had fallen down into the street, broken glass in a mix of colours strewn everywhere, the door hung half off its hinges, and every window was now fragmented and jagged. He stepped carefully inside to find the tables fallen over, mugs and plates and glasses in so many pieces that it was like walking on dead bugs to get to the front counters. The smell of coffee wasn't even appealing anymore; it had sat on the burners, undoubtedly forgotten in the evacuation, and left to boil away.

Crunching and crawling over the mess, he searched for the staircase that led to the rooftop café he had seen from the street. Manager's offices, restrooms, storage, even the refrigerated units he found, the last still full of reasonably cold food. He rescued a large jar of maraschino cherries – he loved the candied sweetness – and headed out to circle around the building instead.

Of course, he found the stairs in barely a minute's walk, facing the bay. One or two steps had fallen out, the railings a bit warped, and the entire thing really dangerous and rickety, but he jogged up anyway. After such a long life of darkness and worry, never knowing if the next step he took could put him into danger, the shaking and possible collapse of the stairs barely even interested him. He stepped off and onto the roof, which provided an excellent front view of Infinity, as seen between two of the condominium towers, and which still had one table and several chairs still standing.

Quickly he set up his easel and sketchbook, opened to a fresh page. All of the other pages were an interesting dictation of his remembrance of figure and form, the skills of a previous life he'd been unable to use without sight in this one. His acquisition of such was so amazing that his parents had considered it yet a second miracle from God, along with his eyes. And though he did care about them, he found it irritating that they insisted on trumpeting the fact at every gallery showing since then, as if it meant so much more for his art or talent. He wanted to tear those pages out, but he couldn't; no true artist could easily destroy any kind of art.

He suspected they were too busy even now preparing his next show to wonder where he was, or even that the city was in danger.

Ah, well. They'd probably just take it as another sign, and die gracefully.

Thoughtfully he selected a soft gray pencil out of his bag for the foundation of the sketch, easily erasable. He sharpened it just a tad more, just enough for a real good point, and began to draw the first of the three towers.

  
Mercury was alone, and not a bit miserable for it.

The school had indeed – and ‘had' was an excellent operative word – been a wonderful example of what money and the right kind of initiative can do. If it hadn't been a hideout for an insane group of alien invaders, she would have tried to enroll herself, if only for access to such amazing workshops and technology.

And she could argue a tiny, tiny part of her that was upset that she could not have such a life, that she'd been woken up from what was a lovely illusion. Seeing clearly, she'd watched Viluy's ghost dissolve into thin air, melting into holes. The wires had retracted from her skin painlessly, a spell with no true substance; her mind regurgitated everything it had been given, purged as though a harmful virus had invaded.

Here again, she was forced to run and fight.

Spinning on a heel, she activated her goggles and looked up. Like x-ray vision, the floors unfolded above her head; by the numbers, she estimated she was on the 13th floor. High above, she could see movement, a faint glow of aura. She peeled back her glove to reveal her communicator, intending to make sure, only to find that it had been broken. And she'd bet that the others had the same problem. That is, if they even carried the damned things; half of the time, the girls forgot.

Noise; the clattering of shoes down the hall. She turned to face it, scanning with her goggles, only to see a flash of red, and a clear entry on the left side of her eye: Mars, soldier of, identity: Hino Rei, along with the usual personal information. "Mars!"

"Mercury! Thank the _kami_ you're safe as well; have you found anyone else?" the dark-haired shrine girl queried as she came close enough, slowing to a jog. All she received was a curt shake of the head. "Do you know where we are?"

"The 13th floor, by my guess. I can see someone high above, on the last floor." She indicated this with a tap of finger to her goggles, looking up again. "Too far to tell. Do you have your communicator with you?"

Mars sighed, smiling in a darkly amusing way, and peeled back her glove to show her companion what she'd already guessed; broken. The spells that the witches created must have been immense in their electrostatic discharge, or some similar energy to so completely disrupt and stop their Silver Millennium technology. "What else can we do?" she sighed, pulling her glove back into place.

Mercury looked around, brow furrowed in thought. The building's electricity was obvious out, which meant any intercom systems would be useless without the power to turn them on. Phones as well. Unless she could build a simple generator unit that could power the entire 56-floor tower, they had no options but to find the other soldiers. "We have to find the others, of course. And with the powerful no doubt at the top, I'll bet that would be Sailor Moon I can see; so we go down."

As if to prove her point, she looked down at the floor, focusing on the previous twelve, and saw, clearly, an aura of gold, and a further aura of green. Everything past that was black, thick as tar, and unrelenting. "I can see Venus and Jupiter both on the first floor. If we take the stairs, we'll be there rapidly."

"Easy for you to say, Mercury, with those comfortable boots." The red-clad soldier sighed, and her fellow soldier could see her rolling her foot inside of her high-heeled shoes, clearly pained. Despite herself, she had to smile.

Though she could see with her goggles on, the darkness was becoming acute inside of the building; so she released them as Mars lifted a hand, summoning a small flame. Ghostly were the shadows thrown on the walls as they walked, heading for the same stairs that Sailor Moon and her party had taken right on past them. The doors were still propped open as they went through and down, though a moment was taken for Mars to pull off those ghastly heels.

"I hope Chibi-Usa's alright," the blue-haired genius remarked after a while. Pluto had not entirely explained what she had planned to do to preserve the small child's life, and it had sounded faintly dubious. With every minute counting – and who knew how long the witches had immobilized them with those spells? – they had little time to hope that it had worked.

Thoughtfully, the dark-haired shrine girl nodded. She had no visible appreciation for the future princess and her temperament, with her piggish eating habits and somewhat thoughtless actions, though she was respectful enough. But she also understood how a child growing up in an icy world, their survival sometimes in doubt, could want to eat as much as possible; who knew what the future would be, when she went back? And she could also admit – in her weaker moments – a bit of jealousy for those thoughtless, carefree times, wishing she could have done the same in her youth. But her father had been too cold and stern, her grandfather kind but expecting her to follow the rules and his teachings.

It was just the same as when she'd first met Usagi, and had been appalled that such a childish, selfish klutz was in fact their leader, when she shouldn't have been trusted to take out the garbage. She wouldn't make the connection, her cool professionalism (or what she thought was) certain that it was in fact Chibi-Usa's unique irritants that put her off, instead of a simple switch of target. But she was learning; and slowly, as she'd accepted Usagi, she'd accept Chibi-Usa. Seeing the child on the brink of death, so very pale and still as her own mother had been beneath those hospital sheets, had already made her sympathetic. "She will be. Meiou-san seems to know what she's doing, and none of them presented a somber face to us. Surely, all is well."

First floor, and she slipped her heels back on carefully, Mercury waiting respectfully in the doorway. Until, that is, a streak of gold knocked her back, all but assimilating her, as Venus squealed, "Mercury! You're all right, you're ok!"

Mercury made a noise that was probably agreement, but came out somewhere between a choke and a squeak. Mars cocked an eyebrow, folding her arms as she watched the long-haired blonde squeeze their friend to near death; then, delicately, she coughed. Unsurprisingly, Venus turned to see her, finally releasing Mercury, and cried, "Mars! You're ok too!"

"Venus, we're all fine, don't go so crazy!" a voice called down the corridor: Jupiter. The three turned to see the tall brunette, holding what looked to be a dying rose in her hands, rather sadly cupping her hand around its petals. "We'll always be ok."

"_Hai_; we seem to either survive together, or die together," Mars remarked mildly, which, in any normal circumstance, would have been morbid. Facing the prospect of yet another decisive battle against an enemy willing to destroy everything, it was merely commentary.

Jupiter sighed, tipping her hand to release and scatter the fallen petals, once soft pink and alive, now browned and wrinkled. "So much despair….an entire garden of joy, dead as the soul of the school. Such a loss. I could have lived forever in that happiness."

"Which is just what the enemy would have you do," Mercury said softly, rubbing her gloved palms together, as though she were cold. "Living in an illusion until we died…"

All four reflected momentarily on the thought; they had been interesting illusions, to be sure, so real they had not even fought the witch who had created it. It had been so easy for them to be captured; they would have definitely died happily if the spell had not been broken. Did they desire normal lives so much?

"Of course not!" Venus exclaimed as if the question had been asked, "we've chosen to follow this destiny to the end. Normal life may tempt us, but we have our duty; and surely, we would have finally resisted those illusions!"

It was a heartfelt statement, complete with a decisive pump of her fist. And it was also in what sounded like faulty stereo.

They froze, staring at one another like idiots. Then, they heard that second voice again, just as far away and unreliable, and their heads slowly rotated to find the source. "Ghosts?" the long-haired blonde muttered.

"Auditory hallucinations, perhaps, an after-affect of the spell," Mercury offered, looking around with her goggles.

Both ideas were fairly ridiculous, and rendered useless the moment they found it; a shiny gray vent above their heads, part of the air duct system that ran throughout the building. It was so clean it looked brand new. Without asking, Jupiter hoisted Mercury – who was, despite personal taste, the lightest, as Venus had more muscle on her, if less height – up close to the vent, so she could call out, "Sailor Moon? Pluto? Uranus, Neptune?"

"….Mercury?" someone, sounding like Pluto, replied, tinny, after a long minute.

"Pluto! Are you all safe?"

So many floors up, Pluto exchanged a wry smile with her four companions, though their princess seemed anxious. At least her friends were all right, or Mercury would have said something first, knowing how she was so easily worried. They must have broken the spells too soon for any of the witches to do lasting harm. "We're all fine, Mercury!" Moon yelled into the vent, which was situated on the floor in a corner crowded with bookcases. It had been a crazy half-minute as they had searched for the source of Mercury's voice.

"What do we do now?" Mars questioned, not entirely towards the group upstairs. And it was a viable question; they were downstairs, their princess and their ‘heavy hitters,' so to speak, were upstairs. Did they meet in the middle? Go separate ways? Just blow shit up and run and hope for the best?

Venus appeared to be thinking hard, pressing her fist against her lower lip. She was in the position now of leader, with them all under battle conditions and in uniform; and she needed to come up with the plan, not anyone else. Otherwise, their princess would get it into her head that they needed a ten-point committee again, which was fine in civilian times, but not when they were ass-deep and sinking. "Uranus, Neptune; could you find Tomoe-san's laboratory?"

The aqua-haired beauty turned a startled face towards her partner. Uranus had a similar shocked expression, though it became calculated, thoughtful. With a barest flick, she glanced towards their princess, who had her back to them; in that second, a wealth of information was conveyed. Neptune nodded slowly. "_Hai_, Venus. It would be relatively simple."

"Then you four go to Tomoe's house and find him and stop him." Even Mars seemed a bit taken aback by Venus's cold, firm tone, though she was merely being logical. Tomoe had to be an enemy, there was enough proof to demonize him, and to have him running freely around the Infinity building or anywhere else was a risk. Even without being a Death Buster, being a mad scientist unconcerned with ethics was a danger indeed. "The four of us will go to the secret basement and try to find _sensei_."

Pluto asked hesitantly, "Are you sure, Venus? With so many possible dangers awaiting you down there…"

"She's positive, Pluto; after all, she's supposed to be our leader, ne?" Uranus cut in coolly, catching a pair of startled magenta eyes; again, with that sideways glance, she relayed what she had to. The dusky-skinned brunette nodded once in agreement. Again, Sailor Moon was unaware of their game, though she was growing increasingly nervous of the perceived weight of their stares against her back. "We'll go as quickly as possible, Venus."

"Be careful. We'll leave the access door wide open for you to find." Gesturing for Jupiter to set Mercury down, Venus stepped back from the vent. She seemed resigned; the four of them were undoubtedly about to face the worst danger of all, without the help of their princess or the three stronger outer system soldiers. And yet, this was the plan. It seemed simpler in her head.

Jupiter hissed as quietly as possible, "What kind of plan was that? We're facing the worst danger!"

"Far be for me to complain about your estimation of our strength, but Jupiter's right. Why don't we all go to find Tomoe-san? Why split us up?" Mars added in an undertone. "Surely all of us together is far superior."

Surprisingly, the blue-haired genius beat her to the punch. "It's simple enough, _minna_," Mercury said sternly, as if lecturing a group of children, "Venus knows where the secret basement is located. Also, we are, despite our egos, weaker than Uranus and Neptune and Pluto; and they are the best protection for Sailor Moon. This sends us ahead, to discern any weaknesses, and even to possibly rescue Alex-san, while keeping the main object of their desire –"

"Sailor Moon," Jupiter murmured.

"_Iie_; the _Ginzuishou_," Mars sighed, realizing the brilliance and utter futility of the plan.

"—far enough away and in safer hands," Mercury finished, as always ignoring the interruptions as if they'd never happened.

"Of course, the strongest enemy could be with Tomoe-san as well, that woman Hotaru turned into. Then you've sent us on a fool's errand," the dark-haired shrine girl pointed out, even as Venus walked past her, headed towards the basement stairs.

Jupiter sighed, shaking her head as they followed their blonde leader towards certain doom. "When does it ever work out that way? We'll certainly find her down there, guarding that treasure."

The long-haired blonde lifted a pointer finger, summoning enough power to light their way.

"Why does everything evil block any and all of our attempts to communicate with them? It never fails!" Artemis glared at the obstinate screen, which showed nothing but static, and a few barely recognizable buildings. Even though they were only blocks away, the warped space and/or magic was doing a serious number on their surveillance. Not to mention his gorge; the rising and waning nausea was driving him mad.

The aftershocks had stopped, but that didn't mean the worst was over. If anything, the system was able to recognize the environmental danger surrounding them, and had verified, though means he couldn't guess, that the earth was serious unstable. A fault didn't even exist beneath the Delta proper, but one had opened up in the past hour, and was growing wider by the hour; the ocean had receded, a sure sign of even worse trouble if they survived the quake. And the constant ignorance of physics happening outside was just the icing on the seventy-foot monstrous confection everyone referred to.

Luna was still off in Alex's bedroom, either arguing with or consoling Diana, as she'd been for the past hour. Their kitten was still distraught, almost dangerously, at the state of her princess, and had even tried to escape, intent on running all the way to Juuban to be at her unconscious side. It was not a good situation. She was simply too young to shoulder such a traumatic burden, and even having her mama and papa with her wasn't helping. Especially when said mama and papa were ignorant as to the fates of their own girls, who were facing the danger head on.

He sighed, scratching at a persistent itch behind his left ear. "Computer, please, try again to communicate with them! You're high-tech alien programming, you should be able to hitch on a security camera for the love of the _kami_…." His tail began to lash madly as it searched, his irritation growing worse. What he wouldn't give for a nice can of tuna right around now, maybe with a small sprig of parsley. Something fancy.

Either the girls didn't have their communicators, or the magic had destroyed their signals, because the computer said, in that annoying voice, "Negative. No sympathetic connection. Negative."

"Nyiaaaow!" Fighting a very strong urge to gut the entire system, he turned on his paws and leapt down, planning to tell Luna to try her luck; anything was preferable to this. But he stopped as the noisy static died down, and the computer finally, finally! said, "Positive connection. Channel open."

Mercury stopped in her tracks as a close-up of a furry white face loomed within her goggles; she had an unpleasant view of the plaque and unidentifiable bits between his teeth that just would not go away on any pet. No matter how many ‘anti-plaque' pet biscuits Aino-san kept buying for him. "Artemis?" Her pause had also halted everyone else; though Venus led them, lighting their way, she was second, scanning for any potential problems.

"Mercury! Thank the _kami_, I was beginning to get worried. Don't any of you have your communicators?" the white feline queried, leaping back up onto the chair with a careful lack of claws. All he could see was a strange, lens-shaped view of a grimy, dim hallway, and Venus staring back at him from a few paces ahead.

"Well, yes, but we were caught in an illusion by the witches; their spells disrupted our communicators entirely. I believe the only reason my goggles were unaffected is because they seem completely tied into my magic as a sailor soldier, and function solely by the allowance of my body." The others, unable to hear Artemis and his questions, gave her a mixed bag of questionable stares as she simply gestured at her goggles to let them know how they were communicating.

He himself blinked a few times, mulling it over in his head before finally gaining reasonable understanding. It certainly would explain why their communicators had been disabled; they functioned as Silver Millennium technology, independent of whomever used them, just like any modern day watch with a battery. Mercury's goggles, however, seemed to be a tool born of her planetary powers, and he had never seen her use them without transforming. They couldn't be used by anyone else but the soldier of Mercury. "I see. Are you all ok?"

The blue-haired genius nodded, then, realizing he wouldn't exactly see the gesture, said, "_Hai_. We've been separated from Sailor Moon and the others. Venus has sent them to Tomoe-san's laboratories while we search the hidden basement."

"Who is ‘we'?"

"Myself, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars."

Artemis's ear twitched as though shaking off a fly. He'd ask Mercury just what his golden soldier thought she was doing, going off half-cocked into the lair of the beast, but the problem was that he already knew. Just as she'd reasoned, Venus was sending their princess far away from the source of evil, while giving them the chance to strike the first blow and hopefully weaken them. And though he wished otherwise, he knew Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus were collectively stronger and better suited to guard Sailor Moon at this time of crisis.

Hearing a noise at the door, he peered around the high back of the chair to see Luna escorting a watery-eyed Diana, so dejected that even her cute little bell didn't ring a note. Even her sleek fur seemed disheveled and flat. "Artemis, have you finally contacted them?" the black cat asked, nudging her daughter along and managing, with one mighty back kick, to persuade the door to shut behind them.

"Yes, he has, Luna," Mercury said primly.

"They've decided to face the strongest enemy alone, while Sailor Moon and the others are off finding Tomoe-san," Artemis relayed, scooting over as both cats leapt up to share the seat, spinning them around in an annoying, lazy circle.

As they spun, Luna frowned. "Who is ‘they'?"

"Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars."

The blue-haired genius stood rather patiently as the cats quickly argued over the finer points of the plan, somewhat glad she was the only one hearing it; if everyone else had gotten in, they'd be standing around all night. As it was, Luna seemed belligerently opposed, apparently taking the same tack as Mars and Jupiter had, arguing that it was ludicrous to send the four weaker soldiers to face the strongest enemy. Artemis was stubbornly defending his soldier, pointing out essentially the same ideas Mercury had, though he added one last surprising fact; Moon needed the talismans to fill the Sacred Chalice if the very worst happened. It just made more sense to keep those four together.

And she hadn't thought of that, not at all; she wondered if Venus had. Because their princess had called forth the Sacred Chalice seemingly on her own, which was fine, but she needed to use the power of the talismans to achieve the restoration of the land. If the four guardian soldiers failed, and the woman Hotaru had become succeeded in her plan, whatever the hell it was, Sailor Moon could be left with no other alternative. She had already died once to stop the evil from destroying Earth, and a second time she had the help of her daughter and the future _Ginzuishou_. Merely her power alone might not be enough.

Finally, she sighed, gesturing for Venus to continue walking. "Artemis, Luna, we've already decided to go forth. No matter what, we'll always protect that important person, so close to our heart. If that means we walk first into the den of the lion, we'll do it."

"Even though it's a possibly meaningless gesture," Mars added, not entirely sure what was going on behind Mercury's goggles. "We'll do it. We have to."

"Stop being such a worrymole, Artemis! We'll come out of this perfectly fine. Nothing stops a sailor soldier once they've set the course!" Venus laughed, turning the corner.

"That's a worry ‘wart,' Mina—no, don't even bother telling her that, Mercury," Artemis hastily amended, realizing how stupid he sounded. Luna eyeballed him, still looking angry that he was agreeing to this ridiculous plan. Diana, despite her melancholy, actually giggled a bit at her father's correction.

The view from the goggles was increasingly annoying as Venus led them along corridors so dark that it seemed as though they'd never seen the light of day, backtracking once she realized it was a wrong turn, walking past a particular classroom three times. She was an excellent leader, willing to sacrifice herself before anyone else if she had to, but she was also an atrocious judge of direction, as everyone was finding out rather painfully. It was only when Jupiter suggested they take a left turn instead of the right they'd been trampling repeatedly, and tripped over a fallen wall index telling them where they were, and where everything else was, that they finally found the basement.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken that right turn at Izumo," Venus finally lamented as she was shown the error of her trailblazing. Having never indulged much in cartoons, Mars just shook her head, not understanding in the least; Mercury and Jupiter had never seen a translated Warner Bros. Cartoon and so figured she was perhaps trying to be personally funny. None of them, due to the cultural nuances lost in translation, realized that the company had changed an entirely famous punch line, and so her remark had far less significance than if she quoted the original, being in another country entirely. "This place is like a maze in the dark. What was that silly thing from Greek mythology, Mercury, that twisty maze thing that they locked the cow in?"

"You mean the Minotaur in the labyrinth?" Mercury ventured, an eyebrow twitching at the thought of a bloodthirsty Holstein.

"_Hai, hai_. Isn't this almost like it? Only with an evil twisted villain at the end." As she opened the door and began the walk down, she added, "Watch the stairs, _minna_."

An excellent warning, as they found the railings to be half-gone, the stairs themselves missing several steps in places, and the rest cracking under their weight. "Even if we leave this place standing, it'll still probably fall down just from the earthquakes," Jupiter noted, running a hand over a large jagged fault running up the wall. "Thank the _kami_ there's no students left here."

The normal basement floor was just as bad, a crack zigzagging parallel with the foundation, revealing the mud beneath. Mercury cocked her head, touching a hand to her cheek thoughtfully as she listened to a subtle sound, realizing finally that she was hearing the rush of several thousand kilos of water. "The pipes have broken," she said, her eyes roaming across the expanse of the floor. "Everything is running back to the ocean. Possibly, if they run over the secret cavern, it could cause an eventual cave-in. The soil would be waterlogged beyond capacity and collapse inward."

"Then we have to move quickly. We go in, we search for _sensei_ – it won't be hard, there were only two large rooms – and we get out. Mercury, you can sense the flowing water?" Venus was busy digging the mound of dirty laundry out of the way again as she spoke, shirts and pants flying everywhere. Mars provided their light with a small spinning fireball hovering above her palm, casting their shadows in strange dancing shapes against the walls.

Jupiter picked up the rest of the little hill in one large arm full, tossing it all aside as Venus paused in mid-scoop, eyeing her jealously.

"A very excellent question, Mercury," Luna murmured in consideration.

The blue-haired genius pressed her hand against the floor, unmindful of the dust; for such an immaculate school, their basement was filthy. How indicative. "_Hai_; just like that first time, at the art gallery. When I fought Beruche. I can hear it following its course, free of pressure."

Even though it constituted a security risk, the door that Venus had cut open had been rather lopsidedly closed, making it easy for them to lift the slab and toss it aside. Apparently, they still had no concerns about wayward students finding it. Taking a moment to dust off her hands, Venus said, "Good. When we make our escape, I want you to concentrate and divert all of the water to the cavern. I want it caved in as quickly as possible. Our attacks are too hot, they'd turn it all to glass."

"That's my Venus," Artemis said proudly.

"I'm surprised you remembered that from science class." Mars gave the long-haired blonde a considering look, apparently pleased.

"Science class…? It was on last week's episode of ‘Dreaming Immortality,' when they were escaping the god's wrath!"

Luna snorted, at which Mercury unexpectedly flushed and turned away. "_Sou yo_, that's your Venus."

The view tilted and grew darker as the soldiers dropped into the under-underground tunnel; the flicker of Mars's fireball barely illuminated their way, as if the shadows had gone mad and taken everything back. Venus cast her own light, again taking the lead as they followed the roughly hewn path. As they came to the junction, Jupiter queried, "Where does that go to?"

"Tomoe-san's secret laboratory. This is why, as well, I decided we should go first; to escape, we can use that door, and meet up with Sailor Moon-_tachi_." The long-haired blonde didn't even stop, simply motioned up the way towards the far door, and continued onward. She knew what lay beyond it, and if their luck held, they'd be seeing it soon.

Emerging into the gigantic cavern, Mercury's slow, appraising look gave the trio of cats an excellent panoramic view of the place, with all its damp, dank corners. The tumbled down Grecian pillars surrounding the arch of the second door were particularly interesting. A few looked newly knocked down, clean bone white instead of dirty, long-buried bits. As well, the pool with the insanely contrived fountain decoration was a strange touch. "Fish," Diana murmured after a long moment and a hungry stare, "they're leaping fish."

"So they seem to be," Mercury agreed in an undertone, looking up to survey the ceiling; already it looked soggy, a few parts so wet that they had begun to drip mud and pebbles onto their heads and the floor. "But as to their significance, I could hardly guess."

"This looks like a room intended for worship. The doorways are too ornate, the fountain as well, for merely a hiding space." Luna pawed her whiskers as the blue-haired genius relayed this information to everyone else's ears, cerulean blue narrowed in consideration.

Mars nodded, rubbing her bare arms as if she'd caught a chill. "_Hai_; I can feel it in the air. But there are two rooms, minna; this was not the particular room of worship, but of evil, of black magic intended to harm. Can't all of you feel this evil?"

Jupiter nudged what looked to be a broken chest with the toe of her boot. "Like a heaviness in the air. But it's mostly the tingle of power, ne? The Magus Kaolinite or her Witches 5 using magic spells, filling the room to the brim."

"Then this was the room of magic, and that second door must lead to the room of worship," Mars said firmly, pointing towards the banged-up framework around the doorway. They couldn't see into the darkness; it was thick as mud, even to Mercury's goggles. Not even a hint of what lay inside.

"It leads to the room where that weird statue Pharaoh thing is." Venus rubbed her arms much as Mars had been doing, remembering the amazing pain as it had captured her, trying to swallow her spirit. Its cruel nature. "We have to check it out. Such a malicious evil, it should be destroyed."

This time as they entered, Venus motioned for Jupiter to take point beside her, aiming her index in readiness; the tall brunette mimicked her, calling power to her hands. Mercury crab-walked sideways behind them, watching both rooms with the range of her goggles; Mars walked backwards, aiming through the doorway back where they'd come from. From what Venus had described, this was a possibly dangerous situation; they needed to be sternly on guard.

"Be careful, _minna_," Diana whispered, though only one of them could hear her.

The tall seed statue seemed inert, not betraying a hint of the identity that had attacked the long-haired blonde, though it gave off a soft glow. Through Mercury's goggles, it seemed fractured, latticed over and over with threads of power that were so weak it couldn't have lit a touch lamp. "Is it…sleeping, perhaps? I can't read any hint of power from it," she reported, calling up an ultraviolet scan.

At its foot lay the tall red-head, slightly crumpled as if in sleep, one arm long at her side and the other draped across her ribs. In that hand was the twinkle they'd spotted, the barest glint of light shining off the golden curve of Chibi-Usa's heart-shaped brooch. "_Sensei_!" Venus whispered.

"Is it possible; the _Ginzuishou_? Have they left it behind?" Artemis stared, a cold pit forming in his stomach, as Mercury's goggles caught the golden brooch and held fast; it betrayed no sign of power inside, as dead as the proverbial nail.

"This has to be a trap," Venus added, snatching the words out of Luna's mouth. "Mercury, can you confirm anything?"

A square appeared around the tall red-head in Mercury's vision, flashing; an x-ray was taken, information writing itself on her left lens as her goggles compared it with a group of statistics on her right. All of it apparently dated from the Silver Millennium, as it was telling her – and by proxy, the three felines – some very interesting information that she had not ever known personally to enter. Finally, it agreed; the body in question was a young Earth female, height one metre and eighty-one centimetres, sixty-five kilograms in weight, internal temperature 36.1 Celsius. Hair copper red, eyes dark blue, light skin tone, European ancestry. Unique muscle and skeletal structure. One match: Crystal Guardian.

"It's Alex-san, but the _Ginzuishou_…I can't sense anything, but its unique properties and magical bond with Chibi-Usa may mean it will remain dormant until it returns to her. We won't know until we opened the brooch."

As if these were the magical words, the brooch fell open on its own.

Empty.

"It's too very bad Magus Kaolinite was defeated," an amused voice said, echoing around them off the rough walls. "She was an excellent judge of your character. You came immediately for your friend, like the loyal sheep you are."

The only exit behind them disappeared. Immediately they turned as one to watch it vanish, dissolving into the rest of the shadowy wall. On the other end, the three cats cringed as the screen lit up with warnings, indicating massive power levels; from what they could read, the girls must have been swimming in the stuff. "Mercury, what's happening? Is it Master Pharaoh 90?" Artemis demanded.

"I don't know!" she cried, scanning the wall frantically, trying to search for the door. They would have to blast their way free.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted, sending the attack out of view of Mercury's goggles; they could hear its impact, the falling of rocks onto the ground, but no irate scream. She had missed. "Show yourself! Whoever you are, you witch, taking over Hotaru-chan's body! The soldier of Venus will not tolerate such a possession!"

Mercury moved her head, looking over the cleared space in front of the statue as a woman stepped into the faint light. It was Hotaru, but not Hotaru, the adult she was destined to have grown into, smiling a malicious grin at them all. "Yare yare, such authority. The sailor soldiers are a force indeed." She raised her hand with a sharp flourish, as if conducting an orchestra. "Unfortunately, in the presence of the Master's true partner, you're as insignificant as those who have been sacrificed for the greater good!"

The shadows moved around them, snaking across the floor. Suddenly, they were everywhere, wrapping tight and solid around arms and wrists and legs, firmly gagging their mouths so they couldn't call out their attacks. Their entangled feet wriggled several centimetres off the ground as they were lifted up, stretched out like laundry to dry. Despite the tensile strength of the rope, it felt remarkably soft and unusual, almost like….hair?

Laughing, the woman held out her other hand, unfolding her fingers to reveal a most beautiful treasure; the unmistakable light of the _Ginzuishou_ in her palm froze them in place, staring dumbly. It had become the lotus, a budding flower in her hand, and its power was remarkable. "Small Lady's _Ginzuishou_," Diana moaned, gasping hard; her bell shook musically, sounding far happier than she.

"A special light, so close to the power of our own remarkable crystal," the woman sighed, tilting back her head. "A marvelous light; Master Pharaoh 90, witness this! For your partner, the first spoils!"

She swallowed it whole.

Everyone jerked, struggling, unable to even coherently snap off a rebuttal; all they could manage were some aggravated mumbles and moans. Jupiter was straining so hard that the blue-haired genius could see blood staining the white of her gloves around her wrist bindings; Venus was wriggling her fingers, unable to attack. None of them could even call the slightest hint of power, the source of which became quickly obvious as the statue began to glow bright.

[Mistress 9, I sense that brilliant light inside of your utilized body. As well, the stars of four strong planets; have you finally achieved success?]

"Success is hardly the strongest word for our oncoming domination! Because of this, I've lured these four sailor soldiers, to bear witness to you, my Master, and as well for you to drink of their strong, powerful souls!"

They writhed, feeling the hair-rope pulling tighter to hold them completely immobile. The woman laughed again, her eyes becoming twin nebulae as a black star took shape on her forehead. "And now, I'll take those powerful souls! No longer am I that weak being, but Mistress 9 about to be reborn into a glorious new world!"

Unable to stop it, the trio of cats stared, horrified, as the ghostly hands plunged into the chests of the four guardian soldiers; and then, they could no longer even bear witness, as the computer said, "Connection lost. Signal disrupted. Try again?"

Crawling down the sides of a 56-story building was definitely a workout, but not one that was destined to become popular anytime soon. Besides the sheer drop and the smooth walls and the tall window ledges, there was also the problem of lawyers becoming involved, because no expensive business ever wanted idiots getting themselves killed and suing their company. Luckily for them, this was not a problem. It was just a ridiculously difficult climb.

It was especially hard when one of the group was notoriously anti-athletic, and especially weak in the upper arms, soldier's strength included. As well, she was beginning to realize that she and heights just didn't get along, and the best for all involved would have been to part terms. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen for at least thirty floors. "Are we there yet?"

"Trust me, _hime-sama_; we'll tell you when we get there," Pluto said, trying her level best not to snap, for the twentieth time. Below, she heard Uranus snort.

The slow going was made worse by the fact that the building had simply not been built to withstand becoming the epicenter of a dimensional warp. Several jutting ledges had crumbled in places, and many more fell apart once they attempted to place their weight onto them. Though the vines were a surprising help more than a hindrance, they were neither long enough nor strong enough to simply slide down. Many of them broke off in their hands, evidenced by the smears of somewhat unhealthy green marking their palms. "I just wish we could fly down. Wouldn't that be nice, to have wings? Like birds or angels," Sailor Moon sighed, reaching to pull free her hair again from a particularly rough vine.

"Avenging angels, aren't we? As sailor soldiers, all we're meant for is protection of the kingdom. That includes your normal routine of vengeance." The tall sandy-blonde sounded amused, most likely imagining herself with a set of fluffy white wings, like those poor robed asexual angels she had seen in paintings.

"Well, the soldier of sky, the god of heaven, is most definitely my first choice to wear those lovely wings," Neptune remarked next to her partner, pitched however low enough for only her to hear.

Uranus smirked, most likely about to remark about the possibilities of feathers and their uses in the bedroom, when she felt a chunk of something heavy hit her in the head. Right in that spot where it absolutely hurts the most. As well, the ground began to heave again, more pieces raining down as they were shaken free, and she yelled instead, "Another aftershock!"

"_Iie_; I think this one's another earthquake!" Pluto shouted back, wriggling down quickly to their princess's side to grab her wrist tightly, prepared to hold her weight if she fell. Crystal blue turned towards her as they both shook, wide with panic. Fighting enemies was easier than this; at least she had a chance to stop them. Nature was an entirely different creature.

From so high up, they could see the jagged rip opening up in the concrete, leading directly to Mugen Gakuen's elegant front doors. They shook harder, digging their fingers and toes in, flinching as every piece of broken concrete fell past them, only to hear Neptune's sudden scream of "Uranus! Uranus!"

Both of them turned to see the tall sandy-blonde tumble through the air, falling limply. Her eyes had rolled back up in her head, and they could see the spreading patch of crimson marring the crown of her skull. From such a height, no matter how she hit, she'd be either killed or so badly maimed she would've wished for death. "Uranus, wake up!" Neptune screamed again, reaching out towards her rapidly falling lover. In such a situation, neither remaining soldier doubted that she wouldn't jump off next. "HARUKA!"

So Sailor Moon did it first, wrenching her wrist free and kicking off the building.

Pluto found herself holding the air, and tried to grab for her as she shouted, "_Hime-sama_, what are you doing!? _Hime-sama_!"

"I'm not letting anyone die; not in such a way! Not now, not again!" the _odango_-haired blonde whispered fiercely, holding her arms tightly against her side, body shaped like a bullet as she'd seen on TV of skydivers. Uranus was tumbling like a spread leaf, catching the air to slow her down, mercifully, just a bit; and it was not a long way to the ground. She had to reach her quickly, or they'd both be decorating the pavement.

She knew her power was awesome, and that it had lifted her perilously high above the ground in the euphoria of her holy stone's rebirth. That had been a spontaneous trick, one she had no idea to duplicate; but she was going to try for it. "To save her, and everyone else, I have to be strong. I've made so many miracles! Surely this is possible!" She reached forward and grabbed Uranus in a hug, snuggling her cheek against her breast. "I don't want anyone to die again."

The ground was coming up fast.

And then she felt the presence of another, and she looked up to see Pluto, and Neptune, their eyes wide, their tiara stones glowing with power. It was thick in the air, like a comforting pillow or a blanket or something just so entirely wonderful and warm, slowing them down. All three of them glowed, their power buoyant and gentle, and, she realized with wonder, shaping into luminescent wings at their backs. They fluttered lazily like true wings though none of them controlled the motion, so gently lowering them until their toes touched the ground, safe and sound.

The taller Uranus sagged against Moon until Neptune pulled her back and into her arms, cradling her head against her shoulder. All they could hear was her murmur of "Haruka, Haruka," as she rocked back and forth, her unconscious lover taller than her as well, but she held her upright by sheer will.

"She really does love her," Pluto murmured as she and Moon stepped back respectfully, "the moment you leapt off, she tried to follow. I finally compromised by going with her." Her lips quirked as she recalled the split-second decision. "She said it didn't matter; she'd fly, if she had to."

"And she did, didn't she? We all did; she loves her, so very much. And Uranus loves her as well, no matter which way the wind may blow." The _odango_-haired blonde bit her lip unconsciously, recalling that night; to her, it had been obvious that Haruka truly did love Michiru, no matter their gender. But it was also just as obvious that Haruka felt it was a relationship based solely on their status as sailor soldiers that made it work; otherwise, Michiru would have flitted off, leaving her entirely alone in a world that probably wouldn't understand. To her, she had no choice, even if she felt so comfortable and complete with the aqua-haired beauty it was akin to losing an arm if she left.

Uranus groaned, lifting a hand to her head. She looked around, storm cloud grey fuzzed and confused, even more so at seeing her surroundings. Experimentally, she stamped her boot on the ground, peering down carefully at it. "How…aahh, _kuso-o_, my head hurts."

"_Baka_," Neptune sighed, pulling her hand back before she touched the gash and re-opened it; already her soldier's power was rapidly healing it.

"Next time, duck." That was Pluto, who smirked as Uranus turned an unfocused look on her, trying to be annoyed. All she received for her trouble was Dr. Pluto instead, who came over to peer closely at her skull, and began holding up her fingers in front of her eyes, asking how many Uranus saw. Even though she was interested in majoring in multi-coloured physics, she was also taking nursing classes on a whim, which was looking to be useful in her situation.

Their princess smiled, rocking on her heels as she watched them fuss over the tall sandy-blonde, who was now loudly arguing that it would've been better if she had gone splat, then she wouldn't have to deal with them babying her. Neptune replied that it was rather difficult to love a splat, especially without the important limbs and joints required for a blissful relationship; so why not take that back? So she did, throwing up her hands, and telling Pluto that for the love of the _kami_ and all their shades she was perfectly fine, no little bump on her skull was going to stop the soldier of Uranus.

So Pluto shrugged, and agreed, "Hai, hai. After all, your skull is quite thick and dense. Hardly impenetrable." She smiled serenely as the tall sandy-blonde twitched an eyebrow, wondering if she was supposed to take it as a compliment; or a critical complaint.

Sailor Moon giggled behind her hand, not going getting the gist of the joke, but recognizing it as one, and half-turned to hide her gesture. She paused in the midst of her last chortle, and looked up at the brick wall surrounding the Tomoe labs; not only had they fallen almost directly where they had planned to eventually end up, at the half-hidden back gate connecting the school grounds and the laboratory yard, but….

Experimentally she poked at one of the holes dotting the wall like a checkerboard, wriggling her fingers through the perfectly rectangular opening; it was shaped exactly like a brick. Crouching to peer through, she could see the dented and scraped building wall behind it, looking as though it had been bombarded by bricks shot at high velocity. But no holes; apparently, Tomoe-san was a firm believer in the willow tree instead of the sapling, and had built the laboratory to withstand some serious damage. "How very unusual," she said, mildly surprised.

"We seem to be right on course," Pluto remarked behind her, and she whirled up and around to see the dusky-skinned brunette standing thoughtfully at her back right. "From here, we'll be at the enemy's mercy once again."

The aqua-haired beauty gently parted some cherry tree branches a few metres away, revealing the gate; though the trees were obviously planted for cover, the wild tangle of vines and thorns was new. They had grown into the brick, entangled around the metal to firmly hold it shut, as though something so simple could stop them. "I wonder how the magic of the Death Busters and the warp has been causing all of this foliage to grow so spontaneously. Surely this is a calculated phenomenon."

Uranus snorted, ripping away one of the thinner vines. "Nothing a good dose of pesticide can't fix. It's just a distraction." She stepped back, pulling her sword seemingly out of nowhere. "And nothing a strong blast of power won't cure."

"Uranus! We're not to let the madman know we're coming!" Neptune gave her partner a critically stern eye, folding her arms.

"We can simply clear away the vines by hand; the property damage will come later, once we destroy everything. Neptune's right; we need to be subtle," Pluto chided, and as if to demonstrate, pulling off a vine herself.

"Yare, yare," the tall sandy-blonde sighed. With another gesture, she sheathed the glowing blade in that particular subspace pocket she'd removed it from, and strode forward to help them rip.

Sailor Moon fingered one of the tree branches as she fidgeted, denied the opportunity to help them by Uranus's stern glance; apparently, such labor didn't benefit their shining princess. So she played with the branch, shaking free some of the soft pink blossoms that were at least a week early in bloom. Catching them in her hands, she thought of Chibi-Usa; had she ever sat beneath the cherry trees, celebrating the return of springtime? She would have to take her to the park, maybe make it a party with everyone. After all, that's what friends – mothers – did.

Tossing the blossoms up into the air, she smiled, letting them shower her with subtle scent and colour. She heard a cough, and she turned to see the three of them watching her, their gloves stained further green, ankle-deep in vines. They looked tired; worn down, perhaps, was the best description. Uranus and Neptune had been fighting this enemy on their own before anyone had stepped in to help, giving up their lives entirely; had they ever really known happiness since the daimon appeared? And Pluto, who had so recently awakened, used to fighting as a soldier in memory only, her body unused to this rigor she had been thrust into so quickly.

But watching her, they were smiling.

Even in the midst of what constituted no-man's land, ground zero for the possible end of the world, their princess was finding joy in the simplest things. None of them would have bothered to consider the cherry tree as something pretty when they had a job to do; if it were in their way, they would have blasted it into considerably less prettier pieces. But there she was, playing with the shivering blossoms like a child.

"Ne?" she asked, wondering what they were still smiling at her for.

Neptune sighed, though it was not a sad sound; more, perhaps, regretful. "It's wonderful that you can find happiness in such simple ways, _hime-sama_," she answered, Caribbean blue flicking up to see the canopy of pink over her head. "If we had been allowed the same easy life, perhaps we could do the same. But our ways are harder; we've seen too much."

"I've seen a lot as well. That's what makes every bit of happiness worth finding," the _odango_-haired blonde said, a bit sternly. "No matter what! Everything can be a cause for joy, because you make it. As sailor soldiers, we have a duty to protect this planet, and how can you not see what wonders exist, what will live to flourish and grow because we've won those battles? I don't believe a sailor soldier can carry such emptiness in their heart, not at all."

She lifted her chin, as if daring them to contradict her.

When they didn't – after all, what could they say? ‘No, being a sailor soldier means ridiculous melancholy, unhappiness, and vast amounts of depression'? – she looked away and through the gate, which had, after being freed of its tangle, been forced open. "Ne, who's going first?"

In the end, they had Uranus do it, because she was itching to sink the space sword into the first nasty creature they came across anyway, and having what constituted an actual weapon was also a plus. Sword out, she walked straight through the gate and towards the grey steel door set into the wall in front and to the left of said gate, which was unsurprisingly closed. Locked too, they found out, once they reached it and twisted the knob.

So the tall sandy-blonde kicked it down, and leapt forward, expecting a fight.

Nothing.

"Quite a security system the man has," Pluto remarked into the stony silence.

Uranus held her defensive pose for a minute longer, before standing straight with a rather fierce, "_Chikusho_! What the hell kind of mad scientist doesn't have any sort of security? Not even a damn daimon!"

Behind them, the aqua-haired beauty pulled out her mirror. "My mirror sees nothing, still. Even the witch's magic extends this far. There's no telling if Tomoe-san could have something else awaiting us."

"And why wouldn't he?" Sailor Moon queried rather intelligently, "after all, he would surely know we're coming. For Hotaru-chan, we have to find out the truth."

The trio exchanged looks of mixed derision and determination. Finally, Pluto said, "It doesn't matter. No matter what, we'll defeat his monsters, and then, the man."

"_Sou yo_."

The world was so strange when you were a ghost. Everything had a different glow, as if the colours of the wheel had been expanded and modified to include the supernatural. Even with the sky so darkly ominous, the world was beautiful.

Maybe it was just her newly gained perspective, however.

One she was loath to give up.

"Ne, Saturn-sama, why is this happening? Why did you take my hand and save my spirit from that awful woman?" she asked softly as they flew, weightless, hand in hand. Far behind her she could sense her body, a tenuous link that told her that Mistress 9 still inhabited it and was on the move. It was something like an ache to know that her body was essentially her enemy.

Saturn looked back at her with fathomless amethyst, narrowed in what seemed to be perpetual calm contemplation. She was lovely, so pretty and elegant; Hotaru couldn't even believe this was her own image. It seemed ridiculous. "Because I chose to," she said at length, her words even and steady, as if she'd had practice. "That alien is not us. You are me. And you've endured too much in this short lifetime."

Then she smiled, and even that was a curious thing; it wasn't entirely cold, but not entirely warm, either. Smug, perhaps, but not even that explained it. "It won't matter soon. The glaive will be lowered; we will stand on the precipice and watch it all end. And then we will be in solitude again, once more a single being in a single world."

Hotaru stared, brow wrinkling as she realized what Saturn was saying. "You'll truly destroy the world? But why? The sailor soldiers have come to stop papa and Kaoli-kun, and the world will no longer be in danger!"

"It doesn't matter. This is fate. It is both ruin and destiny. Everything leads to this particular climax." They passed through the dirt and rubble, sinking into a room of horrors: stinking, bubbling liquids in tubes, misshapen bodies floating in larger glass chambers, diagrams of human dissection on the walls. "This is your fate and mine."

"_Iie_! Fate never determines everything! I won't accept that!"

There was laughter, shrill and obviously male.

Professor Tomoe was madly in love with his craft; it was all he had left, after his precious Keiko had died. Mixing a particularly noxious chemical in one of his vials, he watched in fascination as the tiny fetus inside began to spasm; it was barely mature enough to resemble anything less than a blob of flesh. "Marvelous, marvelous. And this is my miracle! I've done God's work, I've created new life! Everything had been given to me in the wake of disaster and tragedy."

Unaware of his daughter's presence, he turned to smash the fragile vial against the wall as he hurled it, rather like an exuberant partygoer smashing the crystal glass in celebration. "I was always too gentle with my work because of my precious Keiko. Always she'd call me away to dance and sing and love and be happy; the scientist in me was withering, dying! And then, I finally had the chance to conduct a wonderful experiment, an attempt to create a truly superhuman being. No mutated mistakes of birth, but fully crafted, lovingly so!"

The fire had been a freak, ridiculous accident. Hotaru could remember the stifling smoke even now, clogging her lungs, stealing her breath; her mother's hand, so tight around her own, had let go. She had never seen her again in life. She'd fallen down into a painful darkness, a two-month coma from what she'd been told later on, only to wake up feeling cold…so very cold. Uncomfortably stiff and slow. Her father, looking down at her with an expression of apathy she would grow used to in the years to come, had said, "_Ohayo gozaimasu_, Hotaru. How are you feeling?"

Apathy, and a crystalline eye…

"Whatever my mistake then, God punished me by taking away my precious Keiko; but Hotaru, ara, Hotaru…broken, but perfect for my plans. In initiating her life as a superhuman, I would be also saving her from death. But I was not entirely finished when the lightning struck, the world warping around us to allow those alien beings to arrive!" Ranting out loud to an audience of no one – except for two ghosts that he was unaware of – seemed to be normal for him; he was even gesturing along with his words. Of course, whom else could he tell this to? Kaoli-kun didn't care. Hotaru was a self-committed prisoner in her room. Tell it to the wind.

She had not been awake to see the aliens who had taken refuge in their bodies, the invaders who formed the catalyst for the Death Busters and the Witches 5. For that, she was grateful, but her link to her body, and in turn to Mistress 9, was giving her those memories; and she shivered. The rip opening up in space, dropping creatures that didn't even look remotely bipedal normal, unable to survive properly on Earth as they were. Kaoli-kun had been forcibly initiated, a simpering lab assistant who practiced textbook pagan spells; the daimon gave her the power she wielded now, a strength and assurance she had never had.

Tomoe had not fought. He had offered. Bargained.

Another had been placed, in dormancy, inside of Hotaru. Mistress 9. The rest of the aliens had gone into the same dormant state to survive, waiting for their new allies to find human bodies for them, and to figure out a way to engineer their eventual domination. Tomoe now had an entirely wonderful experiment on his hands, and he was loath to give it all up; what did he care of ethics, or morals? His wife's humanity was long gone to the grave. All he had now was the pursuit of science.

"Papa," she whispered, unable to remember what he looked like when he truly smiled. When he did, it was never in happiness, but smug satisfaction.

Saturn was still as a statue next to her, holding her glaive at parade rest. "It will all be over soon. Even your papa will be able to rest."

Hotaru nodded, crying out suddenly at the next breath at the sudden…not really pain…but…a full-to-bursting sensation back in her body. "_kami_-sama…!"

"She's swallowed it. I can sense the power; she's swallowed the princess's _Ginzuishou_," Saturn said mildly, turning her head as if listening to some music faraway. "Already she's begun the next stage of initiation; soon, she will no longer need our body, and will discard it."

"Discard it!?" Raven-hair whipped around in a flurry as she turned to face herself, expression still set in ridiculous placidity. "That's my body! My flesh! For her to use it for such evil means…I won't allow it any longer!" With a determined kick of her legs, she forced herself across the distance and back into the empty, unfriendly caverns of her body's mind; it was so easy she almost didn't believe it. But that was to be expected; her body knew her spirit. It wanted her back, properly.

Still alone in the darkness, she turned ‘round to see a brilliant twinkling light.

Next to her, Saturn appeared gracefully, apparently unconcerned with Hotaru's rapid flight and her fit; it was almost as if it just didn't matter to her, not when she was wholly convinced she was going to destroy everything anyway. "She's taken the princess's soul; that bright shining star. She swallowed it fully. What do you plan on doing?"

She asked this as if they were just a couple bored kids at the local coffee shop, just a hint of curiousity in her voice. Hotaru opened her mouth, then shut it, tight-lipped; what could she do, indeed? Somehow she received the impression that getting Chibi-Usa's soul back was useless without also giving her back the _Ginzuishou_, and how could she do that? Ghosts couldn't pick up something so solid.

The light floated closer to them, bobbing like a balloon. As it neared, they could hear what sounded like high fluted whispering coming from it, a soundtrack going twice as fast. Also, a pair of white hands reached out, intent on grabbing the light.

Hotaru flung herself forward, gathering the brilliance into her arms just before the hands could snatch it away, skipping backwards awkwardly. And it was such a warm soul; she laughed before she could help herself, feeling the joy and happiness that was Chibi-Usa all around her. She realized that the whispering was the swirling of her life's memories, and as she looked down into it, she could see the most beautiful palace, made out of shining crystal. How was such a place possible?

"Step away," Saturn said coldly, and she looked up in surprise to find the purple-clad sailor soldier standing in front of her, glaive raised in defense. Then she looked past her to see, with a dawning horror, herself again. An older self, dressed in a long skirt and plunging top, and hair to the floor. Mistress 9.

"Oh, I don't think I will. You see, I've won this body; I'm stronger than you—whomever you are, if I may be so bold as to ask."

Saturn spun the glaive over her head in an amazing show of skill, bringing it around to swing and settle with the blade directly against the other's throat. "Step away. Or I'll show you the falseness of your words. I may do it anyway, as you are an enemy, opposing our shining princess."

Mistress 9 laughed. "Yare, yare, such strong words! I thought I killed you, Tomoe Hotaru, for I have no more use for your weakling spirit; I supped long, and nourished myself at the cost of yours. But now I see I was mistaken. Somehow, this secondary spirit has saved you. How interesting that you harbored her inside of your body, an invader, just like me."

"_Iie_! Not an invader, but myself, a long-ago form. My birth was a mistake; she stands there as the perfect body between us." Hotaru crept back further, cradling Chibi-Usa's spirit in her arms like a sleeping babe. "And it will be her face you see at the end! I may die in protecting these precious spirits, all of them you may eat viciously, but she'll survive."

"How perfectly ridiculous. Neither of you are stronger than me; human weaklings. Now give me that shining light!" the eldest of them shouted, reaching forward with arms that grew impossibly long, twisting around Saturn.

It didn't matter. With another perfectly executed move, she spun around to bring the blade of her weapon down through each arm, bisecting them neatly; the severed pieces dissolved into ash as Hotaru froze. Lifting the glaive again, Saturn repeated, "Step away."

Snarling, Mistress 9 did.

She then relinquished control of her self-image, and disappeared from sight.

"Such a terrible, terrible alien," Hotaru whispered. "I can't allow this to continue. Even if it means my death."

"It may," Saturn agreed, slowly lowering her weapon. "But you will live within me. Our body may die, but once I am called forth properly, we will have a new form to finish this. Then, your memories will be mine, as I sleep within Saturn, forever."

Hotaru turned away, looking down into Chibi-Usa's spirit. The world shook, and it was not her fault at all.

"What a terrible smell," Neptune remarked.

Professor Tomoe Souichi sniffed, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. "I'll have you know that I bathe regularly, as the conditions of this body require it."

"_Gomen nasai_, Tomoe-san, but I was speaking of your particular…ah…'projects,'" she corrected him, eyeing the daimon standing next to him.

And they were particularly nasty; freshly out of the nutrient baths he had concocted to incubate them in, newly born into the world, and completely self-reliant, they resembled steaming piles of dog shit, truthfully. The watery kind. They had no need for human bodies anymore, and so stood before them in their true forms, what were probably babies of their race. "I'm almost afraid to ruin the glossy finish on my sword," Uranus sighed, though she had not relaxed her defensive pose.

"I'm sure the Master will appreciate such cleanliness, as I'll present those fierce weapons to him as trophies. Soon, he will be arriving, after all, and his loyal servants should present tributes to his power." He held up his arms, laughing strangely, a pitch too high for comfort. "Welcome to my laboratory, sailor soldiers! Once my daimon satiate their newborn hunger, this place will be a sterile graveyard for your bodies. No longer will I dabble in the science of the superhuman, but I will create them from whole cloth! I will be as a god!"

"But what about Hotaru-chan?" a weak voice queried from the back, sandwiched between two soldiers in blue, and one in funeral black. "Will you discard your own child just as easily?"

Tomoe cocked his head at her, like a curious puppy. "Hotaru? She was a weak body, no longer of any use to me but as a living example of our glory to come. A vessel, for the strongest of us all below the Master. Her childhood belongs to the dust."

He gestured limply with a pale hand spattered in unrecognizable fluids. "Daimon, attack! Satisfy your newborn hungers!"

The daimon sprang, moving in a fluid unison belying their shape and size, mouths open wide to bare their knifelike teeth. Equally unhesitating, Uranus swung the space sword down in a sharp slicing motion towards the creatures, shouting, "Space Sword Blaster!"

At her side, Neptune lifted her hand, palm open to gather her power. She shaped it as she called out, "Deep Submerge!"

For terrifying creatures, they were amazingly weak, and stupid; they continued to run, even as the double attack smashed into them, rending them apart. Their remains hit the ground, quivering and useless, but Tomoe, surprisingly – or unsurprisingly, as he was a certifiable mad scientist – laughed again. "Are those your powers? How surprisingly weak! Daimon! Come forth to avenge your brethren!"

Out of the corners of the lab came the simultaneous sounds of breaking glass.

Instinctively, the three formed the triangle around Sailor Moon, who was staring at the pale-haired scientist with something close to pity. He had thrown his head back, exultant, as the freed daimon swarmed around and past him, his arms raised in triumph. Somewhere in there, she believed, existed the man who had held his little girl with love, who could smile at the sight of rainbows and tell bedtime stories.

Though perhaps not. Grief so sharp as to wound could change anyone…could change a loving, if slightly self-absorbed, father and husband into a calculatingly immoral monster.

Dimly, she became aware of the fighting going on around her, of more daimon appearing to take up the slack of their fallen comrades. As well, she recognized the slump in Neptune's shoulders, the quiver in Uranus's arms as she swung her sword again. No doubt Pluto was beginning to feel the strain as well; they had already fought daimon in human form, Cyprine and Ptilol, half-climbed and half-fallen from a tower, and now they were being steadily worn down. It wouldn't take very long; even a soldier's stamina couldn't take the repeated strain.

But they did it, they blasted away every single drooling creature, and remained standing at the end, defiantly. "Are those your daimon? How surprisingly weak!" Uranus mimicked, holding her sword up with a definite shake to her arm, though her aim was still undoubtedly impeccable.

"_Hai, hai_. A pity, really. I've only just modified them to survive on this world without the aid of a human body. It won't soon matter, of course, this world will soon become the Master's second star, but it was a glorious task!"

"Your Master's second star? Just as Kaoli-kun said…but why? Why do you seek to destroy Earth?" Neptune queried.

Tomoe tapped his cheek idly, utterly placid as he stood ankle-deep in the remains of his fledgling daimon. "Tomoe Souichi seeks nothing but knowledge. He cares nothing for the Earth and its tiny lives, because he has been given a greater mission. The tools to continue his work." Then, frighteningly, he smiled, and it was a wide joker's grin that seemed to stretch into infinity, a hollow where his teeth should have shown.

"But I desire a new world. Your planet was adequately placed; it called to us across the galaxies. We arrived first, preparing to make way for our Master, who was still trapped so far away. Opening the portal, we'll make his path easier, and he will come to crush this tiny little world, third around the yellow star, and place ours here." As if to accentuate his point, the ground shook again, ominously. "Already it's begun! The warp will open wide, to allow the Master, Pharaoh 90, to initiate everyone into a new world! And Tomoe Souichi will be remembered as my loyal vessel, as the compliant body of Germatoid!"

"_Iie_…! Tomoe-san, don't do this! Everything destroyed…your daughter, Hotaru-chan, as well?! Is that how your heart has hardened?" The _odango_-haired blonde's pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Tomoe's body shook, bulging grotesquely as if something wished to get out.

He smiled blissfully. "Tomoe Souichi no longer matters."

And the daimon emerged from his corpse, twisting and writhing free.

Just like Kuromine Kaoli, Tomoe Souichi was discarded, bodies no longer useful to the cause of the Death Busters. They couldn't even recognize him in the mound of flesh that remained on the floor once the daimon – Germatoid – stepped away, towering even higher than Kaolinite. Spikes of various sizes ran along his, its, shoulders, and a black five-point star was visible on his, its, forehead, glowing malevolently. Again, this particular daimon was bipedal, most likely the advanced species, the first arrivals of course.

He was also much faster than Kaolinite. In a blur of speed, Germatoid struck out at them, throwing Neptune and Uranus aside, clawed hands out to clamp onto Sailor Moon's brooch. She screamed in utter agony as his fingers closed tighter, digging into her flesh through her uniform. "And here is the light close to the source of our life!" he crowed, lifting her aloft by one arm. "Magnificence I shall present to the Master!"

"World Shaking!"

The attack slammed into him from behind, and he staggered, teeth bared in a snarl. Sailor Moon kicked her legs helplessly in the air, her hands occupied with holding tightly onto his arms, lest he shake her brooch free and she fall, no longer a soldier but Tsukino Usagi. But it hurt so much…she felt faint, ready to pass out. "Tomoe-s-san," she gasped, crystal blue fading into a duller sheen of pain.

That was when she fell.

  
"Not gone! Not gone in the least, the little nuisance, the irritating flea!"

[Mistress 9, be patient. Soon, I will arrive. Soon, this world will become our second star. That body will be discarded as useless.]

She whirled, fixing the statue with a furious eye, though her Master couldn't see it, and therefore punish her for insolence. "This is unbearable! That such a weak creature could survive…how? How is it possible?" Regarding the four floating stars behind her, she swallowed them angrily as if such an act would make her feel better. It did fill the void of power she'd given up to the Taioron Crystal, and, through association, the Master. "It must be that secondary spirit, that…that other girl, bearing that particular weapon! She saved her!"

A particular weapon, deadly in the hands of its wielder. Why did that pester her so badly, that curved blade? As if there were something else about it to recall… She bit her lip, an unconscious human gesture, then bit harder in anger at doing it.

There was a whisper of sound at her back, and she turned.

Perfect for the right hook that collided with her jaw, spinning her body completely around and onto the floor, sprawling.

"Why hello, he-ello, little bird," a voice crooned, faintly groggy but recovering, having slowly come out of the sleep spell after Kaolinite's death.

Looking up, Mistress 9 stared at the person standing over her, arms folded across her chest, clad in the dirty skirt and suit jacket she'd put on a day ago. Copper hair long escaped from the braid fell around a bemused face; lapis lazuli eyes bore the only sign of anger. "Long time no torture."

"You…how is this possible!?" the raven-haired woman spat, vaguely recognizing the taste of her body's blood on her lips. And a sudden spasm of fear, as she looked into a growing storm; until now, no one had hurt her, nor touched her in this way. She could die in this body, and she had no doubt that the tall red-head would not hesitate to do it. "Master Pharaoh 90, help me!"

The statue shook.

Engorged with the energy of countless trapped souls, the spell near completion, there were no more barriers. Both of them stared in shock as the statue, holding the power of the Taioron Crystal, shattered into a million pieces as if it had been simply smashed. Out of its remains lifted an amorphous cloud of shadow, with familiar nebulous eyes, growing larger and larger. "_Merde_," Alex groaned.

[Mistress 9, I have finally broken through! The spell is in its final phase. Within the hour, this will be our new home, this Omega Zone.]

"_Sou yo_, Master Pharaoh 90! This is the end of our long journey!"

The entire cavern was trembling under the strength of the earthquake Master Pharaoh 90's arrival was causing, rocks and boulders falling everywhere. Alex held up her arms, concentrating, as the debris bounced off the air mere centimetres above her head, and those of the four guardian soldiers. But if the entire place caved in…she swore again, looking towards Mistress 9, who was laughing at her Master's trickery.

"The end of the world as we know it, and I'm definitely not feeling fine," Alex muttered under her breath as her mind took up the chorus. "I take it this is your evil plan? Killer earthquakes and a Big Bad Puff o' Smoke?" she yelled over the noise, grunting as a particularly large rock hit.

"Of course not, but does it matter to you in particular? Soon, you'll merely be food for the daimon!" Mistress 9 gloated, clapping her hands as Master Pharaoh 90 gathered himself and shot upward through who knew how much packed earth and stone, smashing up to the surface with the force of a rocket.

Everything beneath them was cracking, breaking up under the stress; salty bay water sprayed up, soaking all of them within seconds. The raven-haired woman flew up, reaching for her Master, as the biggest geyser exploded under their feet and threw them up and out, onto the concrete walkway in front of Infinity. Alex twisted, barely managing to land decently after being tumbled around, and ran to slow down the fall of her allies, also not a very easy task. They were small and slender, but muscle weighed a lot more than the scant fat on their bodies.

The blackness spread, pulling apart the concrete like ribs on a cadaver. But the tall red-head ignored it – she couldn't do anything on her own, not against something like that – and shook the closest, Mars, sharply. "Mars! Sailor Mars!"

Nothing. Her head rolled limply on her neck like a broken flower. Alex slapped her once, sharply, then released her gently when she didn't sit up and scream at her. Not a good sign. What the hell had that demon bitch-woman done to them? She checked for a pulse and frowned; it was erratic, slower than it should have been.

Behind her, she could hear both Master and Mistress laughing over their triumph. It was an annoying, teeth-grating noise, but she ignored it as well, focusing on Jupiter. She closed her eyes, listening with her mental ears to a silence that was not supposed to be there; no static, no thoughts, nothing. Lights off, no one home.

And then of course, when she was actually using that particular power, she was practically deafened by a scream that ripped through her mind, driven by exquisite pain. She fell back onto her ass, letting out a startled shout as she clapped a hand to her skull, a gesture that was useless when the sensation was inside her head. "Usagi," she whispered, rolling back onto her feet.

She had to leave them. Her princess was in danger, and that superceded everything else. Not that she wanted to, not when she wanted nothing more than to wring that bitch-woman's neck and demand she fix whatever she'd done to them. Turning, she centered her gaze on the low rise of the Tomoe laboratories.

  
Pluto stared helplessly as the creature held up their princess, her eyes alight with suffering. Though she had aimed her rod for a strike, she couldn't risk hitting Sailor Moon, which, in her current position, she was sure to do. And the daimon knew it, even as he shook under another repeat of Neptune's attack. All he had to do was bear the fury of their powers until they completely tired, then slaughter them as he used her as a shield.

Then the brooch's clasp broke, and Tsukino Usagi fell from the daimon's claws.

She landed in a crumpled heap, blonde hair streaming like spilled gold across the floor, and didn't get up. Which was a terrible shame, as she was unable to witness the sudden circle of heat above her head, a neat, perfect hole burning right through the ceiling tiles. Through it dropped the tall red-head, the center of a pillar of living flame. "You," she hissed.

Germatoid looked up at her as she stared at him, with a growing fury, her eyes…no longer blue. She could hear Neptune's startled oath as she ripped the brooch from the daimon's hand with her telekinesis. "I…have had…a very…very…bad…day," she snarled, catching the broken heart with one hand and releasing a blast of flame from the other.

Germatoid smelled very bad when burning. He howled, only to get smacked again by flames, and again, each one harsh enough to toast the metal tables around him. Then he was sent flying across the room, smashing into the metal racks holding Tomoe's old test tubes, and the sound of glass mingled with Pluto's shout of "Dead Scream!"

"Space Sword Blaster!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

Usagi opened her eyes as the last scream echoed into oblivion, staring dazedly into…into…. "Alex _onee-chan_?"

The tall red-head smiled, breathing hard; the smile touched her eyes, even though they had changed so strangely. A small trickle of blood had leaked from her nose. "I'm touched. Come on, sit up…" She levered her up to see Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto standing around them, smiling in what looked to be relief. "I wish I could say you can rest now, but that isn't possible."

In her hand was Usagi's heart shaped brooch.

"Master Pharaoh 90 has been freed."

Taking it back, she held it tightly to her chest.

"Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury…their spirits have been stolen."

She trembled only slightly at what was about to happen.

"We need Sailor Moon. We have to save this planet."

"Whatever it takes, _hime-sama_."

"No matter what, we'll use our power to defend our world."

"Our beautiful blue planet. We'll sacrifice ourselves if we need to."

No more sacrifices. They didn't know it yet, however; nothing of her promise to keep them safe and happy. After all, a queen looked after her kingdom and kind, made sure they were in good spirits and never wanting. No one should ever have to die, in that world.

Not even Hotaru. Or Chibi-Usa. She held her heart, and smiled.

She'd lead them towards that joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wings are just silly, but they exist in Stars. I guess I can't ignore them.


	33. Act 33 : mugen dix - Hakanai

##### 

In twos and threes they were coming, an interesting mix of the social structure of Japan: housewives and elevator dolls, school dropouts and greasy-haired punks, businessmen in their identical dark suits and Windsor knotted ties, politicians with the same expensive, cloned style. Little children walking hand-in-hand. Dirty construction workers leaving a trail of muddy footprints to mark their path. So many people, all of them wearing the same faintly confused, outwardly excited expressions instead of the stoic, usually grim faces that their culture seemed to demand, if not outright force.

At Chouko Iretsu's feet lay a scattering of loose paper, fallen like feathers; views of the three towers, with Mugen dominating despite its smaller size, each one progressively better, until the last. A dismal sight, wretched in the obvious evil surrounding Mugen, its vine-choked tower seemingly straining for freedom as the three surrounding towers, Heaven, Sea, and Darkness, leaned inward to contain it.

He had dropped them upon seeing the parade of people moving into the Delta region despite its obvious danger, began watching them navigate with difficulty the ruined streets. At first he couldn't understand – why in the world would such a diverse crowd be walking right into the middle of danger, instead of running away? – but as he stood up on his chair for a better look, he understood. How could they help themselves, after all? Their princess had given them the means to anticipate this showdown; just as she had him.

Without any particular hurry, they surrounded the coffee shop, and many began to climb onto the roof. One of these was an older woman, almost as small as himself, with black hair shot through with gray wound back into a tight bun, and thick glasses hiding beady brown eyes. Behind her was a taller young man, his hair obviously dyed a painful blond, falling into darker chocolate eyes that didn't need glasses. Both of them had the rounder faces and smaller noses he'd come to recognize as Chinese. "_Hajimemashite_," he said cordially to them all, picking up his last drawing.

"_Hajimemashite, Geijutsuka-san_," the woman said, bowing with a clap of her hands.

"It's been a long journey, _obaa-san_," he returned, making polite conversation. "What brings you to this place? Surely it's no longer the safest place to be."

The young man shook his head, tossing the blond hair out of his eyes with an impatient gesture. "Nowhere is safe. All of us know this. Our dreams have shown us the blonde goddess who will protect us from the evil that has invaded our world."

The woman – most likely his mother – gave him a stern, chiding glare for interrupting, then said to Iretsu, "She will protect us. Here is the safest place in the world; if we are to die, we will die in the holy light of our princess."

That was an interesting idea for the picture; the rising, diaphanous bodies of the three protective goddesses of the triple towers, their arms spread to capture the crouching, hissing, darker shape between them, beautiful but dangerous. And above all, benevolent and lovely, Serenity would rise. Fanciful and a bit ludicrous – having known Usagi for years, even if mostly by second-hand knowledge, he knew she was hardly the divine goddess her mother had been. But it was his painting, dammit, he could extemporize all he wanted.

And then the world shook again, hard; turning, he could see the crack yawning wide in front of Mugen, zigzagging through the concrete like a knife through melted butter. From its depths rose a tarry blackness with eyes of pulsating, starry white, and with its arrival the air grew thicker, harder to breathe. "For the love of the _kami_ and all their shades," he heard an elegantly coifed _geisha_ whisper to his right.

"This is the divine punishment of God for our folly; our sin; our sickness. Repent, and we will be saved, to forever dwell in the House of the Lord…"

"Believe in our princess! Merciful is she who carries the power of life, the goddess Serenity reborn…"

"_Iie_!"

It was a strange feeling to have so many people stop in their tracks at the sound of his voice; even after so many gallery events, dinners, and other public venues, hardly anyone gave him their full attention when he spoke. Now, he was mystified to see that even the smallest child had turned towards him, watching him like some interesting species of bug. "_Iie_," he repeated again, a bit calmer. "Never a goddess. Merely a beautiful princess with a miraculous power, who wields it with kindness and belief in the goodness of everyone. We can believe in her, because she believes in us."

There was the sound of a cork popping.

Mistress 9 rose from the crack, arms spread wide to encompass the spreading blackness of her Master. Her laughter spiraled into seeming infinity, cresting like the ocean across their faces. That was his painting; that was the evil that knelt between the triple goddess, attempting to break free. And she was indeed beautiful, with her incredibly long black hair, lithe figure, and pale, creamy skin, her eyes a haunting amethyst purple.

She lifted her hands up to the sky, palms spread, and screamed something unintelligible, sharp and dissonant on the ears. On Iretsu's wrist, he felt a searing pain, and he lifted his hand to see that his wristwatch had gone mad, disregarding time to jump both its arms to 12 O'clock. Around him he could see similar gestures as every time piece did the same thing, leaping ahead – or back, it could be said – to the twelfth hour.

Above them the sky, already that dangerous shade of green, turned rainbow luminescent, the colour of sunlight on spilled gasoline. This was apparently a good sign, as the woman began to shriek again with triumphant laughter, shouting, "This is the beginning of our world! Master Pharaoh 90! Utilize this spoilt, selfish world, become one with its energy, become our new star!"

"Where are they? Princess! Tsukino-san!"

Now people were beginning to scream, facing what was certainly death; and not only their death, but the death of their entire world. The last time, with Metallia's aborted plan rendering them senseless, they had not even been truly aware of their possible demise. This time, they had a front row seat for the destruction.

But as they watched the spreading darkness, terrified, slowly recollecting themselves for a dignified slaughter as any true Japanese would do, a blast leveled the Tomoe laboratories. Even Mistress 9 seemed taken aback; she turned, her face gone ugly and feral, to see a sphere of white light rise from the ruins, carrying four slim figures clad in familiar short skirts. After it followed a fifth figure, completely self-propelled, trailing long hair the colour of copper wire.

"Hotaru-chan!? Stop this!" they could hear their blonde princess cry, high above the feral woman she was apparently addressing. "You don't have to do this!"

"Tomoe Hotaru is no longer here to answer you, Sailor Moon!" the woman laughed, rising higher and higher by a magic of her own. "No longer is that weakling going to bother me! This is the time of our triumph! Our victory! Master Pharaoh 90, bring us to that new world!"

She lowered her hand, and blasted the sphere of light away, tumbling them through the air. "Just a little longer, and we will be free of your human weakness, your cancerous lifestyle. Don't fight us, Sailor Moon; I'll simply steal that brilliant light and discard your useless body."

The sky was splitting apart above their heads as below, the ground disappeared beneath a spreading ruin.

Mamoru blinked again, desperate to stay awake. Through the window he could see again the same heart-wrenching view; the section of the Delta visible to his eyes, gone entirely mad. Now the sky was rainbow slick, which was not a good sign, not that the greenish-black rot colour had been any better. This was the first time he was forced to stay away from the last desperate battle, instead of remaining at Sailor Moon's side. Watching it from far away, unable to do a damn thing, was driving him a bit crazy, knowing that if something happened to his princess….

He knocked his head back against the wall, a bit harder than intended, but achieving the same affect. The pain sang through his nerves and shot him up with a bit of adrenaline, waking him up further. For a moment his vision and senses were razor-sharp, perfectly normal; then they dulled again, receding into the fog as his daughter siphoned him away.

Well; not him entirely. His energy, his life force, the spirit that animated him; that was an acceptable answer. And it wasn't her fault, he was glad to do it, but it was still taking a toll. It was nothing like using his mind to force a wound to close, the blood to slow down and stop; this was sharing energy with a person currently incapable of returning it. Setsuna had expressed nothing but faith in his ability to maintain these levels, but perhaps she'd been a bit too quick to assume. Maybe in time he'd be practiced enough to give up so much energy without feeling so lethargic, but now, he was close to passing out.

But Chibi-Usa did look better, he had to admit that. Her colour had returned vastly a short while ago, and she'd felt warmer, which was excellent, but odd. He was hoping they had found her _Ginzuishou_ and taken it away from the demonic Hotaru, but he had no doubt that, in Sailor Moon's hands, it would have returned to its owner. And yet, it was as if it were being protected from the possible evil of Hotaru's body, even if it had not been freed.

And in a way it was, though he didn't know it; taking it away from Mistress 9 in the depths of their shared mind and holding it to her heart, Hotaru had surrounded it with her own energy, doing exactly as Mamoru hypothesized and protecting it from evil. She was growing weaker with time, giving up so much of herself to keep Chibi-Usa's spirit safe, but until then…

He swallowed hard, gripping his daughter's hand unnecessarily tight. What would be the first sign of failure? Would Chibi-Usa cease to exist beneath his touch if the Death Busters won and swallowed his shining princess? Or would everything and everyone be snuffed out all at once, like a multitude of flickering candles hit with a stiff wind? Being the odd man out was giving him far too much time to postulate. At least being out in front, at the very center of the action, gave him no time to wonder ceaselessly about how many ways they could die.

The world quaked again, and he flinched automatically despite himself. High up within the building, with no real means of escape if the entire place collapsed beneath his feet, he realized dully that if it did indeed fall apart, the possibility of his daughter waking up was defeated. It seemed that no matter what happened, he had to get out of there; complacently sitting on his bed, cradling Chibi-Usa's small body, was tantamount to suicide. He roundly cursed at himself for not considering the problem earlier, and stood up.

Several minutes passed of sheer hell, where he realized that having to keep at least a hand on his daughter to maintain the link was cumbersomely ridiculous when one is attempting to put on and lace shoes. Not to mention changing shirts before that, when he decided it was probably best not to be caught homeless in a sweaty and dirty Oxford. At least he hadn't had to pull his thicker blue shirt over his head, but buttoning had been a hassle; it had to be skin touching skin, and so he finally propped her against his side, forehead to his cheek.

Wallet, keys. Turn off the lights, the gas. He finally left, hoisting her into a piggyback hold, managing to flop her arms around his neck, her cheek against his, and marveled at the utter stillness of his floor. It had been quiet before, of course, with most of his neighbors smart enough to leave while they could, but now it seemed completely dead. Not even the electric hum of a television rang in his ears, and he could always at least hear one when he came or left, that faintly nagging buzz just barely audible. "Like a ghost town," he muttered under his breath.

He eyed the elevator and discarded it as a possibility; it would be just his luck to be in it when the electricity was cut. Though the quakes were not nearly bad enough yet to cause any harsh damage past fallen junk, most modern buildings being built to rock with the earth instead of fight it, falling electric poles were a real scare. So he managed to wriggle and kick the door to the stairs open, silently thanking his physical education teachers for forcing good cardiovascular health on him, and bounded down the steps.

Somewhere around the third floor he then cursed them for not forcing a bit more.

On the first floor he sat down, hanging his head as he gulped air, wondering wildly just how much Chibi-Usa weighed. (Going down the steps was supposed to be far easier than going up, for the love of the _kami_!) Of course, maintaining the rapid pace he'd started out with was not easy downhill when one is trying not to tip headlong due to the dead weight on one's back; not to mention his weak state already from relinquishing so much energy. And he did live fairly high up in the building. If they lived, he was going to talk to the manager about moving down a few floors.

Of course, now that he was down at street level, he realized, like an idiot, that he had no means of transportation. His car had been impounded the day before he had gone to his fateful destiny atop the Tokyo Tower; he had stupidly failed to slow for a yellow light, been stopped, and consequently screwed when the officer realized he had no real driver's license. He had never bothered with the technicality, as the car had been part of his inheritance, stored for all those years, and he very rarely had used it. It had mostly been for emergencies, and now, in this emergency, he found himself lacking.

More swearing. His gentleman's club card was taking a real beating lately.

Looking up, he could see the darkness beginning to spread out from the Delta further, pushing away what gentle gray had been left. Looking around, he saw that he was currently the only witness on his street; miraculously, the traffic had finally passed, or they'd simply parked their cars and curled up to wait somewhere else. The pedestrians had vanished; the only mark of their passing was some scattered junk on the sidewalk, dropped in haste or forgotten. No one wanted to be here, not with the impossible sign of something truly wrong over the horizon.

Brushing off another wave of dizziness, he turned towards the bay and began to walk.

"Is this the culmination of their magic? That terrible darkness?" The four soldiers stared, horrified. Next to them, Alex shook her head.

"_Non_. That's the one they call Master Pharaoh 90. He's broken through the barrier. But we have to save the others first, before he swallows their bodies!" she said, pointing.

Scattered nearby were the fallen bodies of the four guardian soldiers, brilliant smears of colour against the gray landscape. None of them moved as the blackness inched closer to their limbs, making a most uninteresting slurping noise; Sailor Moon gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth. "_Minna_…! What's happened to them!?"

"Mistress 9 swallowed their souls!"

The white sphere dipped down, swooping like an elegant soap bubble closer to the fissure. A fissure that was growing, cracking the concrete as it sped backward towards the Infinity tower, as it simultaneously spread out towards the street. Reaching out, Uranus grabbed Venus by the wrist, as well as Mercury, as Alex grabbed Jupiter, Pluto pulling Mars. They were a little desperate to get back up into the air; their combined power snapped them back up above the Ten'nou complex like a rubber band released, so suddenly that the tall red-head was momentarily left behind. She turned; Mistress 9 was gesturing at her, most likely in a maddened attempt at payback.

It probably would have hurt a lot, had the formal tower of Mugen Gakuen not chosen the moment to completely rend apart behind her back.

The noise alone was excruciating as untold amounts of steel ripped apart, glass blasted in every direction. Mistress 9's mouth opened in startled panic as the deadly shards came towards her with the force of a train. Alex's cry of pain was rather lost as she tumbled back, protected by the shield she had thrown up, but holding back the pressure of what was practically a bomb was not so easy. She cringed in concentration, dazedly weaving her way up towards the others as the raven-haired woman dismissed the detritus with a spell of her own.

Up, and up. She landed hard on the roof of Ten'nou, where the others had set down. "Guardian-sama, are you alright?" Pluto gasped, seeing that trickle of blood again, freshly crimson, from her nose.

"Uh huh…I think once this is over…I'm taking a nice, long vacation. I haven't used my powers like this in way too long." She unconcernedly wiped her nose with her sleeve – the outfit was ruined anyway – and set Jupiter down onto the rooftop gently. "I feel like an out of shape fatty pulling muscles I don't remember having."

"But such muscles indeed," Neptune remarked mildly, forcing her laughter, which was better than hysteria.

"_Chere_, you flatter me."

Uranus cleared her throat. She had crouched by Venus, touching her cheek in what was clearly a concerned gesture. Not surprising, considering how cold she felt seeing the four guardian soldiers so diminished; though she had once thought of them as children, and still felt they had a bit too much naivete for her liking, they were brave. They had gone into the depths to face the enemy, to give their princess a chance to strike the final blow and save everyone; a lesser person would have fled. "What can we do to stop the Death Busters?"

Not asked was the obvious: What can we do to save the four guardian soldiers?

As one, they looked down over the stone barrier, down at the roiling black mass beneath them, spreading further. In a moment it would pass the boundaries of the three towers flanking Mugen, an invisible line that they instinctively knew would be the end of their world if it were crossed.

As one, they looked up at the sky, with its frightening, unnatural colours. The spell was building towards its climax, which was an event they could possibly not stop; not without coercion, or perhaps complete obliteration of the prime spell caster on Earth. Who they could hear still laughing down below, coming closer; the bitch had gained wings.

"The battle to save our wold is not our mission any longer," Pluto said softly, though with such conviction it could have been shouted all the same. "We have failed in this. The invaders came under our noses; if we had been true soldiers of the outer system, they would have been destroyed long before arriving to touch the soil."

"That's not true, Pluto! How could you have stopped them when you were Meiou Setsuna, and not yet Sailor Pluto? This is the only path any of you could have taken!" their princess argued, crystal blue eyes wide with compassion. Pluto smiled thoughtfully, cupping her hand around the heart-shaped knob that held her talisman: the garnet orb.

It glowed steadily as she continued, "Perhaps, _hime-sama_. But the battle, the fight, is no longer ours. As the wielder of the three talismans, as in effect the living figures of these three towers, our mission is to now protect. This will be the use of our power; to contain the evil long enough for you, our shining princess, to obliterate it."

Neptune and Uranus nodded in a queer unison, lifting their own talismans as if to prove Pluto's point. "It no longer matters what happens to us, so long as the plot of the Death Busters is defeated," the tall sandy-blonde stated decisively.

Pluto executed a magnificent leap that, had the Olympic committee witnessed it, they would have wept and declared the long-jump retired in tribute. She landed neatly atop the Meiou condominium tower and raised the garnet rod up to the heavens, the orb now so bright it could have directed air traffic. From the very tip of the rod itself shot a brilliant beam of white light, and though it seemed powerful enough to disappear through the clouds and into space, traveling until it hit something solid – space debris, a comet, perhaps the oncoming Tau star – it simply stopped at a fixed point directly above what looked to be the middle between all three towers.

Neptune crossed to her tower, kneeling quickly to brush her fingers against the roof in what looked to be a gesture of respect – or goodbye. Then she lifted her mirror, directing its glass surface up towards the beam of light, and as it caught the reflection, it returned a similar light of its own. As they connected, it seemed that the air grew calmer, and from the Ten'nou tower they could see, like a gentle heat mirage, the shield of their power fall into place between their respective spots.

Uranus stared at Sailor Moon for a span of seconds that seemed far longer; as if memorizing her face, perhaps, or her figure. Then she said, so softly almost neither of the two could hear her, "We believe in you finally, princess Serenity. Sailor Moon." Lifting her sword, she added, "Tsukino Usagi," completing the triad. Its blade grew ridiculously long to span the space, connecting at the top of the triangle; and if the sensation of the first two was interesting, the completion was miraculous. The city was suddenly visible through what seemed to be the finest of white mesh nets as the shield crossed over their heads and down, anchoring strongly to the ground several metres outside of each tower.

And they must have felt it painfully as Master Pharaoh 90 collided with those walls. But none of them said a word, not even a whimper; all of them had fallen silent, blank-faced, which meant the shield must have been taking all of their concentration. The barest signal from Uranus that showed her pain was only in the tightening of her lips, white from the pressure.

"Uranus, Neptune, Pluto!" Sailor Moon gasped, feeling a hand grip her shoulder and hold her steady. "You can't possibly hold in such an evil force! Not alone!"

"Of course they can't! Not with such weak tactics!" a cruel voice sneered; they saw her hair first, whipping up into view like the coils of Medusa, and then the adult face of Tomoe Hotaru, twisted beyond any recognition of gentleness. The tall sandy-blonde never even flinched, though they were separated by mere metres.

And for all of her own kindness, even the _odango_-haired blonde recognized danger when she saw it. She leapt forward with the heart moon rod leveled directly at Mistress 9's heart and screamed, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

Mistress 9 flinched beneath the power, thrown back by sheer force, but barely hurt. Her dress seemed to make out worse; the already-plunging neckline dropped another centimetre, and the drapery of pears lost a strand, white dots falling into space. But she lifted her head with a snarl, fingers hooking into claws, snapping, "You little bitch! I'll take pleasure in ripping out that bright light you possess and swallowing it whole! Just as I've done to your little friends—"

The rest was drowned out as a small metal cigarette case, glowing a dangerous magenta, hit her in the stomach and exploded. She shrieked, falling back down below the level of the building, cursing in a language none of them could understand. "She really is a talkative tyke, isn't she?" the tall red-head grumped, looking around for some more projectiles. After all, she hadn't entirely packed for this sort of battle. She pulled out a few small throwing knives strapped to her forearm, frowning; they were too valuable to waste, but also of no use against someone in a borrowed body who could obviously fix it back up.

She threw up her hands, looked at the _odango_-haired blonde – who was still holding the heart moon rod out defensively, as if she recognized the fact that she held their only useful weapon at the moment – and asked, "You have any ideas, _tsukimidango_? Your attack isn't strong enough, not without some backup, and I'm not magic, I'm hardware."

"I don't know…if I could call on everyone else, ask for their power…but their souls have been taken." The _odango_-haired blonde faltered on the last word, but kept staring straight ahead, waiting for Mistress 9 to re-appear. She couldn't fail, not with everyone counting on her; and she had won the fight twice already, each one becoming less of a weight on her heart, and yet, a bit heavier in the shoulders. As Sailor Moon, she had accepted this burden. She had to approach this properly, and she recognized the fact that the tall red-head was expecting her to do so. "Perhaps, if we try to release their souls…I could use the _Ginzuishou_ to cleanse Mistress 9 from Hotaru-chan's body?"

Alex stripped off her jacket, pulling out of an inner pocket a small rectangular box; she turned it over and laughed, muttering something in English under her breath. Tossing the ruined garment onto the roof, she said, "If you cleanse the daimon, the souls of the four might go with it. But maybe not. All we can do is try." Then, as if in afterthought, she muttered, "These are not the clothes I expected to save the world in again. If we die, I'm going to be heartily embarrassed."

Moon just blinked at her. Sometimes, she really didn't know how to handle the tall red-head, even though much of her quirkiness and attitude was exactly the same as Moriya's had been. But her worldliness, her strange way of viewing their situations, even her habits; sometimes, she wondered just what her newly-christened ‘Alex _onee-chan_' had gone through to come to such a point where she viewed life-and-death as some interesting joke. "You can be very strange sometimes, Guardian-sama," she sighed.

The tall red-head shrugged, rolling up her shirt sleeves to reveal the small knives on one arm, and a larger, single blade on the other. Just because she was relatively incognito in her new country didn't mean she wasn't still paranoid. "It comes with the job. Trust me, if I wasn't so flippant about every single disaster I've gone through, I'd probably be locked up in some nuthouse in lower New York State by now."

"_Gomen ne_," the _odango_-haired blonde whispered, lowering her eyes. "I won't ask again. That was thoughtless of me."

"No it wasn't. The day you stop asking is the day I'll start worrying about your relative sanity." Alex quirked a smile at her, winking playfully. "I'm supposed to be the crazy one, not you."

"Guardian-sama!" she squealed back, laughing. But then she pouted thoughtfully, tilting her head. "_Are_ you our Guardian? You haven't transformed."

Shrugging, Alex held out her hand for Sailor Moon to take, though her eyes had drifted slightly off towards the edge of the building. Mistress 9 had not re-appeared, which meant she was either busy gloating, licking her wounds, or waiting for them to come down to her, none of which were an appealing option. "It's only clothing, _chere_. Well…just a teensy bit of magic, maybe, but mostly just clothes. I can fight the devil in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers."

Taking the offered hand, Sailor Moon bit back a giggle at the sudden image of the tall American next to her wearing a pink furry bathrobe and floppy-eared slippers, with thankfully normal eyes. (She looked back; yes, they were blue again.) But she managed to banish it astonishingly quickly, concentrating instead on recalling the power to lift them both up and away, knowing now how it was done; when she realized her feet had already left the rooftop.

Blinking her eyes wide, she looked around to see them both almost ten metres airborne, suspended by seemingly nothing; when she called her power, she could see it clearly as a white sphere, holding them safe. Puzzled, she turned towards Alex, who had released her hand and looked away, surveying their battleground. "How can you do this? You were hurt before…"

"You need your hands and head free to fight; I just need the hands. You can't go zipping around, not with your lack of real control and concentration," the tall red-head explained as they swooped down, heading for the flash of pale skin that they could see against the backdrop of Master Pharaoh 90's blackness.

"_Hai_. I won't fail!"

Dropping lower, Sailor Moon relinquished her hold on the heart moon rod, sensing rather than seeing it disappear into whatever subspace it went to. Instead her hands lifted to cup around her brooch and the crystal therein, feeling the power respond to her attention. It seemed so odd that she had begun to take the background noise of the crystal for granted; indeed, unless she concentrated, she barely even heard it. Like breathing, or having her heart beat, it had rapidly become some sort of important body part that she mostly forgot about.

But as they came closer, she didn't use it at all. Merely stared.

And blinked.

(Was she seeing things?)

Mistress 9 had not yet noticed them, or didn't care they had arrived; she was curled over into half, long-nailed fingers scrabbling at what seemed to be air. Her eyes bulged grotesque from their sockets, turning Hotaru's sly, adult face into something entirely terrifying, but it wasn't on purpose.

The hands that gripped her throat and squeezed hard were not solid, but ghostly. Just enough to exert pressure, to let one know they were there and pissed off. And Hotaru seemed very much pissed as she loomed over her own body, dressed as they had all seen her in her black long-sleeved dress and black tights, her young somber face twisted into righteous anger. She shoved down hard, and Mistress 9 gurgled, falling forward. "You won't do this, not with body, not with my strength!" she cried, and it was an interesting Doppler sort of effect; her lips moved, but the words followed more than several seconds later.

"Get away from me! Away, you weak…human…spirit!" the elder shouted around the vise on her throat, now flailing her arms behind her rather ridiculously, as if trying to grab a wicked monkey or child on her back. "I'll cast you away into the abyss! Nothing you do will stop the Master's utilization of this planet! Everything will merge with his essence and become our new world! So close to this moment, I can cast off this body and you!"

"Hotaru-chan!" Sailor Moon held out her hands, as if reaching to grab the raven-haired ghost. "Hotaru-chan, fight the evil! Don't let it consume you!"

Hotaru looked up, startled. But as she recognized Sailor Moon, Alex slightly behind her, she smiled; it was wistful, but entirely at peace. As if she knew no matter what… "Usagi-san. It's your bright spirit that gives me strength. Yours, and Chibi-Usa-chan's. Both of you shine so wonderfully. This is my traitorous body, so I must return what's been stolen personally. Chibi-Usa's _Ginzuishou_…"

"You'll do nothing!" Mistress 9 raved.

"But I will! I'll take back those lights, I'll rip them from your hands! It doesn't matter if the act kills me, finally, but I'll see them all safe." With that ultimatum, she disappeared into her body, sinking into her limbs as Mistress 9 scratched and ripped at her form.

The next they saw was the tip of what looked to be a blade slash up and out of her back, as if cutting open a door; Mistress 9 howled long and loud as Hotaru kicked free, her arms cradling what looked to be small balls of coloured light: green, blue, red, gold, and sugar pink. The last held within its depths a tiny, familiar shape; a crystal. She held them tightly as she flew away, over all of their heads, and they could see her release the four lights back to their unconscious owners atop Ten'nou tower. "_Minna_!" the _odango_-haired blonde said happily, "she's given them back their precious spirits!"

Then Hotaru turned back to them one last time, waving good-bye, and vanished.

  
Mamoru slid to a sitting position on the curb, wondering at how it was so hard to catch a simple breath. It wasn't Chibi-Usa's fault, but a simple fact of nature; the longer you carry your burden, the heavier it will become. He so badly wanted to transform, to feel the rush of strength and energy that came along with the tuxedo, but he had no idea if he could even summon the power to do it. Nor what would happen to the connection that fed his daughter enough of his life to survive.

He looked up into the sky, its sickly colour no longer worrisome but scenery, and saw the rising black spire of the Tokyo Tower. He had made it further than he'd expected; another kilometre would put him near Shibakouen metro station. And after that….

Sighing, he re-adjusted the pink-haired child against his back, though there were truthfully no more comfortable positions left. It seemed ridiculous for him to be walking right back into the lion's den, helpless and burdened, but if the world was going to die, he was going to die seeing his princess one last time. Holding her, if possible. It was entirely logical in his mind to walk the length of Minato-ku if it meant being at her side at the end.

And no where else was obviously safe; ocean blue roamed tightly along the street, marking the cracks growing in the pavement, running up the ides of buildings. Every quake was worse than the last, growing in intensity as the Death Busters' plan gained in power. Wounding the planet with their magic. At this rate, even if Sailor Moon did stop them, there would be nothing but ruins to save.

That was when he felt it, a shock of pain strong enough to bow his back; and the world trembled again, shaking in rage at its violation. It was enough that he screamed, unable to stop it, and the planet seemed to echo his frustration and agony, cracking beneath his legs to show him the thick layers of concrete and dirt and rock. Everything around him was tumbling into disarray, falling down and into pieces like cheap building block toys, unable to withstand the momentum.

When it finally stopped, and there was a blessed silence in its wake, he realized he was crying, silently, but crying nonetheless. And not only at his pain, he recognized dimly, but at the pain of his planet being rent apart by some off-world hack artists unable to share. He felt his planet cry through his body, and realized that his weakness was not only attributed to his link-up with his daughter, but to the destruction of Earth. The destruction, through spirit and magic, of his own flesh. They were not only destroying the physical, but the spiritual as well, completely rendering it useless in a way that Uranus and Neptune and everyone else's planets had not been.

If he was only feeling it now, it must have meant that their spell was nearing completion. Time was running out; now there was the added fear of his body and spirit being destroyed, not only that of the planet. And calling one's spirit back from the land of the dead when that spirit's link had been irrevocably severed was not as easy as a kiss and a wish. He had no holy stone, no _Ginzuishou_, to hold his spirit in trust for another to call forth.

Grunting, he crawled onto his knees, then slowly up to his feet. The scenery had changed; several buildings had collapsed into rubble, leaving gaps like a six-year-old's smile that he could see through. A water pipe had burst in one of them, and he watched the spreading pool of dirty, lukewarm water spill into the street, disappearing down into a crack like a miniature waterfall. Even in the wake of destruction, there was beauty to be seen; and it was a vision he would have never even noticed, had a certain _odango_-haired blonde not walked into his life.

He continued walking, though now it was even slower going because of the growing crevices that forced him to circle around. Falling into some of them would have meant agony, if not death, because he would have broken several bones and been trapped for hours. Not to mention his daughter's small body being possibly pulpified.

Speaking of which, she still felt warm against his back. He tilted his head to the side to press further against her chubby arm to verify it; beneath his cheek, he could feel soft skin and a hesitant warmth. It was even warmer than before, and he hoped it meant that they had at last saved her holy stone. But she hadn't moved, not even a peep during his screaming – he noticed then that his cheeks felt tight with drying tears, having not wiped them away – and if he knew his little rabbit, she would have been up in a flash, demanding to know if he was all right. Warm, but not conscious; a very puzzling matter.

"Chibi-Usa-chan..."

"Ne?" he muttered, turning his head.

A girl stood in front of him, a pale ghostly apparition dressed in the most plain of black dresses and stockings, her hair a fall of the same colour, cut straight at her shoulders. Her eyes were sad amethyst, though kind; and he remembered seeing those eyes before, almost cold. Floating in the air, holding the sharpest of lethal weapons, though this girl held her cupped hands close to her chest. "….Saturn?" he finally guessed, warily taking a step back.

She shook her head, opening her hands. Across her palms lay a familiar sparkle, highlighted by the solidity of that select skin; indeed, she was so translucent, weaker than weak, because of the sheer effort it took to keep her hands solid enough to hold her prize. It glowed with power, a sugar pink halo, and she lightly tossed it up into the air.

It flew in the gentlest of arcs, soaring over Mamoru's head; he felt the tingle as it connected with Chibi-Usa's body, sinking back into her where it belonged. Her heart beating against his back was almost thunderous, her rising and falling breath strong and sure. She lifted her head from his shoulder, and asked, sleepily, "Mamo-chan?"

"Chibi-Usa!" The dark-haired prince all but fell onto his knees to lower her onto the ground, letting her stand on her own. She knuckled her eyes, staring around them with puzzled wonder, only to stop cold at the ghost.

"Hotaru-chan! What's happened to you!? You've become…"

"_Daijoubu_, Chibi-Usa-chan…this was unavoidable. To save your precious spirit is what makes me the happiest of all." Hotaru stepped close, holding out her hand, perhaps meaning to take Chibi-Usa's; but as the pink-haired child returned the favour, they passed through one another, entirely untouchable. "How sad," she murmured, lifting her hand up to the waning sunlight. "After all, I'm finally going to leave this painful world. I never realized this was how it felt to let go…so dreamlike."

Mamoru said, "But if Sailor Moon casts that evil being out of your body…"

"It won't matter at all. Long ago, I was fated to die. Now, it's finally arrived to take me in its arms, away from the pain of this world. My father is gone, my mother…" Hotaru shook her head, and they realized that she was so dim, fading so fast, that they almost didn't see the motion.

Chibi-Usa cried. "No, no, no…not you, Hotaru-chan! My true friend! You can't give up like this! You can't leave me so suddenly!"

Hotaru drifted back, a very happy smile on her face; it was like the Cheshire's grin, visible even after everything else had faded away. "_Gomen nasai_, but this is now my fate. _Sayonara_…Chibi-Usa-chan. My true friend. Your strength, I wished it had been mine, too."

Mamoru didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare at the space where Hotaru had stood – or floated, if you wanted to be picky – and listen to the growing sound of his daughter's crying, tearing open the hole in his heart. The sad little girl who had spent her life in almost constant agony had still done the most noble of deeds, sacrificing her soul to save that of Chibi-Usa's. It would be a shame to waste time in mourning when there was work to do. "Chibi-Usa…"

The pink-haired child lifted her head to look around at him, her eyes already red, cheeks blotchy. All she wanted to do was fall down and continue to cry, wishing for Hotaru to come back and laugh in her ear, whispering, "It was only a joke, here I am!" But that would never happen. She had seen the thing that had taken over her friend's body in the split second between consciousness and none, knew what it must have done in taking over, in forcing Hotaru to sacrifice her own spirit to save hers. And if she was dead, surely Saturn was now gone as well, which meant there was no return. No second chance.

"Mamo-chan, I don't want her to be gone," she whispered thickly, rubbing at her nose, thoughtless as a child at the smear of mucus that spread across her hand. "I don't. I want her back! First Puu, now Hotaru…Hotaru-chan…"

_Kami-sama_, he had never thought of it that way. She had woken up after a probable eternity of self-mockery as the Black Lady to see her only described friend dying on the ground, sacrificed for her safety. Pluto had returned, of course, but it wasn't her ‘Puu,' nor had they expected her to ever be. Now, another friend was gone, and this one was likely for good. Her friends were just dying all over the place, and the thought briefly brought a very ill timed smile to his lips. Well, at least he could smile at the fact that he was not dead yet.

Instead, he reached out to hug her to his chest, squeezing her briefly. He could sense her sharp inhale, but not the memories that his touch brought, of her papa holding her on his lap as mama read her a story, hugging her that last time before she'd left for the past. And he couldn't hear her mumble of "Papa," her face pressed into his shirt, but he could feel her mouth move and filled in the blank. "Chibi-Usa, I know it hurts. It always hurts. But think of what Hotaru-chan has done for you…giving you a stronger heart."

He took her hand, kissing it on the back as one would a princess. "But now we have to return the favour. Sailor Moon has gone to face the enemy…can you help her? Will you come with me to help her fight?"

Her eyes were ghostly as she stared back at him, uncomprehending. Maybe lost in another time, remembering home…or just too freshly shocked at the loss of one more friend. He watched the colour fill them, the knowledge; with it her face turned down into a baby pout, somehow fierce instead of innocent. "Hotaru-chan did this for me. She saved my spirit. And I'm sitting here crying…_iie_! I won't do it anymore!"

She stood back, lifting her hands together. In her palms he could see a heart-shaped brooch appear, her brooch, no longer missing in the darkness. Thrusting it up to the sickly sky, she shouted, "Moon Prism Power, Make UP!"

The power filled her up, spilled out to clothe her in the familiar fuku of a sailor soldier, pink and white and sugar pink. She did a little spin, smiling, though her eyes were still brimming with tears. "This is my power, Mamo-chan! Maybe not as much as Sailor Moon, or mama, but it's all mine. Are you coming with me?"

How intuitive; it brought a smile to his face. She knew he was tired, weak, possibly too much so to fight with her.

But how could he not? This was his daughter, and his princess, his future wife, her mother, was somewhere that way, waiting for them. Even his presence at their side was enough. He opened his hand, looking down into his palm as if he could read the lines and forecast their immediate future, but there was nothing. And he didn't expect to see anything anyway.

He closed his eyes, touching that hand to his heart.

When they opened, he saw the world through a mask, and a smiling face. "Let's go, Chibi-Moon. Everyone is waiting for us."

  
Somewhere in the vicinity of the same amount of time, Mistress 9 writhed within her stolen body, unmindful of the two staring at her, horrified in varying amounts. She fled higher, screaming mindlessly as the sensation of growth and confinement, of finding her fleshy encasement too small, too…damn…constrictive. Tomoe Hotaru had vacated the body, but had left that tiny bit of herself behind, that lower soul that knew home; and she prayed to a deity that could not be properly named in any Earthen tongue that this would hurt the bitch, badly.

Lowering to a relatively solid chunk of the second floor of Mugen left standing, Sailor Moon and Alex watched uneasily as Hotaru's grown body was ripped apart. Shreds of skin and offal whipped off into a growing wind, spinning above their heads and up into the sickening sky. The only truly healthy body Tomoe Hotaru had been given in years, and it was gone. Perhaps she, too, was entirely dead, as she had clearly given the impression. "Hotaru-chan," the _odango_-haired blonde mourned.

What rose up from the tattered remains was not only daimon, but remarkably improved on the improved models that Tomoe Souichi and Kuromine Kaoli had carried. Like the darkness that flailed and pushed at the force field below them, the daimon of Mistress 9 seemed more fluid and malleable, less true shape than simply energy. But still she resembled a bipedal humanoid, two arms and legs, shrieking as she shucked away every last bit of restraint.

And then she dove.

"Venus Wink Chain Sword!"

"Mars Snake Fire!"

The first thing they saw was a golden chain, made up of a multitude of heart-shaped links, shining with power. It snapped out like a bullwhip, catching Mistress 9 across the back with a sound reminiscent of a cat o' nine tails hitting a metal sheet wall. Reeling, she caught the second attack; a winding snake of fire and heat that spat, hissing, as it wound around her body and squeezed tight, exploding in a rush of power.

Then Jupiter and Mercury landed in front of them.

"Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"

Mistress 9 was flung backwards, shrieking. But not torn apart, or even seriously injured, though they couldn't quite tell. Venus and Mars landed next to Alex and Sailor Moon, respectively, shaking off what looked to be a bit of grogginess. That was certainly to be expected, after having their souls ripped out. So was the _odango_-haired blonde's spontaneous cry of "_Minna_!" and a frantic attempt at a group hug that nearly cracked everyone's heads together.

"Sailor Moon, _daijoubu, daijoubu_!" Jupiter managed to say as she eased the strangle hold, "everyone is fine! Now, we have a job to do!"

"_Hai_, we've got a world to save!" Venus tossed in, flipping up the victory sign. "After all, the hour isn't paying us!"

"You mean, ‘Time is money'?" Mercury sighed.

Alex shouted, "Scatter!"

It was instinctive; the bunching of muscles, pushing them all up and away, off of the jagged platform. Venus threw out her chain, grabbing Sailor Moon's wrist to pull her with as she swung up to the tenth floor of the Meiou complex. Jupiter twisted, elongating her body to aim for a lower level, landing on a balcony of the fifth floor. Mars and Mercury were caught up by Alex's power, taking them to the seventh floor of the Kaiou complex. They watched as Mistress 9's body slammed into the platform, reducing it to powder form and bigger chunks big enough to seriously injure.

The daimon howled; rising from the destruction, she enunciated its hatred for them all with a second, ear-splitting scream, hands raised with the unmistakable shape of talons. Strangely, a word had not yet passed what were now considered its lips since sloughing off Hotaru's body. Only sounds, but they were enough to get the point across, especially when coupled with a second assault as she sped for the dangling _odango_-haired blonde.

"Venus!" she cried, calling forth the heart moon rod with her free hand, "_hayaku_!"

An ice storm assailed the daimon, knocking her off course and straight through a window, no doubt wrecking someone's ridiculously expensive condo. Venus took the opportunity to sling them both up and onto the roof of Meiou, out of sight. "This isn't working," Alex snapped, wincing as the wind stun her face, vicious in its growing assault. The lighter pieces of refuse around them were flying around in the spiral, winding their way towards the sky. Soon, if it didn't stop, it'd be taking them with it. "Everything you've hit her with, it doesn't seem to be doing a damn thing. Not even Sailor Moon phased her."

"The _Ginzuishou_?" Mercury queried, donning her goggles. "Surely its cleansing and powerful properties could at the very least rid us of that woman, Mistress 9."

"We thought of that, before she tossed off Hotaru's body like some used condom. Then, she would've just ejected the daimon and probably killed it by deprivation. But now, she'd be wasting too much energy just killing the daimon outright, and we can't afford that, she's the only one who can call forth the Chalice and fix this mess." The tall red-head picked up a broken flowerpot at her feet, shaking the dirt and dead fern out. "Where is she, Mercury?"

The blue-haired genius surveyed the building, frowning. She could see Venus and Moon atop the roof, as well as Pluto, their distinctive aura shining like stars in her vision. But of Mistress 9, there was nothing; an absence of recognizable aura, much like the blackness beneath them. She switched over to infrared, and swallowed a gasp at the stretching blob of icy cold that grew larger as she watched; the daimon's touch would be frigid. "There, the twentieth floor!"

Mars stepped forward, summoning her first and simplest power, raising her hand. "Fire Soul!"

But the daimon swerved tightly upward at the last second, coming into sight as she streaked towards the sky, taking the rest of the window frame with her, the fire shooting straight past and into the condo. Whoever it was had either owned an extensive liquor collection or disliked the idea of flame-retardant material; the fireball that was ignited and belched back at them was ridiculous. It was met by a similar ball of flame, which swallowed the first whole; then, at Alex's command, it went up, playing a game of catch-up after Mistress 9.

A streak of gold soared overhead to catch on the Ten'nou tower. The two blondes leapt off the Meiou tower and dropped like stones, faster than Mistress 9 could slow her ascent and follow; indeed, they passed her. Snapping tight, the chain carried them in a sharp swing towards Kaiou tower, where Sailor Moon let go to fall somewhat awkwardly between Mercury and Mars; Venus released her magic and landed on the balcony above. "We have to stay away from Pluto and Neptune and Uranus," she reported, watching the daimon. "Already, they look tired from maintaining this shield."

"Then we don't have much time!" Mars pounded her fist onto the rail, looking fierce. "What other option do we have, _minna_? We have to call forth the Sacred Chalice, so Super Sailor Moon can fight with a stronger power!"

Jupiter, alone at Meiou, sent a snap of lightning at Mistress 9, who shrieked.

Then, a second attack followed, a pink blast of power that was irritating as a flea to the daimon; no more, no less. "Stay back, monster! My power may be small, but I'll use it all the more on you!"

"Chibi-Moon…!?"

They all looked up as Tuxedo Kamen dropped gracefully from the sky, his cape an elegant, fluttering shadow in his wake, holding Chibi-Moon's hand. Both of them were encased in a familiar soft glow, the power of her holy stone replenished, a gentle pink in colour. "Sailor Moon, _minna-chan_…! I've come just in time!" the pink-haired child cried, leaping the short distance to grab up her future mother in a tight hug.

"Hotaru-san carried your spirit back to you as she did us?" Mars asked.

"_Hai_; Hotaru-chan gave me my life, and told me I was strong. I can't allow her sacrifice to be in vain!" Chibi-Moon pulled back, surveying them all with a determined frown.

Sailor Moon nodded. "Then we'll do it. To defeat the enemy, I'll ask for your power, _minna_; to fill the Sacred Chalice to the brim. To become Super Sailor Moon!" She raised her hands above her head, visualizing the golden cup; summoned, it took shape between her fingers, its lid obediently falling open.

"Will I do that someday? Call forth the Sacred Chalice as a proper soldier and princess, to replenish my world? Sailor Moon, this is your amazing power, and mine, someday, too!" the pink-haired child whispered, watching with awe as the cup appeared. Tuxedo Kamen reached to squeeze her hand, and she smiled up at him.

The glow increased.

Turning back, she gasped as a second cup began to appear – no, not a second cup, but its reflection, a slightly ghostly image rising above. Everyone stared at it in awe, even as they held out their hands, giving away freely their power – with the exception of their mentor, who had no magic – to fill up not just one, but both of them. Growing solid and substantial, the second cup flew into Chibi-Moon's uplifted hands, as both of their foreheads burned with the familiar crescent moon.

Sailor Moon tipped hers back to drink of its power and whispered, "Crisis, Make Up!"

Watching one become Super was amazing enough; watching two in sync was almost too much. The power flooded back over them all, halting even Mistress 9, only to pull back to form a pair of familiar shapes standing nearly on tiptoe, hands clasped between their companionable breasts. Both of them opened their eyes at the same moment, crystal blue staring into sugar pink, exhaling in surprise and admiration.

Super Sailor Chibi-Moon had the same colour-bled skirt as the older model, though her colours had become yellow and pink; the same as her kerchief. The diaphanous back bow, the double-tiered waistband, the wispy shoulder pads. "I've become…me…" she mumbled, pulling at her skirt, staring at her gloved hands. "I've transformed to a higher level…

"Super Sailor Chibi-Moon!"

  
The battle did not seem to be waging, or even in motion. Iretsu wished he had thought to bring binoculars, or a telescope. All he could do was sketch out his ideas of an epic battle between his angelic soldiers and princess, and their evil, demonic enemies.

Everyone was restless, unable to sit still. All he heard around him were the sounds of unease, of fond recollection in groups, as if at a summer camp, sporadic crying as their emotions got the better of them. Surrounding him, he had quickly found out, were former castle servants and staff, soldiers, common villagers. In degrees they remembered those last harrowing hours, some days, a few weeks, and as the tales spread, the story knit into a long, winding tapestry of tragedy. He himself remembered almost nothing of that day during the battle; he had been ensconced in the gardens, painting a portrait of a lesser Jovian royal, when Beryl's army had arrived. Being at the front of the castle proper, he had been given time to look up and cry in alarm, splash paint across the faces of the closest soldiers, and be thusly run through like a chunk of beef.

Over his shoulder, a boy of hardly ten years had been hovering for the better part of fifteen minutes, a silent, critical presence as annoying as a tiny itch one can't reach. His hair was a drab brown, a little too long and in need of a cut, but his eyes were an unusual triple iris of dark green, mint, and lime, tilted like a cat's. And very penetrating. Iretsu could tell every time they moved to follow his hand and the pencil, long limbs and flowing hair taking shape, hands delicate as a bird's lacy wing. He shaded in Mistress 9's skirt, making small notations for later colour, darkening the shadows and folds.

"Do you believe your drawing will survive this fight?" the boy finally asked, and his voice was surprisingly husky, an older man's vocal cords.

Iretsu glanced up. "It isn't a concern, because I'll survive to take it with me. My princess would never allow this planet, nor us, to come to harm."

If his voice was husky, his laughter was even more startling; a deep, rich baritone. Somewhere in the world, a thirty-year-old man was nursing a child's soprano. "Is that your faith? Once, I had that trust in my queen and commander, for they were strong and passionate. But against a devil, they could not protect us. So here we are." He spread his arms wide, looking around with those tri-coloured eyes. "We've lost peace and gained discord."

"Utopia never comes easily. It doesn't matter what happens now. I believe in the coming peace, that our princess will rise above this world and take her place again on the throne. She radiates joy, and spreads happiness. Tsukino-san…" He paused in his work, looking up pensively at the triple towers. Mugen was gone, no longer a focal point. Seen through the force field, even the ruins seemed to be dusted with sugar, an idyllic scene despite its calamitous destruction.

He sighed, playing with the pencil. "Tsukino-san is such a gentle soul. For a princess, she fits the role perfectly in every lifetime. But I wonder…is this right, for her to be so strong as a sailor soldier? A queen is not a warrior, but a leader, a guide, inspiration for us all. And she is so tender…so much evil has been thrown back by her power."

"You wonder if she will eventually change after all of this? After being a hardened warrior?" the boy deduced, resting back on his heels.

"Perhaps. But my love for her brilliant spirit is so very true. I would follow her into the depths of a spiritual hell, believing in her." How could he not? Ever since she had given him back his eyes and he had seen her beautiful form, he would have gladly cut out his own heart as a gift to her and died smiling. Long golden hair, and those lovely crystal blue eyes…

He was shaken out of his reverie by the light.

It was a familiar warmth, tender and loving, sweeping over them like a solid wind. With it came the smell of dew, of fresh flowers, a strong impression of the golden-haired goddess and her younger, pink-haired counterpart, embraced tenderly. Peace took over his body, as it most assuredly did everyone else, and he breathed deeply.

The power drew back, out of sight, and Iretsu pressed a hand to his heart. He recognized the younger girl as the ‘cousin' Tsukino-san had introduced to everyone, Chibi-Usa, though the power told him differently. "How clever, princess," he murmured, "to show such a girl to us as a cousin when she is in fact your heir." And so much power to inherit; he could see it in her eyes, the power of two kingdoms flowing through her blood and body.

After another minute, they could see the two soldiers rise high into the air, carried by their power as easily as breathing to crest the triple towers. The dark creature Mistress 9 had become shrieked, intending to attack them, and the claws she'd worn grew to nearly sword length.

Super Sailor Moon held out the heart moon rod, eyes narrowing in focus, though such was not visible to the audience. Next to her, Super Sailor Chibi-Moon held out her own rod, crossing the two at the crowns. Whatever they said to one another next was lost to the crowd, as conversational tone did not carry well in a strong wind and reasonable distance. But there was a flare of power at the end of each weapon that indicated what their words must have been for; as well, their joined shout of, "Rainbow Double Moon! Heart Ache!"

The attack was brilliant. Even the furthest away had to avert their eyes, shading their faces. It seemed to light up the Delta with its radiance, not quite like the gentle glow that they had released in transformation; this was a decisive power. And it didn't matter where it hit, from the way that the three soldiers holding up the shield seemed to flinch, struggling to maintain it as the combined attack smashed into it.

But nothing good happened. At least not in the "Yippy Skippy we killed the monster!" sort of way, and not even in the "Possible assault and battery under the law" that they would have expected. The damn creature actually seemed to grow bigger, which should have been illegal in some book. Even more when they tried again, putting so much effort into it the blast was probably visible from not only space, but any passing alien life forms.

"How is that possible…?! The failure of the _Ginzuishou_ to extinguish the evil?! Princess, don't lose faith in that power!" Iretsu pleaded.

It wasn't a loss of faith; perhaps a slight wavering, a bit of puzzlement, but not by any means a loss. Most of that came from the group down below, watching the events. "I don't believe that her holy stone could actually give Mistress 9 more power!" Venus gasped, grabbing the railing with a white-knuckled fist.

Mercury, watching the numbers scrolling down her goggles more than the actual fight itself, followed a particularly worrisome equation off to the side and caught Alex's eye. The tall red-head was staring back at her, vaguely; with a start, Mercury realized she was painstakingly reading the numbers backwards. "Didn't she say something about the crystal having the same power as ‘their own'? I was still half-baked unconscious, but that sounds familiar…"

"_Hai_; before she swallowed the _Ginzuishou_," Mars verified.

"And many other times, the Witches 5 mentioned a light similar to theirs, that Sailor Moon carried!" Venus pounded her first against the railing instead as something vaguely humanoid came flying towards them.

Jupiter landed somewhat clumsily, her leap buffeted by the rising winds and the remaining tremble of power in the air, next to Mars. The dark-haired shrine girl steadied her as Mercury continued to stare at nothing, Alex stared at her staring at nothing, and Venus began to talk to herself, arguing even, trying to come up with a new plan. Tuxedo Kamen has eyes for nothing and no one but the two girls high above their heads, similar expressions of disbelief on their faces.

None of the numbers looked good. "Venus, if it stands to reason that Mistress 9 can absorb the power of the _Ginzuishou_, then Master Pharaoh 90 can as well," Alex said sharply, catching the long-haired blonde in mid-self-chastise, "which means Super Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon can't do a damn thing with their power. The Sacred Chalice is all we have to hinge our bets on. You have a plan?"

"Ano….with such odds, there isn't much," Venus confessed, pulling at a hank of her hair in frustration. "Already Uranus and Neptune and Pluto have done all they can in making a shield to contain the evil. Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi-Moon have the only power than can defeat everything…but we have the power of our planets to depend on."

"If we strike at Master Pharaoh 90 with all of our might…." Jupiter murmured, oak green catching a strange fire.

Tuxedo Kamen finished, surprisingly, "We could weaken them, and give Usa a chance."

Alex arched an eyebrow, folding her arms as she glanced away at the scene in front of them. Even in a torn skirt and blouse, she looked capable of commanding an army to victory; when her head swiveled back, she looked determined. "It's possible. But we can't do it from here, we're too close. Amorphous entities have habits of growing limbs in the oddest places."

Mistress 9 was shrieking. Looking up, they saw a gold streak marking the daimon's body, binding its limbs; she strained, trying to free herself. "Her tiara….!? She's using her Moon Frisbee attack to bind the daimon with her tiara!" Mercury gasped.

"Then we don't have much time! Concentrate, _minna_; for this, we'll use our powers to lift up high, and attack Master Pharaoh 90 from above!" The long-haired blonde crouched herself, poised to jump. A faint golden glow enveloped her body, and she sprang up off her toes, rocketing up into the sky as if pulled by wires. With the two Moon soldiers off to their left, going directly up left them plenty of room to work with, though Venus went up even higher, to the near apex of the shield.

Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars followed; Alex lifted Tuxedo Kamen with her, smiling wickedly at his startled oath as she did so.

"Venus Megaton Shower of Love!"

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"

"Burning Mandala!"

"Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"

Venus had chosen an older attack, a wide dispersal of golden beams. As it fell to earth, the spinning fury of Jupiter's attack followed, landing right between the starry nebulae of Master Pharaoh 90's eyes. Mars's attack, also chosen for its spread, rained down, barely cooled by the wet tempest of Mercury's power. Tuxedo Kamen's attack was a ball of energy, hitting what they could suppose was the center of the amorphous mass.

The flowerpot, now glowing a bright magenta, was a direct hit, ripping a hole that flowed like liquid mercury back into place.

But that was their best shot.

Completely dumbfounded, they watched as Master Pharaoh 90 took it all like water, his laughter filling the air. [This is futile, sailor soldiers. In moments, I will be all, and you will be everything with me. Earth will become the newest Tau star as I assimilate it with my power. Your power merely hastens the inevitable! Feed me more, give it all to me!]

"Are we so weak?! The combined power of our attacks should have…!" Mars gasped, clenching her fist.

Jupiter touched her hand to her sweating brow, realizing how badly she was trembling with fatigue. She spared a sidelong glance at the others; they all looked just as worn, holding themselves straight with a supreme amount of effort. "We've given up so much to Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi-Moon, we're like flies! How can we do anything with such weakness?"

Apparently, nothing good. Horrified, they now watched as the flowing shape of Master Pharaoh 90 grew larger, infused with their planets' power, slamming into the walls of the force field like high tide on the breakwater. They could hear Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune finally cry out, vocalizing their frustration and strain, and the walls grew almost painfully bright as they put their strongest effort into maintaining it.

[The force field still resists me? Nothing you do will stop this final act from playing out! This is the culmination of a stronger magic than you can imagine, sailor soldiers!]

"It doesn't matter!" they could just barely hear Uranus shout in defiance, "we will continue to fight and defy you and your evil! This will be your final resting place across the stars!"

"No matter what, we'll keep you away from the world, defending our future to the last breath!" Neptune shouted in turn, her lovely voice slightly hoarse.

Pluto had lowered the rod, bracing it against the roof as her arms could no longer hold the heavy weapon aloft. But magenta still burned in defiance, her stance proud, as she cried, "For Small Lady and the bright, shining future of all of our dreams, this land where our king and queen were born again! That world has no place for you and your insidious nature!"

Mistress 9 shrieked with victory as she snapped the tiara into two, its golden glitter falling rapidly to earth. The two _odango_-heads flew clumsily out of the way as she slashed at them, barely missing Super Sailor Moon's arm by the space of centimetres.

"They can't keep this up much longer," the tall red-head murmured.

"But what else can we do? Master Pharaoh 90 did nothing but absorb our weak attacks, rendering us useless," Mercury reminded them, turning off her goggles; there was so much power in the air that her vision was obscured by numbers, graphs, and charts. "Perhaps swallowing our power in much the same way as they would the _Ginzuishou_."

"How? None of us carry holy stones that give such amazing life. Unless the daimon are capable of eating the lights of stars," Tuxedo Kamen theorized quietly, ocean blue lifting upward instinctively, as if to look upon those mentioned stars. And then he gasped; it was so surprising, so not calm-and-collected Chiba Mamoru, that all of them looked around immediately to see his face paling. They felt the winds die around them, a terrifying stillness descending.

And then they looked up.

  
Iretsu had no words, no possible description, of what had appeared in the sky. None of them did, and it wasn't that they hadn't seen pictures and drawings in their schoolbooks and on TV of such phenomenon. They and all of mankind lived in the ass-end arm of such a spiral; it was something like a bacterium in the gut seeing a vision of the body it lived inside of.

Finally, someone screamed, a terrible, thin sound in the sudden silence and absence of wind. It broke the spell; like a game of domino, another screamed, and then another, adding and feeding upon the hysteria until there was a swelling of humanity frantic to escape. Or at least, frantic to have it end quickly, to no longer suffer in anticipation of their eventual deaths.

No one could escape an invading galaxy.

Of course, it wasn't actually close, from Iretsu's newly keen eyes; the ragged, rough hole that surrounded it looked to be the exit (or entrance) of some sort of tunnel. The galaxy itself was most likely billions of miles away, across unestimated space and time, waiting for the Earth to be drawn into a new home. Because surely, an entire galaxy could not simply up and move itself.

Then again, hadn't that movie hidden one inside of a cat's collar bauble?

Maybe it was possible.

A sensation that the artist recognized as fear shivered up his backbone, a suddenly terrifying prospect of his princess's failure. Of his death, again. No, he did not want to go through that again, that lengthy darkness and confusion, the slow realization of mortality again in another's body. But that was silly, wasn't it? No matter what, death would come eventually. He had just not planned for it to be here and now.

"We'll die again," the old Chinese woman sighed next to him. "Again, as victims of a war we had nothing to do with, no part in. When the witch Beryl stormed our castle world, we were lambs for the slaughter; now, we are bystanders, Kwan-yin be merciful."

"But we have belief in our princess – "

"_Iie_; _you_ carry that belief now, as we all did once in our queen." Her son looked away from the sky and its forbidding natures, his exquisite calm enviable. "In the mother. She who failed us, unable to stave off the darkness we all feared. And though it is her child who healed me of my crippling sickness, of treacherous lungs and a heart that faintly beat, there's no more belief. Just a vague hope that anyone can save us now."

Iretsu stared up at him. With a shrug, the boy turned away again to stare back up into the sky, a vaguely musing expression on his face. To him, this seemed to be some fantastical TV show, nothing to bother over, as if changing the channel would solve everything. His mother seemed to be praying to her gods, her head bowed over her hands. And they were an island of calm in a sea of chaos.

But that wasn't good enough. The dwarf clenched his hands, digging his nails into his palms to the point of drawing blood and pain. "But it isn't like that anymore," he whispered, shaking his head. "Not with her. She grew up as a lovely person, a caring girl, not a faraway princess in a storied castle…no matter what, she wants everyone to live in happiness. She shines like a star in the crowd."

Nobody was listening to him anymore, anyway.

  
"The Tau Galaxy….! _Kami-sama_, they've opened a door across space!" the _odango_-haired blonde gasped, crystal blue blurred with tears of pain and sorrow. To have her attack become useless – even powered up! – against the daimon was bad enough, but now, this was a definite sign of their impending failure. She stared up with a stomach-dropping sense of doom, her arms shaking terribly as she continued to aim the heart moon rod.

Next to her, Super Sailor Chibi-Moon was doing the same, though her arms were far shakier, her body experiencing a very definite sign of burnout. To have nearly died from the theft of her holy stone, and to be miraculously empowered and alive within the span of not even a day was trying on even the hardiest body. And she was merely a soldier-in-training, a princess born and pampered and barely adolescent; her body couldn't take this stress, she was realizing quickly. "But I have to," she whispered to herself, barely moving her lips, "I have to be strong, just like Super Sailor Moon! I was given this power…I was given a second chance by Hotaru-chan!"

Mistress 9 seemed to have forgotten them, or at least, decided them unimportant. The daimon raised her clawed hands to the sky, mouth opening wide in a screeching noise that wasn't in the least bit intelligible. But whatever it was, it shook the world as power sliced out from her body in a shock wave of energy, throwing both girls backwards through the air as the other soldiers above them shouted in terror.

[_Sou yo_! My strongest and devoted partner, bring about this climax! For this, the result of your sacrifices, you will have a new world!] Master Pharaoh 90 crowed. [Speak in words rendered possible by the sacrifice of your tongue to the first of our magic, my loyal Mistress 9! Break these last barriers!]

"_Iie_! We won't allow you to take our planet for your own use!" Super Sailor Moon shouted, "Rainbow Double—"

"Super Sailor Chibi-Moon!" her prince's voice screamed instead.

"_Nani_…!?" She turned away to see the empty space beside her, a falling streak of sugar pink far below. But a larger streak of black and copper red intercepted it, catching the limp body safely before she fell into the swirling blackness and was lost. Her daughter was safe, but gone from her side and their dual power attack; alone, she had no chance, except to summon the Sacred Chalice finally.

The second blast of power slammed into her, knocking the heart moon rod from her numbed fingers, her head ringing. She saw, high above, the four guardian soldiers tremble as they were hit; she saw the white hazy world quiver and go out as Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus screamed their throats raw, falling to their knees in agony. And then, twisting around to witness the last: Mistress 9's forehead exploding with the shape of the black star, the daimon's body falling like a fluttering scrap of forgotten cloth into the larger shape of her Master.

Without any barriers holding him back, Master Pharaoh 90 swept past the triple towers. Iretsu looked up to see the source of everyone's renewed terror, only to see the blackness rising like an ocean wave over their heads; beside him, Lin and her son heard him say, "Tsukino-san," before they were all swallowed up as surely as the sand. Hundreds of voices silenced in an instant, remade into something new or simply destroyed, the _odango_-haired blonde didn't know. She hadn't even heard them congregate, had not even seen such a crowd gather to watch them fight; now she felt sick, a terrible, nauseous sensation, that she had failed them.

"This is terrible," she moaned, looking at her hands dully, forgetting that she had dropped her weapon. "I don't want any suffering! Not if I can spare them from such pain!"

Above her, she heard the four guardian soldiers shouting, invoking their attacks again. Trying for the impossible. Lightning, icy water, fire, and golden magic flew past her, ruffling her skirt and teasing her hair, only to disappear with no obvious ill effect into the darkness of Master Pharaoh 90. Or rather, Mistress 9; the daimon's body still existed on the surface, like some disturbing fleshy growth, her mouth still opened wide. It was into that gaping maw that their powers went, the daimon's eyes flashing. "Nothing…! Has everyone's power been drained?!"

Mercury fell past her line of sight, a rag doll for all of the seeming life in her body. She fell onto the Kaiou complex roof, followed momentarily by Mars, her high heel shoes going entirely in a different direction towards the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jupiter land on the Meiou complex roof, one hand still high in the air as if she were reaching for the sky. And if that were the case, she could easily deduce that Venus had ended up on the Ten'nou complex roof. Tired, worn out, pushed to their limits by a treacherous enemy.

Down below, far below, Tuxedo Kamen and Alex stood several metres away, their trajectory blown way off course by Mistress 9's last surge to drop them in the middle of the street. Chibi-Moon was still barely conscious in her father's arms, frighteningly pale and almost exactly at the point where she'd been an hour ago. But they had no hurry to get back to the fight; they had nothing to contribute anymore. The dark-haired prince had given up much of his power, like the girls, to the two Sacred Chalices, and the rest to his last-ditch attack. And the tall red-head, as she had told Sailor Moon earlier, was not magic, but hardware; and to add to the problem, she was also currently doubled over on the ground, painstakingly fighting off sickness. She had felt the people die, and it had not been pleasant.

"I feel so useless," Tuxedo Kamen groaned, unconsciously rocking Chibi-Moon in his arms. "Unable to help Usa…unable to be at her side this third time! Why am I so weak!?" He felt disoriented, nauseous, as Master Pharaoh 90 tainted his planet.

"It won't matter, not when she's the one with the only power that can stop them." Alex slowly shifted onto her back, staring up into the sky with a dazed look in her eyes. "That power of purification contained within the Sacred Chalice." Closing her eyes tightly, she pressed her palms against her lids, painstakingly rebuilding her broken mental shields, even as she shuddered again at an echo of everyone's frantic fear.

He stared at her for a long moment, concerned, unable to even think of something to say. Whatever seemed to be hurting her was beyond his ability to help. Looking away, he could see the small, slender form of his princess still high above the ruins, holding out her hands. Summoning the Sacred Chalice to revive the world.

Which was half-true; she was indeed summoning the Chalice.

In her hands, the golden cup shone with an unearthly perfection not even the purest gold, shined to a luster, could accomplish. Beneath the lid was a brimful of power, everyone's power, given to her to complete her higher transformation. She had done it, and it had been a failure; Mistress 9 had fallen into her Master to complete the spell, and now, he was free to assimilate Earth. Her friends were too tired to fight any longer, their remaining power left not in their bodies, but the cup. But she knew they'd get up one last time, even if it meant agony, for one final attack that would most likely kill them; the old sacrifice, death on the battlefield.

And she wasn't going to let them. Not this time. Not ever again.

She looked down at the darkness below her feet, churning like some hellish maelstrom. This was still going to be a sacrifice, but of only one; and not in the name of war, but of love. Love for her friends and world, love for their happiness and peace. They would have leapt in to continue the fight, one last chance for someone else to strike the final blow, but she would leap in to stop the fighting altogether.

With a gentle smile warming her face, she looked away, searching out her prince, her Mamo-chan, and caught the flash of black so many metres away. Too far away to stop her, which was good; she wanted him to live, desperately. But she couldn't see the expression he wore, one of confusion at her continued presence in the sky, seemingly doing nothing. She reached out her hand, stretching it towards him as if she could touch his face; but she wouldn't have that, this last time.

Closing her eyes, she drew her power back into her body.

The energy that held her aloft vanished, and she dropped, holding the Sacred Chalice protectively against her breast. Dimly, she was aware of the others screaming, of her Mamo-chan's frantic howl, but the fall was so quick, she had no time to truly be sad over it, because she was there, and the darkness was touching her, tasting her, pulling her in and under and away even as she struggled to open the golden cup.

She failed.

And there was nothing.

She opened her eyes, blinked once. Twice. Sitting up in the darkness, she looked up to see a star of white light pierce her prison. A prison she had known for so long, since she had died –

"_Hai_. Now you see how long this can be, this severing of spirit and flesh. This is the inevitable climax, death and rebirth."

"Ano…where am I? Where are we?"

"Still inhabiting the body of the creature that ultimately killed you. Though she tore your flesh, she swallowed your spirit as food, and so we exist within, a tiny seed. Waiting for this moment in time."

"This moment…? _Iie…iie_, they had to win! Chibi-Usa, Usagi-san…!"

She stared at herself, staring at herself.

"This is fate, Tomoe Hotaru. I wish it weren't."

Uranus hadn't screamed. She just wasn't much of a screamer to begin with, as she loved to jokingly tell her partner; she was a moaner, a mover, but not a screamer. All she could manage now was a pitiful groan, her throat hurting already from the one scream that had been wrenched forcibly from her, as she contemplated throwing herself over the edge. It was stupid, the surest sign of madness and obsession, but she was pretty sure Venus had the same thought on her mind. All of them did.

She looked up finally, dragging her eyes away with an effort from the lost body of her silver princess, to see the flash of green hair across the way. Neptune – Michiru – would surely miss her if she threw herself over, but she would move on. Maybe even find a proper lover that could give her everything in life she ever wanted or needed, spare her from the long nights and muscle-aching tiredness of being a sailor soldier.

The possibility that Sailor Moon's sacrifice had not assured them victory, and thus a second chance at life, had not even entered her mind.

"Usagi-chan, Usagi-chan," Venus was gasping behind her, pitifully quiet. "This isn't right, she wasn't supposed to…to…"

"Sacrifice herself to save the rest of us?" the tall sandy-blonde rasped, storm cloud grey now something akin to dead flesh pallor. "Why is it a surprise? Her lovely heart…she wouldn't want any of you to die, if she could help it."

Venus blinked at her, then said, "All of us, Uranus. Including you."

"And him." A careless gesture motioned towards the tiny figure of Tuxedo Kamen, running hard to cross the pavement to reach them, Alex's equally tiny figure following with a smaller bundle in her arms. Chibi-Moon, her Super transformation lost with the cup.

The tower shook as Master Pharaoh 90 smashed into its lower floors. Both soldiers shouted in surprise and shock, flung onto their hands and knees. Uranus's sword slid sharply away, its handle scraping the tiles with an irritating noise. "What the hell's happening!?" she swore, grabbing the ledge. "With such power inside of him, he should be nearly eaten away and dead!"

Another slam of the darkness actually had them airborne, thrown back; while Venus landed on her tailbone and elbows, Uranus hit the outer ledge on her side and flipped right over, seeing the dizzying expanse of floors below her feet. It was only instinct that had her hand catching that very ledge, dangling her like some worm on a hook so many hundreds of metres above ground. Somewhat ironically she recalled her escape from death earlier, ending up safely on the ground instead of flat as a Western pancake; but now, she had no blonde princess to catch her. Only air.

She felt someone grab her wrist – Venus – and attempt to haul her up. It was a painfully harsh grip, abrading her wrist with the fabric of her glove like the coarsest rope, and also useless, as the long-haired blonde was far too weak and tired. She jerked sharply at Uranus's arm, trying to rely on what brute strength she had to yank her up, but the tall sandy-blonde could see her entire body shaking with the effort. Hell, if their positions were reversed, she wasn't sure she could do it either, she'd put so much into the shield.

"Just let me drop, Venus," she said, with a sharp laugh. "I'll try my own way to blow that daimon to hell."

"I'm not letting you drop, don't even joke about that!" Venus snapped, kicking her shoe against the ledge to snap off the high heel, then bracing her foot properly to try pulling again.

Uranus laughed again, feeling so damn empty; their mission had failed. Her faith in Sailor Moon had not died, but was turning to a kind of suicidal trust. If her princess could do it, so could she. It was a chance to make her sacrifice worthwhile, and still, everyone else would survive. Michiru, especially, would continue on. "I don't usually joke about such serious matters. Drop me, Venus, do it! What the hell does it matter if I die too? This was my mission to begin with!"

The long-haired blonde did the most astonishing thing; she actually let go with one hand to reach and slap Uranus so hard across the face that her head snapped to the side. She took hold again as the tall sandy-blonde turned to gape at her, the blood already rushing to fill in the imprint of a hand across her cheek and chin. "Of course it matters. We're all sailor soldiers, we're all in this fight together! Do you think Usagi-chan would have sacrificed herself if she didn't want us all to live? Including you? Stop being so selfish! Not when Michiru-san would miss you if you died so suddenly!"

Apparently a good dose of anger was an excellent stimulant; Venus finally managed to pull her up enough to get a leg over, and crawl the rest of the way, and just in time. Instead of knocking the building down, Master Pharaoh 90 had apparently decided to just slime up the sides and assimilate it instead. They had to vacate, and fast. "Venus, _arigatou gozaimasu_," Uranus murmured, touching her cheek. "It's just my way. But my way isn't important anymore, it's all of us, together, ne?"

Venus didn't beam at her as she'd expected, not in the wide, laughing smile of Aino Minako. Instead, she just nodded curtly and smiled enough to show her agreement. "_Sou yo_. We're all sailor soldiers."

And then: "Ano…your sword seems to be glowing."

"Glowing?"

They both turned fully to see the space sword glowing like a beacon, hovering several metres off the roof in a sphere of white light. Uranus felt her skin grow cold, her stomach dropping like a stone. She had forgotten about this last possibility, regarded it as useless, even, with the girl Tomoe Hotaru dead and long gone as the daimon Mistress 9.

Walking slowly, then running frantically, she grabbed the handle of the sword.

Atop the Meiou complex, Pluto stared at the separate pieces of her rod, the handle lying forlorn at her feet, the top piece with the garnet orb aloft between her hands. It was glowing as well, a beautiful white light that was lovely to look at, but frightening, as she knew what this meant. And it wasn't fair, not when she'd finally been given a chance to live a wonderfully free life, growing up as Meiou Setsuna.

That was what Neo Queen Serenity had told her, in that in between time after death and before rebirth; that she was no longer bound to the door as Sailor Pluto, because she had wanted her to live that normal life. Because she herself knew the value of skinned knees and sunshine and embarrassment and growing up. She had summoned Pluto's spirit before it had found a new body, disregarding the pattern as surely as her mother had, and bound it back into the same cycle of rebirth, into the same emerald-haired, dark-skinned form. Just to give her a second chance.

So she stared at the beacon, and realized that it had been wonderful while it lasted.

Mars and Mercury didn't know what to say as Neptune held up the mirror, her face pale as a sheet. She had discarded the notion of the god waking up as had Uranus, seeing Mistress 9 completely invade the girl's body and then destroy it. But that had been foolish; it was the soul that mattered, the soul that had carried the power, and if Mistress 9 had taken it into herself, then it had never been vanquished. After all, their souls had survived millennia.

With a jerk, the talismans released their power.

Tuxedo Kamen stopped in his tracks in the burnt grass of what had been the Tomoe laboratory's front lawn, staring at the shape forming above Master Pharaoh 90. Behind him, Alex came to a halt as well, a conscious Chibi-Moon stubbornly on her feet next to her.

All of them witnessed the birth of a girl they had seen die. Her body was taller, fuller, in the peak of health, her skin flawless peach. The same raven dark hair fell to her shoulders, brushing the purple kerchief of a sailor-soldier's fuku, her skirt and knee-high boots in the same matching colour. Her shoulder pads were strangely scalloped, elbow pads as well; her bows were a darker rust red, a marvelous setting for the jagged crystal brooch at her breast. It matched the one on her choker, both of them roughly cut and obviously sharp. For a long moment, her brow shone with the sigil of Saturn, before being replaced with the tiara.

She stood upright in the air as easily as if she'd just woken up, bring with her the deadly blade they had seen in their dreams; wickedly curved and taller than she was, it gave them all a feeling of terror. And when she looked around, catching each and every one of them with her languid amethyst eyes, they couldn't move; but even from their spread positions, they could hear every word. "I am the messenger from the depths of death. Carrier of the protection of the planet of ruin, Saturn. The soldier of silence."

Flawlessly, she spun the blade up into a two-handed grip that would bring it down quickly and efficiently to strike. "I am Sailor Saturn."

The dark-haired prince stumbled back as if he'd been struck, smacking back into Alex. She steadied him as Chibi-Moon whispered hoarsely, "Hotaru-chan? Sailor Saturn is…but that means…"

"Sailor Moon is…dead?" Jupiter gasped, next to Pluto.

"Everything we've done to prevent this from happening was useless?" Neptune asked the sky, falling back down onto her knees, the mirror limp at her side.

Saturn seemed not to notice their despair. With casual, elegant steps, she walked down through the air towards Master Pharaoh 90, who had stopped his spread at her arrival. After all, she'd been pulled from Mistress 9, who had become part of him, which had hurt him rather annoyingly. "This was all fate. You shared the dream. You've seen this climax. Nothing you could do would prevent it." With no interest at all, she eyed the amorphous blob below her. She seemed less a person than a wind-up doll. "It begun so long ago, this mistaken birth. In a different time, I was never to even come here, as a person."

In a strangely violent gesture, she stabbed the tip of the glaive into Master Pharaoh 90. Surprisingly, he shrieked as if in pain, his entire form shaking like Jell-O; a disturbing parallel to make. But the biggest factor was that he had been hurt, something none of them had accomplished. Not even Super Sailor Moon. "I had been drawn to this planet mistakenly, away from my locked box. And then, my spirit needed a new confinement; I was born into several bodies, never awakened. The walls and a roof were enough."

"Drawn away…oh, _merde_," Alex moaned, gripping Tuxedo Kamen's arm hard enough to bruise. He never protested, however. "The _Ginzuishou_. Its power would have captured their souls, knowing they were….it brought them all along, when they were never meant to be reborn the same, like all of you!"

"Because Neptune and Uranus remember those past lives, they told us," he replied wearily, unsure if he was tired because of the battle, or simply ready to sit down and die now that Usa was gone. Or both. "_Hai_. They were pulled here as well."

"This was all a mistake…I should've paid attention, I should've seen them being dragged along for the ride." He felt Alex release his arm, turning away; he turned as well, to pull her back into a tight hug as he saw her wobble on her feet, Chibi-Moon doing the same to her hip.

They just held her, radiating forgiveness that she could feel, as Saturn said, "But then I was reborn one last time, into a body that soon approached tragedy. After an accident that nearly killed us, the girl, Tomoe Hotaru, was given a new life as a cyborg. Her father was brilliant, but bloodless; he saw a chance for recognition and accolades if he made his child into a superhuman. It was a jolt that woke my spirit when soon after, he implanted a daimon egg into that same body. I was pushed aside for an invader."

She paced around in a slow circle, thoughtfully staring around at the ruins. A momentary flash of something – recognition? Sadness? – lit her gaze, then died. "That was the beginning. From there, it has been an unraveling string of fate, leading us all to this eventual climax. Nothing has changed. And so this is the end. I'll bring down my glaive, and bring that blessed Silence and ruin."

"But what about our future!? We've seen it, it has to be fate as well!" Venus screamed from the rooftop.

Saturn merely looked up at her. "Then perhaps in seeing it, you've created this fate instead."

None of them had anything to say.

Master Pharaoh 90 did. [Are you our ruin? I see the three lights within you; possibly, probably, you've come to stop us. But it's too late! This world is already changing with me, to become me, to become the second Tau star!]

"I think not," she said calmly. She lifted the glaive high, shouting, "Death Reborn Revolution!"

A spinning whirlwind of ribbons wound their way out of thin air and around the purple-clad sailor soldier, widening their radius. It was a funnel of negative power, the very opposite of what Master Pharaoh 90 could swallow, and quite appropriate for the god of ruin. It was also spinning like a proper tornado, drawing from the ground and going up into the sky, and it was pulling the amorphous creature with it, straight up through the rip and into what appeared to be space. [This is impossible! Such a negative power, sucking everything up to that space…but we haven't finished yet, this can't happen now!]

"But it is, you foul creature. Go! Go back to your proper place across the stars. Already you've rendered this planet useless; I'll make sure even you will find it improper once I'm finished." Saturn continued the attack, and Master Pharaoh 90 screamed his rage as he was drawn up and away, pushed backward through the dimensional rip he had labored so hard with his spells and plans to open up. Left in his wake was a pitted, scarred wasteland.

[What do you mean…you'll truly destroy this planet? A waste!]

"It doesn't matter. To prevent the enemy from taking this world and subverting it, I will do what I was given this silence glaive to do. I will lower it to strike the ground and bring about the ruin and death of this world."

She sounded calm at the prospect, and continued siphoning him away.

Not everything was calm on the inside, however. Hotaru was screaming as loudly as she'd ever screamed in her life, utterly confounded in her attempts to ‘knock some sense' into Saturn. The girl was just so damn cool, so damn placid, so utterly like some programmed robot that it was taking a lot of willpower for her not to just kick her and wrestle back control. She was saying things to her own face that she had never even dared say to anyone else, and certainly not in the order she had put them in – some biological functions were just not possible when one's mother was dead and one's father as well.

And Saturn just stared at her, completely unperturbed. "I've told you, Tomoe Hotaru; this is fate. This is the logical climax of years. Though it is not my own choice –"

"You don't say! Well, that's a fucking AMAZING observation!"

"—and I would prefer a happier life within you and us, it simply is no longer optional. This is the Rubicon, and we have crossed it."

Hotaru vented her frustration again into the emptiness of their shared headspace, wondering if she had driven her father completely into the abyss of madness with her years of doing the very same placid staring act. Of course, she had been glazed over with countless drugs and unblinkable eyelids for that span of time, so she had something of an excuse. Saturn's nonchalance and outright disregard for any kind of emotion – she seemed to think Hotaru was the crazy one for being so emotionally distraught over ‘nothing' – apparently stemmed from something much deeper than pharmaceuticals.

She looked around to see the double-vision sight of the dark whirlwind around their body, sucking up Master Pharaoh 90 like a milkshake through a straw. Grimacing at the thought – she was 100% lactose intolerant and hated milk products in all forms to begin with; now she was going to have even more nightmares of psychic space cows and their self-aware mutant cabbage if they survived this – she snapped, "Crossing does not mean inability to double-back. Just because you've been told this is your duty doesn't mean you can't decide it's wrong and stop!"

"And why would I do that? The Earth has become infected. Only the Sacred Chalice could heal its wounds in the absence of its true master, and it has been swallowed by the darkness. This is the only way." Saturn turned away, walking into the shadows of their spacious mind, her posture and poise almost eerie in its perfection. Clearly, whoever she had been before she had awakened as the soldier of silence had been taught excellent etiquette. Hotaru felt like a gawky, awkward kid next to her older body; her only lessons in such propriety had been in watching the badly dubbed black and white foreign films, mimicking the dancers and gracious female leads.

But she ran to catch up anyway, pounding the solid darkness beneath her feet like a tomboy racing to beat the boys and prove herself better. She was wearing her burgundy and green plaid Mugen uniform and thick black tights and the skirt wound around her legs as she pumped harder, finding it strangely hard to match Saturn's slow walk. "Saturn! What do you mean, the Sacred Chalice? Wasn't Usagi-san, Super Sailor Moon, the one who can heal the world?"

"Only because she could wield the Sacred Chalice. The young princess, Super Sailor Chibi-Moon, could do it. But the cup has been lost, and so there is nothing else they can do. Only the Sacred Chalice could hold the sacrifice of power given from the three soldiers of the outer system and resurrect the life and the spirit of this chosen planet." Saturn hadn't even bothered to turn around and face her, the stubborn bitch.

So Hotaru put on that last burst of speed to place herself in front of the taller soldier, forcing the other to stop. "Resurrection? Like a messiah? Usagi-san could do it; I have faith in her power and love, just like Chibi-Usa-chan. Why can't you see that it can be possible that she'll still rise free and cast away the evil? She can't fail, not when so many depend on her!"

Saturn stared at her.

"Usagi-san has an immense will and love for this planet. I know it! I've seen in her eyes! As the soldier Sailor Moon, she has the power to rise again, just like the Christian messiah after his death, the glorious rebirth. And she'll do it! She'll come back to this world, to stop you from making this terrible mistake!" the raven-haired girl cried, clenching her fists. She thought fleetingly of that bloody and confused religion, when the Son of God rose again after his horrific death. Her father had spent hours raving gleefully about the general patchwork; how the religion so blatantly stole from so many before it, pandering to the most basic bloodthirst in humanity by the ritual sacrifice of the messiah.

And hadn't he supposedly done it out of love for humanity?

Yes, she could believe that Usagi could do the same. Because she was an ordinary girl with a beautiful heart and an uncommon power. She was just like that tired messiah, only she was confident in herself as nothing more than a human being, and not a goddess. This was not ritual magic, but internal strength. And she could rise again, just like before.

She realized suddenly that she was crying, her fist pressed against her mouth to muffle her sobs. "Why does this world demand such pain?" she whimpered, lifting blurred amethyst to the silent figure of Saturn. "People force the others' suffering. Papa did it. Kaoli-kun and her merciless little girls did it. But Chibi-Usa-chan and Usagi-san, they were pure of heart and free of that suffering! And it's because of those people, those pure souls, that this world still deserves a chance to live and breath!" Heedless of whatever social stigma she might've just breached, Hotaru pressed forward to grab the elder's hands, cool within their white gloves. "_Onegai_, Sailor Saturn; this world is only bruised, not destroyed. Don't do this! Don't be the cause of this eternal cycle of suffering. In this time, you have a choice!"

"But this _is_ my choice."

Shocked, Hotaru reared back.

Saturn stared at her with those depthless amethyst eyes, withdrawing her hands calmly to rest back at her sides. "What you say is lovely, but ultimately the very problem. Suffering exists because of the majority. And this world is bruised, as you say, but as in fruit, that bruise can become a rot. _Gomen nasai_, Tomoe Hotaru. But I choose my duty, eternal and infinite, as the wielder of the silence glaive. No matter how I could feel, the path has been lain, and I have already begun to walk its steps."

That very glaive appeared out of the air above her head, and she reached up to take it. Spinning it expertly, she brought it around with one sure swing to level its sharpest tip just below Hotaru's chin, in fact lifting her head just slightly with the pressure. "Do not seek to subvert me any longer, Tomoe Hotaru. Already this has gone on far too long. And we will have an endless eternity after to argue."

  
Uranus stared across the span of metres, seemingly kilometres, and saw a flash of sea green. It was difficult to hold onto, as the blackened funnel of Master Pharaoh 90 was drawn up through the air between them, a spinning maelstrom of palpable magic and disaster. But she could see it nonetheless, a tease of colour within her vision.

At her side, Venus was silent. She seemed drained and defeated, unable to come up with some sure answer to their situation. The Dark Kingdom had killed her, the Black Moon had taunted her, and now, one of their own, a damned sailor soldier, was going to kill them all. A momentary soldier who lived only to be released like some wild animal into the arena, slaughtering the unfortunates before being locked up tight again. What could an existence like that be for her? Alive, awake, only to lower the glaive and die, resurrected into some Möebius whirl of a planetary prison, to do it all again perhaps centuries later. The long-haired blonde felt a pitying terror for the girl, coupled rather tragically with the warring need to kill her before it was too late.

"I don't know whether to laugh or cry," the tall sandy-blonde said at last, a faint oath beneath her breath. "To have everything come to this waste."

Venus didn't reply. Curious, Uranus looked up at her, seeing the firm set to her mouth, the narrowing slant of her twilight eyes. "Could we kill her?"

"_Nani_?"

"_Could we kill her?_" the long-haired blonde repeated sharply, every word bitten off as if it were a personal agony to speak them. And it probably was. She had executed Demand out of necessity, knowing he was massive threat to their security, and because of his attempted murder of their princess. He had been an enemy of the state, so to speak. But this girl was only doing her duty, what she had been given as her burden to bear just as they all had.

Uranus looked away. "How amazing that you finally see our situation now that it's too late."

"I had to respect her life, as a citizen of Earth!" Venus's rose like a slap across the face, close to hysteria. "That was my duty! I couldn't let you murder an innocent girl in cold blood, not when we could have intervened to stop your horrific vision from happening!"

"But you didn't, did you? You and your damn morals didn't stop it! You rushed it faster to the climax!" Uranus snapped back, whipping her head around to match angered eyes. "If you hadn't been so damned childish, we could have prevented this, most of it, all of it! Do those morals warm your heart, Venus? Will it warm your soul in the afterlife!"

And here was the end of the world, and they were fighting, really fighting. Venus slapped her across the face again, but this time Uranus was prepared, and she caught that wrist to throw her across the roof. Following quickly, she was held back by a quick roundhouse, though clumsy, and then a punch that nearly took off her nose. She swept her leg low to trip, Venus leapt over it, but she caught her in the gut with a quick elbow jab.

The long-haired blonde fell onto her ass and leaned back onto her arms, kicking both legs up into Uranus's ribs, her lower torso lifting off the roof with the effort. Uranus went flying. Gasping and coughing, they stared at one another with self-righteous fury until Venus snapped, "I always had trust in Usagi, in our princess, that she would do the right thing even as we failed. Can you say that? Or do you trust in no one but your selfish self, Ten'ou Haruka?"

Uranus jerked as if she'd been hit again.

Trusting in someone else had been impossible since the day she could remember. It was herself against a world she didn't trust, because it was inherently duplicitous. A world that didn't except someone who went against the grain, who demanded to change what could and couldn't be. Smiling liars everywhere, wanting her only as some sort of voodoo doll for the screaming hordes, not caring about the mind behind it.

A world that by and large did not accept a woman with hungers as common as a man.

  
She could see that life like a tunnel, a long and dark path that conspired to swallow her for all those years, the various obstacles in her way hidden until she hit them. It was a small space allotted for her, barely wide enough to swing her arms at her sides.

Until she met Kaiou Michiru.

Then there had been light. Dim at first, barely informative, but just enough to show her the obstacles still in her way; and as time went on, even brighter illumination to show her that they were quibbling problems, easily stepped over. Nothing to worry about. The tunnel had widened; life had taken on a new vibrancy she had never truly realized until now. Even the largest obstacle of all, that vicious reminder of her gender, was weak in the wake of Michiru's gentle laughter and even gentler touch.

And there had been trust. Trust in herself, in the aqua-haired beauty. They were partners against the evil, understanding one another when Haruka had never dreamed of finding such a person. But it had been coloured with her old paranoia, her sureness that at some point, Michiru would leave her, because she was not perfect, not whole, not man. Just a confused woman. She had never seen the truth because she continued to lie to herself excellently.

Seeing Usagi's crystal blue eyes shine with unabashed goodness and trust in the same of everyone had broken another wall down, expanded the tunnel. This was a girl in whom all things seemed possible, a goddess come down to earth to walk as simply as the common people. To find out that she was a sailor soldier, the reincarnation of their beautiful princess, was a miracle; to know that even after seeing the darkness of mankind, she could still cry passionately on their behalf….ara, it was simple marvelous. To love her as her prince would have been to love the stars in heaven, to warm one's soul as only the purest elixir of the gods could accomplish.

  
Her eyes widened as she realized: "_Sou yo_…I do trust in her. And to see her selfless act of sacrifice was the biggest despair."

"Because it failed," Venus whispered faintly.

The air had grown thin, easier to breathe; automatically they stood up, running to look over the edge of the roof. Master Pharaoh 90 was very nearly gone, thrust back through the ragged hole above their heads to his galaxy. But the sky still looked sick, the sea withdrawn as if to avoid the cancer he had spread; despair.

Saturn had dropped to the last remnant of the Infinity building, oblivious to the sharp metal cutting through her boots. She stared up and around at them, and at the sky. Lifting the glaive, she stood poised for an eternity, most likely summoning her power, preparing to die at the epicenter of destruction for the _kami_ knew what time. Or perhaps that was the simplest part of the power that caused such complete destruction; the sacrifice of her body and life to the blade's wicked cut. Perhaps she had to die for it to work.

Mars didn't see any of it; she was seeing an earlier memory, of dim grey vistas and bodies lain waste. Of the same slender, raven-haired girl lifting the very same weapon to rain down upon the ravaged Moon Kingdom a cleansing destruction. And none of them would survive this. Their bodies would be swept up into the power and scattered like ash to the four corners, Earth becoming just another dead rock floating in space.

Chibi-Moon was afraid. Holding her father's hand, and Alex's arm, she was afraid with the knee-knocking realization that they were going to die. Until now, there had been the possibility but not very much fear; not when Sailor Moon had been alive to save the day. Sailor Moon had been the anchor for her throughout the battle against the Black Moon, because she knew that somehow she'd win. She had that immense power, just as her mama and papa had told her.

But now she was dead, beyond helping them, and they were going to die.

She felt Alex shift next to her and she looked up, seeing a mixture of terror and regret on the tall red-head's face. "Again," she said ever so quietly. "It's happening again."

They didn't hear the glaive's impact. But they felt it.

The wind picked up, rolling over them like a tornado. Tuxedo Kamen moved to hug both into his arms, protecting them from those battering winds selflessly. On the rooftops, the girls were thrown nearly flat, hearing the shrieking wind as it tore apart the buildings beneath them with its fury, uprooting trees and the greenery that had grown so violently. Some of those vines lashed them as they flew past, drawing blood.

And in the middle of it all, Saturn stood, a benevolent, musing smile on her face.

The world was dying, and so was she.

Hotaru stared desperately at the figure of Saturn as she held her calmly at bay, oblivious or uncaring to the trembling of their headspace. Their body was going to be torn apart soon, ripped into pieces like Osiris – and wasn't there some irony in that? – as the sacrifice for this primal magic. "Saturn!" she pleased again.

"_Iie_."

Throwing up her hands, Hotaru did the only thing she could; she turned and fled, running helter-skelter through their shared mind. Everything was falling apart, crumbling like some great Roman amphitheatre after so many centuries, revealing the inner layers of its foundation. She fled through her own memories, almost all of them terribly sad, some painful. Her mother smiled at her, already faint and distorted by time, but still lovely. Always lovely.

Abruptly, she ran right into one of Saturn's.

It wasn't intentional; one minute, she was simply running to escape the other's quicker footsteps, and the next had her surrounded by what she could recognize simply as palace walls. All royal buildings have that look about them of palatial comfort above the masses, no matter if stone or brick or mud. She was in a palace and she was staring at herself as a child of perhaps seven, dressed in a light violet gown with a silver band circling her forehead, holding what looked to be a fine silver mesh over her hair, studded with amethysts.

She wasn't at home, she was visiting Jupiter as part of their customary, yearly public relations tour, which was why the walls had patterns of green instead of grey and purple. She was the crown princess, still so very young, but due to inherit the throne within the year, as Saturn recognized women at the age of nine. Her walk was slow and perfect, despite its agitation, one hand lifting her skirts with grace as to not drag the fabric across the floor. She was talking to an elderly man who was suited up as the Royal Knight of Saturn, what Hotaru would call a General of the Army, who was apparently pleading with her to stay put.

This was the eve of the war. This was the war which had destroyed Saturn before Uranus and Neptune could intervene, its own sailor soldier subverted to destroy the planet. But even the Silence, as they called it, did not prevent a planet's soldier from being chosen, unless every single bloodline had been decimated.

But the glaive had not yet been lowered, and the princess was arguing to go back to Saturn and stand at her father's side. She was to be queen in a year; she should have been there to fight back the enemy as well, as a strong monarch would do. Saturn was her planet; if it fell, it would be due to her failure. To hear a child say this chilled Hotaru; so strong was she in her conviction that she could very well make this man agree with her. Anyone, really. This was no child, but a damned woman in a tiny body.

The monarch of Jupiter, however, decided to overrule her, and send her even farther away, to Mars. Jupiter was too close to the fighting; it would be ironic and irresponsible to keep Saturn's princess with them, only to have her die if the enemy invaded them as well. And so the entire entourage was placed onto a luxurious star cruiser and sent away, with plans of making it to Mars and to relative safety. No enemy, they reasoned, would hazard going through the asteroid belt, and the kingdoms had long ago fashioned a small artificial wormhole on both sides to entirely avoid the problem.

So they left, and the princess damned them all.

They had barely cleared the radiation field when the princess felt it; a warmth unlike anything she'd ever known in her few years. The elderly knight was the only witness to the sigil of Saturn etching itself upon her brow, and the power that came with it in a spontaneous rush to enfold her, strengthen her, and change her. In need of a sailor soldier, it forced her growth and maturity, and she found herself no longer a headstrong eight-year-old, but a fourteen-year-old. Now she had no choice; she knew her father was dead, because he had sworn to her that he would be at their guardian soldier's side; he had been her lover since the queen had died.

Going back to Saturn they had found the most shocking evidence of all; a destroyed ruin of a planet, its beautiful and startling rings beginning to form from the debris. Sailor Saturn had arrived just in time to win the war, but not that most important battle, and no victory could soothe her tortured heart. In an instant, a princess had been denied her kingdom. There was simply nothing left for her to even pretend to rule. And to hear it from Neptune's lips that it had been the previous Saturn, her father's lovely blonde lover, who had been tricked into Silencing the planet….

But she had no more tears to cry.

The decision to have herself locked into the planet had been an easy choice. Alone, saddened, desperate for the solitude, she had been the master planner, deciding that the power of Saturn was simply too dangerous for another to wield. The spell locked both body and soul together, so that whenever she was called forth to perform her duty, she would consequently die but return again as Sailor Saturn. And again. And again. Safely hidden away from the universe and its upsetting lives. It had been a simple and elegantly perfect plan.

Hotaru reared back as the span of time washed over her, the knowledge that all those years and decades and centuries had gone by as she had slept within her planet. She had been alone in the darkness, unable to wake up and walk away, knowing that she had time and damned time to spend in such a fashion. What did that do to a person? Even Pluto could have been naughty and stepped out of space-time to stretch her limbs; and still, trapped by the door, she was able to walk and move and jump and breathe and laugh.

"_Kami-sama_…"

So much time, and then finally, the trip of the lock, freedom to move and stand, breathing the air. Only to have it end within minutes as she brought the glaive down again, and then again, and for the last time down on the surface of the moon, watching everything disappear. But her soul had not gone to sleep as it was supposed to, the power of the _Ginzuishou_ called her with it, as it had taken all of its children, to that possible future.

Saturn, staring at her. "Don't feel pity for this. I chose that path of duty."

"But it's so terrible…I could never do it."

"The power has to be locked away. No one else can be trusted with it; that was my most solemn promise to the past."

Hotaru slid down, falling onto her knees limply. The terror of living that subhuman life, trapped within the darkness; no, she could never chose that. And yet a similar existence had been given to her by a perverse father and a cruel enemy, her body not entirely her own, sacrificed to science and a horrible mistake. "But I don't want this. I want another chance at life, the life I never…happiness and sunshine and best friends and ice cream! That's what I want instead of this darkness."

She looked up. "That's what you want, too."

Saturn appeared incensed. "Don't tell me what I want, Tomoe Hotaru! What I want is never important, not anymore. The duty of a sailor soldier is everything. I chose this unselfish life."

"_Iie_, it's not unselfish, but entirely selfish what you've done. You couldn't face life alone, without your papa or friends, so you allowed this prison! You locked away your planet's shining spirit like a pretty glass bauble so no one else could see it, all the while pretending it was so wonderful, so completely selfless! Only one mistake was made, and you've forced yourself to pay for it for so long, so very long…."

"How dare you say such things to me!"

Light flooded their eyes, stopping them cold. Turning to see the most amazing sight; a beam of narrow white light stabbing Master Pharaoh 90's earthbound remains like a sword, cutting through even the raging power of the oncoming Silence. And then it sharpened, took shape, forming a familiar body with long flowing hair, her arms stretched high above her head as if reaching for the sky, her power throwing back the daimon. "Princess….Sailor Moon!?"

"Usagi-san!"

It had been so very cold inside of the daimon. It had swallowed her whole, alive, like some oyster on the half shell, rendering her impotent. The cup had vanished from her hands, as well as her Super transformation; she had been merely Sailor Moon, trapped and dying as his laughter shook the world.

She had sunk down into the emptiness, limp as a doll, unable to even open her eyes and fight the weakness assailing her limbs. [Sailor Moon, I feel your strong spirit. For giving your power to me so easily, I will make sure you are remembered in our new world, as you have now helped to build it.]

"_Iie_…that was not my intent…" Had she even spoken those words? She wasn't sure that she could. So tired, so sleepy. She had come for a purpose into this darkness, and she couldn't remember why. Vague promises flashed through her mind; smiling faces unfinished mocked her memory. Why was it so hard for her to remember these things?

So cold.

As she dropped, she mused on the process of deterioration; in a normal situation, her heart would cease beating, her lungs working to draw in air, blood no longer flowing through her veins. It would all sink to the bottom like a sponge, colouring her rear extremities purple. And then the slow rot would set in, organs slowly expanding their gases, flesh drawing tightly over the bones. Shrinking to show the teeth and gums, fingernails seeming to grow. And then after more time, the bones becoming brittle, falling to dust.

Now where had she gotten that information? She was hardly the morbid type.

"…a fascinating process, not always due to climate…"

It was rather disturbing an idea, her body becoming some tanned, leathery corpse.

"…yes, but medical science has reached that point of preservation…"

Had it been overheard in discussion?

"…ara, but you forget, ancient civilizations reached it ages ago."

Laughter. It echoed in her mind, and she saw that memory, a sunny day at the Crown parlor, a ridiculously carefree day. Ami and Moriya arguing over the achievements of the modern day, Ami passionate in her defense of medical science, Moriya easily countering her with ancient marvels. Rei had not wanted to join them, of course, the snob. Usagi had simply sat and nursed her soda, listening to her best friend and new ally debate like old hands. Within weeks, one of them was dead.

But Ami was alive.

Rei was alive, Makoto as well, Minako…

Mamo-chan! Chibi-Usa! Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Setsuna-san…Alex _onee-chan_…

Their faces rose up again, and this time, she knew them all as they smiled at her, beckoning for her to come back. And further, she could see her mama and papa, even her irritating little brother, Naru-chan and Umino, Chouko-kun, Rei's benevolently smiling grandfather, Ami's wry, gentle mother and slightly distracted father. And two she knew were Minako's parents, though she had never met them.

All of the people she had to save, a mere fraction of the world.

Master Pharaoh 90 sensed her struggling, and pushed down harder. [Don't fight this, Sailor Moon! Soon, everything will be perfect. The world will be born anew.]

"_Iie_!" she said, this time with strength. "This world is happy the way it is! Maybe not perfect, but certainly happy! Master Pharaoh 90, stop this!"

She fought, kicking her legs, moving in what she thought was an upward direction. The darkness weighed down on her limbs, attempting to hold her steady as it sapped away her power and life, like some liquid through a straw. [No, this is the climax of years! Nothing you do will prevent this from occurring. Give me your light!]

Ohh…she felt so tired. Maybe this was the better way, just to give up and float. Her head lolled as she sighed, feeling everything slip away again as he exerted pressure, unable to fight back without her Super transformation giving her strength.

But then the world shook around her, and she gasped as Master Pharaoh 90 howled. She was tossed upside down and around, spinning helplessly as if inside a cyclone, her head jerked back and forth so hard it felt as if her neck would break. Her mind felt clear again, however, even as she tumbled around, and she fought to regain control, to gather the strength to do what she remembered; to open the Sacred Chalice inside of the daimon.

[This negative aura is defeating me so easily…truly, this creature must be that light of ruin! After all this time, it has come to defeat our master plan!]

Flailing, she dropped even further.

"The light of ruin….!? Not the god of ruin, not Sailor Saturn! Hotaru-chan! I'll break free, I'll stop that Silence from coming!" she swore, though there was a hint of desperation in her voice. The Sacred Chalice wouldn't come to her hand, so thoroughly was she entombed within the darkness, and without it, she would remain. She kept concentrating fiercely, trying to summon that power, her hands held high.

A flash of gold between those palms; the shape of the cup indistinct.

She concentrated harder, struggling.

"For everyone…!"

Her prince held her body in the cold of the Arctic, his mouth warm against hers. He had brought her back to life, because he loved her...

"_Onegai_! Come back!"

Laughing in the immense ballroom of the Crystal Palace, Makoto had told them a dirty joke.

"Sacred Chalice, I command you!"

In front of the Dome, Haruka was close enough to kiss, his, no, her, eyes darkening to the colour of the stormy sky. He could have easily been her prince, if they had met first.

"Now, to my hand! I am Princess Serenity, I am Sailor Moon, and I command you!"

The explosion of golden power took her by surprise, forming the Sacred Chalice in its entirety. Quickly she opened its lid, and the power of her friends, her allies, rushed out to envelope her in their warmth and love, transforming her into Super Sailor Moon. It expanded past her and punched a hole through her prison, clearing a path for her to follow.

And when she opened her eyes, it was to witness the outside world.

She felt dirt beneath her boots; the hard earth. Looking around, she found herself standing in the ruins of the Mugen greenhouse, the lovely roses and flowers now shriveled and black, utterly dead. Most of the walls were gone; and she had a clear view of the whipping wind, and the oncoming devastation. Her heart sank as she saw the cause. "Hotaru-chan!?"

Saturn turned, smiling. "You've survived the daimon, Super Sailor Moon. A lovely miracle. But now you can witness the final step; the inevitable Silence."

"Hotaru-chan…_iie_, Sailor Saturn…why are you doing this? Master Pharaoh 90 has been defeated now! Surely there's no need to cleanse Earth!" Gathering her courage, she leapt up, trusting in her power to carry her up and over, closer to the purple-suited soldier.

"But does it matter when Earth has still been wounded? It's better this way. And this is my duty, to bring about this climax." Saturn floated higher, away from the _odango_-haired blonde, as if she feared her touch. "After so long, silence is beautiful to me, and this world will resemble that."

Inside, Hotaru moaned. "Silence has never been beautiful."

The power whipped at Super Sailor Moon's body, flinging her back and away. "_Iie_! I refuse to accept that! Surely your concept of beauty is of sunshine and happiness, of the laughter of friends; that's my beautiful world."

Saturn frowned at her, gripping the glaive tighter. "I have no friends, Super Sailor Moon. How can I have such a concept of beauty?"

"We're your friends!"

"You were Tomoe Hotaru's friends."

"That doesn't matter! Friendships are easy when you have a caring heart. All of us, everyone, has that. Your world of lonely darkness doesn't have to be forever, not when we're here to show you that laughter and happiness." Super Sailor Moon floated in front of Saturn, held back by that final wall of power, staring into amethyst gone dark and fearful. "I believe in that kind of world. This doesn't have to happen."

Saturn stared at Hotaru, who stared back at her. Slowly, she nodded her head.

Saturn bowed her head. "I wish I could have that, Super Sailor Moon. Tsukino-san…but this was my duty. And I have to perform it. But I'll do it in my own way, now!" Saturn cried, and she shot up into the sky, towards the jagged hole that still showed the swirling Tau Galaxy.

"Sailor Saturn!?"

Higher and higher she went, so fast none of the others could even shout out a warning or a curse, until she penetrated the jagged aperture. Out into space, where only her power kept her from freezing, dying horribly; and where the _odango_-haired blonde could not follow. "Super Sailor Moon, your power is wonderful. With the Sacred Chalice and such hope, you can save this world from the ravages of my power and that of the enemy. That is your mission now. And this is mine, to seal off this portal of darkness!"

Hotaru took her hands, smiling. Finally, brightly, Saturn smiled back. "_Arigatou_," she said.

The glaive fell again.

  
Super Sailor Moon lay on a scarred, pitted landscape, crying piteously as they came to her. The sky was a sickly colour still, the triple towers and their concrete jungle looked like hell, but the hole had closed; Master Pharaoh 90 and the Tau Galaxy were gone, their portal destroyed, if not they as well.

And so was Saturn.

Tuxedo Kamen, of course, reached her first with a speed unmatched. He gathered her into his arms to hold her tightly, shaking with the realization that she had almost died for a second time as he had been helpless. If nothing else, he also learned that no matter how ‘destined' their love might have been, how unable he had been to stop it, he didn't care. She had brought that happiness into his life, and he never wanted to lose it again. He'd just lock her in a closet until they were married, that's all.

Chibi-Moon flung herself onto them, squeezing as tightly as her smaller arms would allow, wailing like a baby. "Mama, mama…!"

Everyone else just sort of cantered to a stop, circling them roughly as they waited. They were not sure how they felt about Saturn's sacrifice; it seemed wrong, somehow, that in one fell swoop she gained their pity after trying to kill them. But then, she had never been an evil person, just a soldier with the unfortunate duty. It could have been any one of them instead of her, destined to die and be reborn for the same purpose. And that…was a terrible thought.

Finally, Super Sailor Moon managed to extricate herself, and smile weakly at the others. "_Minna_…we did it."

"It's actually more you than us, but we'll take credit where we can," Alex countered mildly, though there was an unusual tremble to her hands, the uneasy way she stood. Seeing the world nearly destroyed had shaken her up far too much for her own comfort. Again, she had been unable to do nothing as it all fell down around her, merely a witness to the tragedy. Plus, she had a killer headache still, which just sucked no matter what.

"_Hai, hai_! You did it, Super Sailor Moon!" Jupiter crowed, clapping her hands.

Apparently too tired to argue over it, the _odango_-haired blonde just nodded gracefully. Tuxedo Kamen helped her up as she said, "But it's not over yet. I still have to use the Sacred Chalice one last time…"

At that, everyone just tiredly looked around at their surroundings; it looked as if an earthquake and a tidal wave had crash-landed into one another, put up a rousing battle of fisticuffs, and then retreated to lick their wounds, taking some souvenirs with them. The once-tall and stylish building of Mugen Gakuen was now a pile of rubble about the size of a one-room Tokyo apart, most of it strewn across the shattered courtyard. The Kaiou tower was missing a good half of its lower and middle floors, revealing tasteful furniture and quiet elegance, and in one case, a leather fetishist's wet dream of straps and saddles. Meiou had fared rather well, missing only several windows and its main entrance canopy. Ten'nou looked as if someone had taken a straight razor and sheared off the first few metres of brick façade, where Master Pharaoh 90 had left his mark. And that was just the surrounding area.

No doubt property values would plummet.

The gleam of gold caught their attention as the Sacred Chalice rose into existence. Holding it out in front of her, the _odango_-haired blonde opened the lid to reveal its curved, smooth interior, empty of even dust. "I don't know what to do now," she sighed, looking up thoughtfully. "To become Super Sailor Moon, I drank of its power. But what has to be done to summon the revival of the world…?"

"You don't remember, _tsukimidango_? The queen summons the power of the three talismans to fill it, then drinks and uses their power plus that of the _Ginzuishou_," the tall red-head answered, nodding her head at the closest – Neptune's mirror – to make her point. "That's the magic formula."

Super Sailor Moon nodded, frowning slightly. Then she closed her eyes, concentrating briefly; with a quick rush, her Super transformation fled, the power flooding back into its source with a rainbow of colours. It was euphoric, after such a tiring battle, to receive that strength back, and she could see her friends stand taller, throwing off their aches and pains. "I don't need your power, _minna_. Not for this. This is the work of the princess, not Sailor Moon."

"_Iie_; this is the work of our future queen," Pluto corrected her softly, lifting the garnet rod high.

The power of the talismans were nothing like the power of the planets; instead of colour, there was merely light, pure white and brilliant, far brighter than the fine net they had woven with its strength. This was the concentrated essence, given up entirely from its owners into the golden cup that seemed far too small to contain all of it, flooding it with what seemed to be the very sun and stars. Magic.

When it was over, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto lowered their arms, staring at their sacred items with surprise; they had grown dim, altogether less lustrous, just as ordinary as a staff, or a rapier, or an antique mirror. They could have just bought them at the store as props for all of the power they now had; they even seemed smaller, less larger than life. "At least it's not the size that counts," Venus just barely heard Uranus mutter beneath her breath, staring at her sword.

Sailor Moon lifted the cup to her lips and drank.

Before, the first time, she had drunk of the pure power of all of her soldiers, the essence of their planets that they carried within them as avatars. It had pushed her to the newest level of transformation, a step closer to some undefined point that she had to one day reach, either as the queen or someone else; and the rush, the euphoric sensation of growth, had been magnificent. She had become Super.

This time, she drank of the talismans, three sacred items that were in many ways the same as her crystal; they were a focus of power that did and did not have anything to do with the planet. Anyone could wield the space sword, or the deep aqua mirror; anyone could steal the garnet rod and have the power of time at their command. Just as anyone could steal her silver crystal and subjugate a world, destroy it in an eye's blink. They had been woven into shape for them, but they were not the masters, merely owners. And they were of perhaps an even greater power than even their planets could attest.

Tuxedo Kamen watched in awe as the sailor fuku was torn away, replaced by the flowing folds and pure white cloth of her gown, golden embroidery curving along her breast, pearls lovely in her hair, winding her torso. Her hair grew longer and softer than silk, twisted into an almost-artful twirl by the teasing winds left in the wake of Saturn's glaive. As she smiled, lifting her hands again to summon the _Ginzuishou_, she rose on bare feet to tiptoe, her soft skin reddening from the harsh concrete.

Their princess was rebuilding the world.

Chouko Iretsu opened his eyes and hitched in a breath of air, deciding that he had been given an epiphany; death was not for him.

The world had a glittering sheen to it, a brand-new, out-of-the-box freshness. Even the roof beneath his feet had the same newness, sturdy as the day it had been lain, and no longer cracked and broken. His drawings lay scattered at his feet, smeared by wind and other things, but essentially complete. He gathered them up, and set about collapsing his easel for proper storage, outwardly calm; but a careful observer could see his hands shaking. Death was not as easy as the tragically morbid tried to claim. They had yet to experience it.

Around him lay the stunned and the weeping faithful, their voices now rising in an uneven melody as they praised Serenity for saving them, though many were leaving in groups, understandably shaken. The Chinese woman and her son had lowered into kowtow and had not yet risen; the young boy with the unusual eyes stood at the edge of the roof, watching the sky and its slowly gathering clouds, fluffy and white for a proper sunny day. It was going to be a lovely day too, Iretsu knew.

With everything packed up properly, the dwarf went down a set of stairs no longer threatening to break beneath his feet, walking easily down the road, heading for Juuban. If he made good time, he might even make it home to start his first painting before the sun passed its zenith; the triumph of the princess Serenity over the evil witch.

  
For such a minimally scarred world, it took an effort to fix; perhaps, because it was partially damaged to begin with. Their princess could feel the wounds, scabbed over and old, from Metallia's invasion, those that she had not managed to heal but only minimally seal; she could sense the disruption of space within the Delta that still lingered, so deep within the dirt. And so many people to breathe new life into, to open their eyes where they had fallen, cut down by debris or fear.

And she was not entirely their princess! No, not yet; and just like before, when she had used the _Ginzuishou_ bare handed, it put such a strain on her body that the first time had killed her. This time she had aid from the talismans, their power buoyant, winding around hers like a symphony chorus to add not subtract, but it was still weakening her. And she wanted to fix these mistakes now, while there was time and energy to do it!

She felt strong hands at her waist, a warm body at her back. Mamo-chan. Power given freely, a sympathetic rush that reminded her of her crystal. And then she felt the touch of the others, their power promised to her hand, and she gasped at the sensation, all of it drawn in like a sponge, squeezed out in the same manner to touch the world. She saw her soldiers taken up by that power, pushed into a second level of transformation as had she. And the world was singing in gratitude, all of its children spared from the darkness yet again by her determination.

All but one. Hotaru.

Hotaru….

The girl should never have died, not when she could have had a long and wonderful life. A life free of science and magic spells, full of the laughter of childhood and happiness. It seemed so tragically unfair that she was the sacrifice to save the world; an innocent girl who had been so kind to Chibi-Usa, who had desired no more than a friend.

Effortlessly she envisioned her one last time; not as the harpy Mistress 9, nor the taciturn Sailor Saturn, but as the pale, wan Tomoe Hotaru as she had been born in this cycle of their lives.

What happened next was perhaps a wish granted; the sudden cry of a child.

As their princess sank slowly back into her prince's arms, almost instantly asleep within the warmth of his embrace, the gathered sailor soldiers writhed as the power that had transformed them withdrew, leaving behind their own singular, remarkable strengths. Stunned, slightly disoriented, they were not exactly tired but weary, on the verge of sinking down onto hands and knees as well. Their guardian laughed as though she were drunk, sitting down on a chunk of rubble with her hands between her knees as she basked in their emotions, staring out at the clean courtyard of the triple towers, the foundations of Mugen utterly gone.

And then she paused, seeing a small wriggling shape; again, there was a soft cry. "What is that sound…?"

"It's a baby," Mercury whispered, stunned; she knew that plaintive cry, had heard it over years of her mother's term at the hospital.

"A baby? _Masaka_!" Neptune was on her feet quickly, catching herself as she staggered a step before running towards the small body. It wasn't hard to miss, though it was so small; a faint violet glow surrounded the baby, fading away as she came close, except for the smallest circle of power that marked the sigil on the child's forehead. "The mark of…Saturn?"

She knelt to lift the naked infant, cradling it comfortably within her arms. Or rather, her; a quick inspection revealed that it was indeed a girl, with soft black hair crowning her head with fuzz. And when she opened her eyes, they were a warm amethyst, wide with joy at the world into which she had been reborn. "Tomoe Hotaru!"

"She was reborn after her sacrifice," Uranus remarked quietly, standing behind her.

"Reborn, and all alone, with her wicked father preceding her to death's door," Pluto added, kneeling to tickle her soft cheek.

Neptune looked up, smiling wistfully as she caught her lover's eyes; this time, there was no aversion, not a hint of regret. They met each other halfway, and knew now that they always would. "Let's raise this girl ourselves, ne? After all, we can only find happiness together. As a unit, we're strong. And this girl could be one of us, after her years of pain."

Uranus knelt down beside her, brushing back a strand of aqua hair, tucking it behind her maddeningly perfect ear. "Would it make you happy, Michiru? A happy home, with a happy family to show for it, just like the books say. I'd like to give you that."

"And I would love to have that, as well," Pluto sighed, sharing their smile.

They rose in unison, Hotaru snuggling and burbling into her adopted mother's breast, unaware of anything but warmth and security as she waved her tiny fist in the air. She giggled as Neptune held her up for the others to see, as if presenting the newborn for the kingdom's inspection. "Hotaru-chan…? She's a baby again!" Chibi-Moon jerked forward, stopping short of touching the child; her hand shook as it hovered centimetres from her skin. "Hotaru-chan…"

"She's been reborn, to have a second chance." Serenity's voice was sleepy, but strong enough to reach all of them as she reclined in her prince's arms. "By my wishes, by all of our hopes, she was brought back to try again. She deserves that life."

"That's a powerful magic," Mars whispered.

Uranus nodded. "The power of our princess and future queen, assuredly."

The three outer system soldiers matched eyes, then looked back to the assembled soldiers. "Since the enemy has been vanquished, our mission has ended properly," Pluto explained, spreading her hands wide. "Now our powers are no longer needed. So we've chosen this new mission, to raise Tomoe Hotaru, to give her that new life."

"After all, we were never close to that shining light," Uranus sighed wistfully, her words directed at everyone, though her eyes were lingering all too obvious on Serenity. "This was always our way, this distance. We'll be leaving now."

"But where will you go?" Jupiter queried.

Neptune shrugged gracefully despite the bundle in her arms, smiling that enigmatic smile that so many thousands applauded. It said nothing. "Wherever we chose. Our lives are our own, again. But we'll always come back to you, because we're all soldiers."

The tall red-head said, "Is that a threat or a promise?"

Pluto laughed. "Perhaps both, Guardian-sama."

Uranus laughed as well, though Neptune looked skyward as if pleading for mercy. But she looked down quickly at the tug of her skirt, blinking in surprise to see Chibi-Moon staring at her with wide, pleading eyes. "Do you really have to leave? I'm so sorry for what I did to you…I don't want you to leave with anger in your heart. As well, Hotaru-chan…"

The aqua-haired beauty shifted the baby, reaching to cup Chibi-Moon's cheek. "It doesn't matter, Small Lady. What you did was with true intentions; and I can forgive you for that kindness, we all can. But we do have to leave, because Hotaru deserves a new happiness. And we, too, need our new lives."

"But will you come back, truly?"

"I promise. Here…" With a flourish, she called forth her mirror, holding it out for the pink-haired child to take. "You can return it to me when we come back. But will you want to give it back to me, after having such a lovely gift?" she teased.

Chibi-Moon blushed, taking the mirror and looking into the surface. It was blank, showing only her face. "I'll only give it back to you, Kaiou-san."

"Of course, Small Lady. And I'll only take it back from a strong and serious soldier. A true princess. You'll become that lovely figure before we return, I know it."

The wind slapped her face as the three disappeared, racing to their new lives. "Neptune, Uranus, Pluto…! Hotaru-chan…! Wait for me to be strong!"

  
It was in the newspapers that the complete destruction of Mugen Gakuen and the Tomoe laboratories had been faulty gas lines; and nevermind that both structures were gone without a trace, save for rubble and rock. Again, the capacity for the human mind to rationalize the ridiculous was filling in the blanks when needed, making a plausible story.

The news about the talented violinist, Kaiou Michiru, going on a world tour, and the racer, Ten'ou Haruka, boarding the plane for a race in America, was buried on pages two and seven. Only minimally noted was their attendance at the school, and their abrupt departure from their lavish condos to a house in the country. No one blamed them.

Chouko Iretsu opened his show titled "The Infinity Saga" at an upper class Ginza establishment, selling almost every painting. Everyone remarked later that the _odango_-haired blonde, a young thing hanging off the arm of her obvious beau, looked remarkably like the silver-haired angel that had risen above the destruction, arms wide to banish the evil. But perhaps she was the model, or an inspiration, because surely, angels didn't exist. Most of them turned instead to talk of the warmer days, how beautiful they had become in the absence of dark storm clouds and threatening skies.

Summer was definitely about to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a massive work for me to finish. Again, we have the Three-Who-Are-One imagery; conflicting personalities; and the end of the world. Mamoru's link to the Earth is established here, instead of in the Dead Moon Circus arc (because frankly, he would've noticed the world being destroyed). I also find it interesting that this is the one villain that isn't stopped by Usagi's sacrifice, but by Saturn's.
> 
> There's a Darkwing Duck reference in here. Also a small nod to a Henry Rollins show.


	34. Act 34 : Rêveur I - Magical Circus

##### 

It was a beautiful spring day, and it promised to only get better.

She smoothed nervous hands down the front of her lab coat, primping her hair with quick gestures at every reflective window she passed. To receive an invitation to the Tokyo Bay Observatory was a high honour indeed, and not one she would have ever dreamed of receiving so soon. After all, she was still in college, pursuing her degree with a focused determination now that she knew…

No. Best not think of that. Not now, on such a glorious day.

She couldn’t have missed the open door and the subtle noises coming from inside the room, though she felt self-conscious and out of place as she stepped inside, straightening her name tag with one last twist. Her collected demeanor almost vanished when a squeaky voice at her elbow said, “_Hajimemashite_, ah….Meiou-san?”

“_H-hai_, _hajimemashite_.” They exchanged bows as she quickly glanced at the man’s nametag, though he was obviously a fellow student and not a scientist. “Yuureisen-san.”

Her fellow student was a short, mousey-looking fellow with uncombed brown hair and a shy smile. Although he seemed friendly enough, his eyes were bloodshot and tired as he peered at her through his thick glasses, courteously leading her around the room to show her what exactly was going on and what they were expected to do. Even casual observers were put to work, although her task was as simple as noting the exact time of full eclipse.

“It is a marvelous event for us to witness, Meiou-san,” he said suddenly. “People would once consider an eclipse a sign of God’s wrath, a vision of doom. The Chinese thought a dragon was devouring the brilliance of the Sun, and banged their drums and shouted to the heavens to scare it away. In every ancient land, it was a sign for the future.”

Setsuna smiled briefly, not wanting to encourage him. “But we know what causes it now, Yuureisen-san, and so it has become the realm of science than the phantom world. It is marvelous in the way of lightning striking the clouds, but no longer mysterious or a sign of romantic doom.”

He smiled back at her, a goofy, buck-toothed grin, and retreated to a shabby desk in the corner for his own task. She sighed in relief, unbuckling her watch and setting it down next to the notebook she would record her time in, though she didn’t need it; her internal clock was infallible. However, she tended to turn her classmates off when she produced the exact time without ever looking at a timepiece, so she had taken to wearing it to stop spooking them.

“The solar eclipse will arrive in nine…eight…seven…”

Tapping her pencil against the paper, Setsuna allowed her eyes to drift over the room, watching the others as they stared out the windows, their eyes shielded by protective lenses. She picked hers up from the desk, turning it over in her hands before lifting it to her eyes to see the slow creep of a shadow across the sun. The moon in its orbit, slowly spinning around their blue world, was gradually covering up the source of their life. Something was bothering her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Even for her, time seemed to be slower than usual. The moon swallowed up the sun like the very dragon Yuureisen-san had described, though no amount of drums or noise would drive it off. It was a creeping, silent shadow, and she felt the first tickle of panic at the base of her spine as it neared the climax, her hand poised to write.

Her eyes drifted again to see Yuureisen-san smiling up at the sky.

She slowly stood up, the pencil dropping from her hand; the exact time of eclipse had been marked in gray. “What’s happened?” she whispered, clutching at her breast.

Yuureisen-san was across the room, too far away for him to hear what she was saying, but she heard his old words echo in her ears: “A vision of doom. In every ancient land, it was a sign for the future.” The room turned to shades of grey as she stared, the only one not interested in the sight outside. Her blood turned to ice in her veins; she felt the shift of someone entering their dimension, the rending of space time.

“An enemy has arrived!” Quickly, as the other researchers were occupied, she ran from the room, her sensible shoes dull against the linoleum. The sense of evil began to sting her senses as she ran to an abandoned corridor, stopping dead at the whisper in her ears; it sounded like her own.

“What will you do, Setsuna? This is merely the beginning. The beginning of a nightmare. Don’t even bother fighting. Would you give up your dreams to fight?”

“Like the devils I will fight! Pluto Planet Power!” She thrust her hand to the heavens, reaching for the power of her cold star, so far away. “Make Up!”

Nothing happened. Disbelieving, her spoke the words again, louder, drowning out the whispering. Again, nothing. Just the ache of her arm as she held it high, and the sick feeling of fear in her stomach. “_Iie_…did we truly abandon our duties that day? The power is gone!”

Her hand dropped, slapping against her hip as she stared out the window into the darkness. Had they so completely turned away from their duties as sailor soldiers that the power refused to acknowledge them anymore? If the noise inside of her head was any indicator, perhaps it was so; she knew it was the voice of Meiou Setsuna, the young woman who didn’t want to give up her life to a responsibility she hadn’t asked for.

The eclipse slowly released its shadow as she sank down to the floor, staring at her hands. “Then, perhaps our mission is truly over. Princess…have we abandoned you?”

  
It was a damned nice spring day, and it was going to get better.

Alex stretched, feeling the warmth of the sun soak through her coat as she walked towards the park where she was meeting the others. It seemed incredible that more than a year had passed since clumsy, crying little Usagi had become Sailor Moon. She had become more confident in herself, evidenced by the good news in her acceptance to Juuban High, passing her tests despite the odds (and her definite lack of studying). And the other girls had so easily become a unit that everyone was hard-pressed to remember a time when they hadn’t been friends.

Granted, her own life wasn’t as rosy; it had been nearly two months since she had called off her relationship – if you could call it that – with Haruka and Michiru, though she couldn’t say where exactly the guilt had begun to creep in from. Some nights she had woken up in their bed and simply watched them sleep, realizing just how cynical she had become about her life. When had she become the elder in her relationships with people? She had always been the one chasing experience, not the other way around; playing the flirt with companions old enough to know better and not caring.

So she had broken it off, charmed them with her smiles and assurances, and left them to their solitude. Once in a while she would see Haruka in the paper, holding the winning cup aloft and smiling into the camera. Even more rarely would she see Michiru and her violin, playing for a sold-out crowd of adoring fans. It was enough to know they were happy as ordinary people, despite their fame. She had wished them well, even though she had a feeling another problem was on the horizon. Something was going to happen, even after almost half a year of peace; it was only a matter of time.

Stopping to grab a paper, she scanned disinterestedly over the main headline – why did she care about an eclipse? They were far more interesting when you were actually on the moon itself – and decided the rest of it constituted the dreaded Slow News Day. When they printed articles on a dog that drank nothing but warm sake, you knew nothing important was going on. With a shrug, she tossed the paper back onto the pile and kept walking, squinting over the top of her sunglasses at the traffic lights. A nice day indeed, but a little too bright for her eyes.

Ichinohashi Park was a mix of activity, not surprising considering the time of the year and the natural spectacle of an eclipse that was due to occur. It would have been difficult to find everyone, if they hadn’t agreed on a spot to meet, and after a few minutes of dodging pedestrian traffic – did people honestly have to set up tables to sell crap for such an occasion? – she spotted a familiar set of _odango_, both blonde and pink.

“_Sensei_!” Minako hooted, waving her arms at her. When she had her attention, she spun around madly, showing off her uniform. “Look at me! I’m a Juuban High student! The day has finally come when I can call Usagi-chan a classmate!”

“Yare, yare, forgotten again,” Makoto sighed melodramatically as she adjusted her own kerchief. “How typical of Minako-chan to completely ignore us; ne, Ami-chan?”

Ami was staring up into the branches of a nearby cherry blossom tree, watching the birds sing. At the sound of her name, she startled, smiling, but didn’t respond. Though she shared the uniform of Juuban High, she didn’t feel much like celebrating; she had given up her dreams of attending high school at Musashi Senior High, her exceptional IQ and scores having guaranteed her a place. Instead, she had lowered her expectations to stay close by her friends and allies, and while she knew it was the right thing to do, it still left a note of discontent in her spirit. She was not particularly surprised to note that none of them seemed to recognize her sacrifice.

Minako stuck out her tongue at them as she caught Rei up in her crazy dance, pulling the hapless maiden around in a circle with her. Rei was the only one not wearing a blue and red Juuban High uniform; hers was still the grey and burgundy of TA. She had not been above subtle reminders during the last six months that she was elevated to high school automatically, even though she still had yearly exams almost as traumatizing as theirs. But, even though she had a scowl on her face as Minako dragged her around, the blonde’s crashing entrance at her school – possible through a combination of disguise, sheer madness, and an intense desire to see how such privileged students spent their day – had obviously cemented their friendship.

That had been an event to remember. Even though Rei openly disregarded her school’s Catholicism, she was a firm supporter of its discipline and education. Minako didn’t care about that so much; she was more interested in the male attention Rei always seemed to attract because she wore such a privileged uniform. So she had taken up Rei on her open invitation to visit the school – though it was also obvious she hadn’t been entirely serious – and went undercover to see how it felt to be a student at TA.

Neither of them would tell what had actually happened, but the most obvious result was their newfound attitude around one another. They had been friends more as a necessity of being sailor soldiers together before the disastrous visit; Rei in particular seemed to regard Minako as a flighty girl barely worth more than her civility and trust. Now, she seemed to open up more towards her, even if she tried to hide it behind her usual mask of propriety. She even used the more casual suffix whenever she talked to Minako. It was almost surreal.

Usagi and Chibi-Usa were watching the two spin around with almost identical wistful smiles on their faces, despite their differences in age. When Alex waved to them, they seemed to open up, focusing their attention on everyone else as she joined them. “So, what brings six lovely ladies like you out on a beautiful day like today?” she asked as she tugged on Usagi’s ponytail, dropping onto a nearby park bench to sprawl out and relax. Chibi-Usa jumped up next to her, swinging her backpack around onto her lap.

“The cherry blossoms are here at last! They’re just as beautiful as mama always told me,” she said in a rush of words, kicking her legs. “It’s like a wonderful pink miracle.”

“It is, isn’t it? It’s Nature’s way of reminding us of the beauty of the world,” Makoto sighed, lifting her face to the sun as she held up her hands to catch some falling petals. “Like a cozy dream after the insanity of exams! I’m so glad they’re over.”

Minako let Rei go, and they spun apart to land on the grass, giggling in various degrees of happiness and dizziness. Flopping onto her back, Minako said, “We’ve cheated death by finishing exams. Even the strongest enemy wasn’t as bad as my math exam! I thought I would die as the clock ran out. But I made it!” She punched the air, sitting upright and smiling widely at them all. “And now, I’m going to the same high school as all of you! Well, except Rei-chan, who has it easy.”

“Not _that_ easy,” she sniffed. “I did have exams as well. I simply never had to worry about not graduating.”

“Well, now that we’re all in high school, we’ll have far more time to enjoy ourselves,” Ami interjected, finally looking around and paying more attention to her friends. “I plan on joining the computer club, or perhaps the English club.”

There was a moment of quiet as the wind picked up, shaking a light shower of petals onto everyone’s heads, filling the air with scent. Chibi-Usa soon broke the quiet with a squeal of delight as she slid off the bench, running around to capture the petals like the young child she was, completely captivated by an event she had never seen. Several people nearby stopped and smiled, watching her as she gathered handfuls of the delicate petals and pressed them to her nose, inhaling deeply.

After a while, Makoto said thoughtfully, “I don’t know yet which clubs I’ll join. Number one would be the cooking club, but if there is an _Ikebana_ club, I might join that instead. But they might also have a sewing club, and then I won’t know what to do…”

“Well, I know what I want to do! Volleyball club, here I come! I’ll take us to the top! After all, I haven’t been able to practice my form in a while. I’ll spike the ball into my enemies’ faces!” Minako mimed her spike, slapping her fist into her palm. “And then, I’ll beat my enemies at the idol auditions on weekends!”

Rei brushed off the enthusiasm with a flip of her wrist, saying, “Of course, Minako-chan would want to get sweaty and dirty to relax. I myself have chosen archery. It’s an ancient, classic sport that requires concentration and focus.”

“What about you, _tsukimidango_? Are you going to join any clubs?” Alex asked, picking up Chibi-Usa’s backpack as the younger girl came back to sit down, delicately holding a full blossom in her hands. Usagi frowned, rolling her eyes in thought.

“I don’t know…I like to read manga, I guess. Maybe the drawing club? But then, I don’t really draw, I just read.” She kicked at a small rock on the sidewalk, watching it bounce away. “Maybe I’ll just be a member of the go home club, ne? Who needs clubs anyway?”

A shadow fell across her back as arms came around to hug her tight to a warm chest. “Very true. Who needs clubs anyway, when they’ve been neglecting their boyfriend for many months?” Mamoru said, giving her a kiss atop her head.

“Ara, Mamoru-san, you’ve been neglecting Usagi-chan too. After all, didn’t you make it to KO University School of Medicine? It takes hard work ands lots of studying. I plan on following you there soon,” Ami warned him, though she smiled as she said it. Mamoru chuckled as he was caught out, releasing Usagi to the tune of a jingle bell that had everyone staring quizzically at him before they saw the culprit at his feet; Diana.

She pranced over to Chibi-Usa and leapt up into her lap as Minako asked, “Where are Luna and Artemis, Diana? Weren’t they coming with you? That _baka_ Artemis said he was going to meet me here!”

Diana flicked an ear, looking a bit crestfallen. “They decided not to come, because they said it would be too sad to see me leave. But it’s ok. I’ll see them in the future.”

“Ahhh…” Makoto sighed, echoing the others’ somber faces. “That’s right. You and Chibi-Usa-chan are going back to the 30th century.”

“We’ll miss both of you terribly. Don’t forget to study hard and make us proud,” Ami said, stepping forward to give them both a hug. It had already been decided a week ago that only Usagi and Mamoru – and the cats, but they apparently chickened out – would go with Chibi-Usa to the chosen location for her opening of the portal. Everything had been planned out; Chibi-Usa’s existence had been judiciously wiped from everyone else’s minds, as they had quickly figured out trying to explain why she was gone had problems of its own. Even Ikuko no longer remembered her “niece,” the younger Tsukino Usagi.

Minako gave her a bright smile and squeezed them both tight, saying, “You better come back and visit us, or I’ll be really mad at you! I want to see how proud you’ve made me. And make sure you bring back some really crazy souvenirs!”

“Souvenirs? You’ve _been_ to the future, you crazy blonde,” Alex interjected, shaking her head. “What would she bring back, a chunk of ice and a polar bear?”

“Ignore her, Chibi-Usa, she tends to speak before she thinks. Say hello to the king and queen for us, when you return home,” Rei said, eschewing the hug for a low, proper bow. Minako stuck her tongue out at her on the way up.

Makoto also hugged them, smiling through a glint of tears. “Don’t forget us. The girls who were your friends. Practice your sewing like I showed you.”

“I will. I won’t forget any of you. You taught me so much about how to be a lady and a young girl.” Hugging Makoto fiercely in return, Chibi-Usa slid off the bench and swung her backpack on. She looked up at Alex, holding out her hand as the redhead sat up. They shook hands, though Chibi-Usa was clearly not very adept at it. “I’ll miss you too, Alex-chan. Onee-chan.”

“Just don’t cause too much trouble, _p’tite_. Or don’t get caught.”

“Goodbye, Chibi-Usa-chan!”

“Come back soon, Chibi-Usa-chan!”

“Goodbye!”

  
The spot they had chosen was in a quiet and usually forgotten section of the park, tucked up behind a grove of the few early-blooming trees that were subsequently abandoned due to their drooping branches. As they walked, Chibi-Usa began to hum, swinging her arms. Usagi smiled, watching her walk ahead of them, unaware of the picture the three of them made. In the future, perhaps, they would walk like this, and often, proud parents with their only child. She didn’t want to ask the young girl; anything about the future seemed tenuous and strange, as if a different Tsukino Usagi had grown up and become a queen. Some days she would put her pen down and stare hopelessly at her work, realizing that in a few short years she would be the most important person in the world.

She shook her head slightly and re-focused on her prince and their time-displaced child, who was now tugging at the former’s sleeve. “_Hai_, Chibi-Usa?” he asked, stopping to give her his full attention.

“I want to ask a favour, Mamo-chan! After all, soon I’ll be gone…” Putting on her best pleading face, she clasped her hands and fluttered her eyelashes. Behind her, Usagi rolled her eyes and made a face of her own that plead for deliverance.

“You want a ride on my back? Yare yare…you’re almost a grown lady. And here you are, taking advantage of me.” But he crouched down for her – and Usagi had never known him to truly deny the young girl anything; why would he stop now? – and allowed her to crawl like a monkey onto his back, backpack swinging precariously. Diana squeaked and fell off her shoulders, landing perfectly on all four paws on the grass, giving Chibi-Usa a priceless look of indignation.

They continued walking as Mamoru remarked, “This is a very special day, you know. A total solar eclipse, visible from Tokyo. You’re going to see a remarkable event before you go home, Chibi-Usa.”

“Really? Wow! That’s when the moon itself covers the sun, right? That’s amazing! I can’t wait to tell everyone!”

“The new moon, yes. It’s a once in a lifetime event. A special thing for us to see together.”

Near their destination, they encountered a man passing out shields with which to view the eclipse, to spare their eyes. Mamoru grabbed four, remarking once out of earshot that Chibi-Usa could hold it up for Diana, who looked stunned and quietly grateful. “_Arigatou gozaimasu_, prince!” she stage whispered, even though they were well away from the vendor.

Coming to a stop beneath the trees, Mamoru rather gracefully reached back and swung Chibi-Usa down, after giving Usagi his handful of shields. She herself was vibrating with excitement; a solar eclipse was indeed something special, and having never seen one in person, she was impatient for it to start. Looking up at the sky, she could see the very edge of it beginning to creep into the larger disc of the sun. “It’s starting, it’s starting!”

“Give me one!” Chibi-Usa cried, taking two of the shields as Mamoru took one. Picking up Diana, she managed an awkward shuffle with the kitten in her arm, holding up her own shield with her right as she held Diana’s with her left. Then, properly protected, they all looked skyward.

The shape of the sun looked as though it had been cleanly cut, a round chunk missing. The moon was merely a black semi-circle against the brightness of the larger star, a blot of darkness stealing daylight. Nearby and far away, they could hear the crowds of people in the park gasping in awe, and one loud child in particular cried, “Mama, the sun is being eaten! It’s scary!”

“How silly to think of it that way. Obviously, she’s still a child,” Chibi-Usa thought as she watched the slow inch of the moon as it crawled across the sky. “To say that the sun is being eaten….! But, now, what’s that sound?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Usagi’s equally puzzled expression, and they turned towards one another saying in unison, “Bells?”

It was definitely bells, though no one else seemed to hear them. Diana was blinking up at them in confusion, an ear twitching; Mamoru was still staring up at the sun, totally absorbed in the event. But as the sound grew louder, he lowered his arm, turning around to face them. “What’s that sound?”

“…maiden, please…”

“It sounds like bells,” Mamoru said.

“Maiden, help me…”

It was a horse. As they stared, the most beautiful white horse came slowly prancing out of a shaded wood that simply had not existed a moment ago. The sky darkened around them as it came closer, revealing to them a golden horn rising from its forehead to pierce the shadows, tossing a mane of silver hair. Wings of white feathers opened, rising to curve above its profile as it stopped, close enough for both girls to touch. “Please, maiden, help me.”

None of them spoke. Chibi-Usa was the first to move, reaching out a trembling hand to touch the winged horse’s nose, which looked as soft as velvet. Though the horse didn’t seem to be upset or scared, it gently pranced out of reach. “Please, maiden. Please help me.”

“Me!?” they both exclaimed, pointing to themselves.

The winged horse lowered its head, stepping back another pace. It slowly disappeared as day turned to night, leaving them in the semi-shade of darkness as the winged horse and the woods completely vanished.

Silence reigned for a good five minutes.

Wearing identical expressions of awe, they turned to stare at one another. “Usagi-chan…did you see…?”

“_Hai, hai_…that beautiful horse…” Usagi whispered, her fingers flexing unconsciously against her breast.

“He called me a maiden!” Chibi-Usa cried, clasping her hands together as she swung around towards an equally stunned Mamoru. Usagi blinked rather comically as she turned to follow the younger girl with her eyes, swiveling around to stare at them both.

“What do you mean he called you a maiden? You’re still a kid! It was obviously me he meant!” she proclaimed proudly, stopping Chibi-Usa in her tracks.

“You can’t be serious!” she scoffed, dismissing her elder with a wave of her hand. “You’re an old hag in comparison to me! I’m obviously a young, beautiful maiden, and it was me he meant!”

Mamoru was still too stunned by what he had seen to reprimand either of them as they began shouting at each other, trying to out-do the other with details of their attributes, which ranged from bedroom space to age to uniform colours – Usagi contended that only babies wore pink, while Chibi-Usa countered that it was the sign of youth – their rising voices thankfully ignored by the far crowds. Neither of them noticed Mamoru’s face as he slowly shook his head, wondering why the voice of the winged horse had sounded familiar.

Above them, the moon covered the sun completely, at which Mamoru finally looked up. He frowned at the sudden twinge in his chest, pressing his hand to his heart. “What an odd feeling,” he muttered, the sounds of the girls’ arguing finally catching his attention. He exhaled quietly as he saw them still gesturing at one another, their voices mixing into babble as they fought for dominance. “Usa, Chibi-Usa, please, stop that! Both of you know better.”

At the sound of his voice, they both snapped to attention, shuffling their feet like naughty children. Mamoru stifled a twinge of irritation at Usagi’s antics; for the love of the _kami_, she was nearly sixteen, not five. But to be honest, she had been a model teenager for months during the pressures of exams. He supposed he could chalk it up to Chibi-Usa’s trip home that had her acting like a brat rivaling her daughter.

“Did you see the horse too, Mamo-chan?” Usagi asked, gesturing towards the space where it had appeared. “So suddenly, a beautiful winged horse…”

“Actually, I don’t believe it was technically a horse. Greek mythology describes a winged horse named Pegasus.” As he spoke the name, he felt a ghost of memory tickle the back of his mind, as if he had used it before. His past life creeping up on him, perhaps? “Anyway,” he continued, shaking it off, “why are you two arguing over his comment? What matters is what he said, not who he intended it to.”

The sound of the far crowd grew louder as he finished his statement. Suddenly, he was gripped by the pain of claws digging into his heart, a stronger sensation of pain then before that had him nearly on his knees, gasping for air. He heard the girls shout dimly as he bent over, holding his chest tightly, as if that could stop it from hurting _so damn much_….

The sound of bells had him whipping his head up to find the source, the Pegasus returning – to him? – but he only found Diana prancing in front of him, her bell tinkling as she cried, “Prince! Are you in pain?”

“_Hai_, Diana….only a little bit. It’s fading now,” he gasped, which was true; already it was a pale imitation of the stabbing claws that had gripped him. He slowly stood upright, only to be nearly thrown back down as both girls rushed to help him, supporting him despite their unequal heights.

There was a strange sound on the wind as a shadow, incredibly, fell across the park. Looking up, they could see the oddest winged ship flying above their heads against the eclipse; a large, fish-faced boat with tiered sails that resembled the sails of the junks on the Yangtze. It was a hodgepodge of angles and fins, and _it was flying_.

As it came closer, they could hear the singing from its decks, though the music was slightly ominous despite its cheery words: “The circus is here, the circus is here! The Dead Moon Circus has arrived! The city of lights, and the world of dreams, how beautiful it is! This is the time we’ve been waiting for; come one, come all, to our marvelous circus show!”

The ship swooped past in a lazy glide over their heads, and they could see nothing of its passengers, merely hear them. They watched as it flew away, slowly disappearing into the sky.

“That was….a flying ship?” Usagi gasped, rubbing at her eyes vigorously. At her side, Chibi-Usa did the same. Mamoru simply stared into the sky in the direction it had disappeared, frowning thoughtfully. “Mamo-chan, do you think the others saw it? A flying ship!”

“I think the whole city did,” he said absently. But when he took his eyes off the sky and looked around, he saw no puzzled looks or pointing fingers across the park; instead, there were cheerful faces and laughter. “Or perhaps not,” he amended, biting his tongue as the pain returned to stab him in the chest again. He tasted iron as he pressed the flat of his hand to his heart, trying to hold in his shudder as his girls argued behind him once more. “All of these strange events, one right after the other. It seems dreamlike, but it’s so real, like this abnormal pain.”

He grimaced again as the pain surged, pulsing in time with his heart.

  
Across the street, Ami lifted her arm and stared up at the eclipse. After Usagi and the others had left, the girls had decided to leave the park and head for the Crown parlor, where they could still see the eclipse and sit in comfort. The faintest sounds of singing had yet to reach their ears; all they could see was the shadowed disc hanging in the sky.

“It’s such a marvelously rare event,” she said as they walked, lagging behind. “I wonder what our ancestors thought, seeing something so mysterious.”

Rei gestured up at the sky in front of her as the others slowed. “There are many myths about the solar eclipse. The Chinese, for example, thought it was a dragon swallowing the sun. And so they beat mirrors and made so much noise to scare the dragon away.”

“There’s plenty of myths about fighting. The Sun fighting the Moon, Bear fighting the Sun. Both get eaten a lot,” Alex said blithely. “Though it’s rare that a solar eclipse happens without a lunar eclipse before it. Most of them time it happens in threes.”

“I wonder what Usagi-chan thinks of this,” Minako remarked quietly.

“Or Chibi-Usa,” Makoto added.

The sounds of singing grew a bit louder as they stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the eclipse. Out of the blue, Minako asked, “Ne, _minna_, let’s all make a wish! Surely during an eclipse, they’ll be extra special.”

Rei made a particularly haughty face at her. “Whatever gave you such a silly idea? Wishing during an eclipse? How childish!” Minako flicked her tongue out at her, though the dart of her eyes towards a young girl and her friends who laughed as they made their wishes was obvious. It was almost wistful the way Rei glanced towards them, realizing where Minako had gotten her inspiration.

Makoto laughed, holding out her hands. “I’ll make a wish! It’s fun to pretend we’re still children with lovely dreams. I want to be married in white. My dream is to be a beautiful bride, for a handsome groom. And then, I want to own my own shop! Perhaps cake, or flowers!”

“See! Mako-chan understands!” Minako crowed, pumping her fist. “Me, my dream is to be an idol! I’ll be talented and beautiful, and I’ll have lots of fans!”

Ami thought of Musashi Senior High, and what she had given up to be with her friends and fellow soldiers. Her dreams were not so far out of reach, despite what she had done; yet could she still call them dreams when she knew they would be discarded once the future arrived? She looked at her friends’ smiling faces and knew she could still at least try. “My dream is to be a doctor,” she said quietly, brushing back an errant strand of hair. “A doctor, just like my mother.”

Rei acted thoroughly put-out as she joined in, but the others weren’t fooled; after all, she was smiling as she said, “I want to be the priestess of our shrine. I want to take _ojii-chan’s_ place and become head priestess. That’s my dream after all.”

Alex shook her head when they all looked at her expectantly. Minako scowled and grabbed her arm, shaking her bodily when she wouldn’t own up. “Come oonn, _sensei_, you have to have a dream too! No one but old biddies and shriveled old men say they have no dreams!”

“I didn’t say I didn’t have any, I just don’t feel like sharing,” Alex shot back as she was dragged around in a half-circle by a straining Minako.

“Come on, Alex-chan, you can’t just keep silent!” Makoto chided, waving a finger at her. “That’s not fair! We all said our dreams. You must have one too.”

“I’ve had plenty. They just didn’t come true.” She shook off Minako, glowering at her rather childishly. “I’ve always wanted to sing and play guitar. If I wasn’t always been dragged into someone else’s fight, I’d be in the clubs. I’d be happy on stage.” Minako squealed and threw her arms around her, squeezing her tight.

“_Yoshi_! Another idol! We can do it together, _sensei_!”

“Not if I want to be laughed _off_ stage!”

Everyone laughed as they continued walking, the chorus following them growing even louder. As they stopped for the light, Makoto cocked her head curiously. “Ne, _minna_, do you hear singing?”

They lifted their faces towards the sky to see the ship gliding overhead, casting a shadow across the crowd. Over the edge peered colourful faces as they sang and cavorted: clowns in make-up and silks, an animal trainer with a top hat and whip snapping the air, acrobats swinging from the masts. All of them were singing, though their voices made up a curious chorus that wasn’t particularly pleasant; it was ominous and dark, tickling their ears unpleasantly as they swooped close and passed by. “The circus is here, the circus is here! The Dead Moon Circus has arrived! The city of lights, and the world of dreams, how beautiful it is! This is the time we’ve been waiting for; come one, come all, to our marvelous circus show!”

Wind teased its sails, and the ship swung away, heading towards the Juuban shops. Within seconds it was lost past the taller buildings.

As one, they glanced curiously at each other. Then, they looked around at the crowd still waiting patiently – and a few not so much – for the lights. No one seemed to be talking about a flying ship, or acting as if they had seen something so unusual. Most were on cell phones.

“You saw that, right?” Alex muttered, lifting a hand to scratch at her head. “Flying ship, singing clowns? I’m not in need of medication?”

“_Hai_,” they responded, looking puzzled.

They backed out of the waiting crowd and headed for a solitary location in front of an empty shop; the window proclaimed, in loud yellow letters, that a ramen counter was soon to open. “Did you hear what they were singing about? A Dead Moon Circus,” Ami said thoughtfully as she drew a finger through the dust on the window. “How odd a name for a carnival show.”

Minako slouched back against the frame of the door, looking up at the sky. The eclipse was still shadowing the sky, hiding the sun from their eyes entirely. “How odd it all was. A flying ship! Could it be Silver Millennium technology? Somehow, I feel as if I’ve seen them before.”

“It’s possible but not likely,” Alex responded, sunglasses in hand. She was cleaning them with the end of her shirt, lifting them to see if they were still dirty. “Most ships in the Silver Millennium that could fly were small passenger transport. Anything as big as that junk was a certifiable pleasure ship and very expensive and very rare. And not that I’m an authority,” she added, putting them back on, “but I don’t remember ever seeing a flying ship like that at any of the parties Serenity had. Something that glamorous would have stood out.”

“Would anyone on Earth own such a vehicle?” Rei asked, rocking almost imperceptibly on the balls of her feet; for her, it was almost as telling as if she started pacing around. Alex shrugged.

“Possibly, though I don’t know of flying ships being popular on Earth. Most traveling was by water or by portal. The technology that powered the ships of the Silver Millennium was crystal, which the Earth had no access to.”

“Could the solar eclipse have been an opening portal through which that strange ship could have come through?”

They all stared at Rei as she spoke, her brow furrowing as she stared up at the sky. When she realized what she was doing she jerked her head down, fixing them all with a somber stare. “It seems fortuitous for evil to arrive. The solar eclipse, a rare event. In tarot, the Moon is a sign of unforeseen peril, and deception. The circus is called Dead Moon.”

“You don’t think a new enemy has arrived?” Makoto whispered.

Minako pushed away from the window, her mouth set in a harsh line. The longer away she was from Venus, the more she felt as if it had been a mistake to accept that pen. Time to think had meant time to question and brood. But now, with the possibility of the fight once more, she felt the old pleasure of the magic tease her memory; Venus told her quite clearly what to do. “We have to get back to Usagi-chan. If this is true, she could be in danger.”

None of them questioned her as they followed her footsteps back towards the park, followed by the drifting orb of the moon.

  
The crowds were making it impossible to think of leaving by their normal route to Mamoru’s apartment; people were coming and going as the eclipse disappeared, and Mamoru made a noise of frustration in this throat. At this rate, they’d never get back at a decent hour. He sighed, feeling his wallet grow lighter in his pocket as he thought of a solution which would undoubtedly leave him much poorer for it. Not that he liked to begrudge either of his girls gifts, but with Chibi-Usa leaving…

His feet changed direction before he could stop himself, and he herded them both along a path that was far less crowded. “We won’t make it home anytime soon with this crowd,” he said, in reply to their unspoken question. “Let’s go to the Juuban shops for a little while and wait.”

Just as he predicted, both of them looked ready to ready to strangle his savings. They grabbed onto an arm each, all but tugging him down the sidewalk as Usagi said, “That’s a great idea, Mamo-chan! There was this pretty ring I saw at the jewelry shop…”

“Greedy Usagi, always thinking of herself! I’m going to be going home soon; Mamo-chan should be buying me gifts, not you! Save your allowance instead of spending it on manga!” Chibi-Usa chided her as Diana rolled her eyes.

“Greedy princess is more like it, Small Lady! Both of them will be in the future waiting for you!”

Mamoru inwardly groaned as they started arguing. Far be it for he to be glad to get rid of his time-traveler daughter, but there were some days he wished he had never had her drop onto his head. He loved her dearly and hated himself for thinking so, but she could definitely be a handful, especially when she and Usagi got into it. The noise level was especially ridiculous; they tended to start out-shouting each other when they were really mad.

He knew it wasn’t anything they did on purpose; after all, Usagi was only a teenager, not a regal queen in her twenties, and Chibi-Usa was more like her than either cared to admit when she didn’t get her way. It was especially bad when they started fighting over his attention. He had long ago promised himself that he would make sure he gave Chibi-Usa the love and consideration she deserved when she was born, after realizing he had to be an inattentive son of a bitch in the future. A king and queen of a slowly regenerating world had little time for her; here, in the 21st century, she was unconsciously demanding her just due.

And Usagi was just plain scared. Scared of losing him, scared of not being up to the task of their looming future, scared of what Chibi-Usa represented for that future. He had long ago realized that though he was just as scared of losing her as she was him, he was used to that cold gray loneliness; she, however, had not lost anyone close to her until Moriya had died in her arms. Chibi-Usa was not an actual rival for his love, and they both knew it, but she represented a possibility, many of them, and it scared Usagi to death.

So they bickered, and they fought, and they argued over the stupidest, silliest things. But he knew they would both be grieving once they were separated, Usagi most of all; Chibi-Usa would be doing nothing more but moving on to their grown selves, whereas they in the past had no one to replace her.

Mamoru didn’t realize they had reached the shopping center until Usagi’s gasp of surprise had him recognizing his surroundings. “Look at that, above the street!” she said, pointing up at a banner hanging above their heads. “Circus Arrival Blowout Sale?”

“They can’t mean…that weird flying ship!? But it only passed us by an hour ago!” Mamoru said, glancing at his watch. His eye caught a stack of flyers stapled to a nearby telephone pole, and he ripped one off the top. “The circus has arrived, an exotic troupe from the deepest depths of the Amazon! The mysterious Dead Moon Circus has traveled the world, and now they’ve come to Tokyo. Amazing! Mysterious! Magical!”

“I can hear a song that sounds like that mysterious ship’s song,” Chibi-Usa said, tilting her head. They stood in silence for a moment, craning their ears to catch a familiar melody; it was indeed the same, though the words were different. “How did they get here so fast?”

They walked further down the street, seeing several stalls set up with colourful banners and balloons advertising their souvenirs for the circus. None of them had existed the previous day. “Very weird,” Usagi mumbled, spinning on her heel slowly. Seeing one vendor in particular smiling at her, she waved a hand in greeting. “Hello! What’s this about a circus?”

The lady’s smile grew wider as she motioned them over. “The circus? The Dead Moon Circus, of course! This is a very special sale we’re having for them. The shopping center is handing out stamps now until the last day when you buy a souvenir, so you’ll get discount seats at the circus. You should take your little sister, she’ll love the show!”

But Chibi-Usa’s attention had wandered along with her body, and she was already down at another booth. “Look, look, Diana! It’s so marvelous here! It’s like a festival with all of the streamers and balloons and toys! And we have to miss it…”

“Chibi-Usa, don’t disappear like that!” Usagi snapped as she came up behind her, Mamoru lingering behind. “What are you looking at…? Oh, wow!” she cried, reaching past Chibi-Usa to point at a selection of kaleidoscopes, shiny with colourful glass. “Glass kaleidoscopes! They’re so pretty!”

“I know! Everything’s so pretty. Look at those posters of the clowns!”

“Goldfish! Mama would never let me buy any. She said they would die on me.”

Mamoru picked up another flyer as they continued to coo over the junk – which he was fairly certain it was, for their prices – and frowned. “’Grand Opening: Mamiana Sakaue Park. The Dead Moon Circus.’ But so suddenly? This doesn’t make any sense.”

Usagi suddenly tugged on his arm, and he turned around to see them waving two of the kaleidoscopes at him. “What? Do you want these? What are they?”

“Glass kaleidoscopes! The lady said they were 1000 yen for both. Will you buy them for us, Mamo-chan? Pretty please?” Chibi-Usa pleaded, giving him her cutest doe eyes as Usagi did the same. Mamoru sighed, though he was silently pleased they had managed to find something cheap, instead of the more expensive junk a booth down. They both attacked him with a crushing hug as he withdrew his wallet, and he had to do a rather strange, wiggling dance to pull his arm free and thumb out the appropriate bill to the lady, who looked vastly amused.

“You’re both making it hard for me to breathe!” he choked as their hold didn’t lessen.

“_Arigatou_, Mamo-chan!”

They let him go and took in a deep, grateful breath as he watched them play with their new toys. Chibi-Usa spun the end, holding it up for Diana to see; the kitten was mesmerized, though Mamoru wondered for the first time if she wasn’t mostly colourblind like normal cats. Strange how such a thing never occurred to him, especially with Luna and Artemis around. Strange how many simple things never occurred to him, despite the absurdity of his life.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flurry of movement, and he turned to see the girls standing at the entrance of the street. They looked as if they had been running full sprint, but when Minako saw him staring at them, she gave him a jaunty wave. He nodded curtly, turning around to see Usagi and Chibi-Usa still playing with their new toys, entirely unaware. They could afford it, he mused; they had such loyal girls watching out for them, willing to risk their lives to keep them safe.

But it had been quiet for months, almost a year. What had them so startled?

“Mamo-chan, is something wrong?” Usagi was looking at him through her kaleidoscope, though her voice was anything but playful. She lowered the toy, twisting it absently between her fingers as he smiled at her.

“Just thinking, Usa. Our little girl goes home tonight. How strange that we’ve found ourselves parents before we’ve even been married. Do you think we’ve done well, despite all of it?” He nodded towards the young girl as she spun around with Diana in her arms, trying, apparently, to make the kitten dizzy. So far, she seemed to be succeeding in making them both ill.

Usagi hugged the kaleidoscope to her chest as she smiled. “I think so. Even if sometimes, I’ve been harsh and mean. We love each other. How could we do badly?”

The bells began to toll the hour as they stood there, watching Chibi-Usa as she tipped over and fell, her eyes rolling back in her head. Mamoru checked his watch, then glanced back at the crowds; the girls were gone, but the press of bodies hadn’t lessened any. If anything, they’d gotten worse. “Damn,” he muttered. They had planned to go to his apartment and eat dinner before going back to Ichinohashi and sending Chibi-Usa home. Now, with the crowd as thick as before, he seriously doubted it could be done at a reasonable hour, and both he and Usagi had school in the morning. Even if they skipped dinner and tried to go, there was too big of a crowd.

“Chibi-Usa,” he said, watching his still dizzy daughter as she stood up, “do you want to go home tomorrow, instead? It’s getting late, and there’s still a big crowd at the park. By the time they leave, it will be dark and far too dangerous. You can explain what happened when you arrive tomorrow.”

She blinked at him, thinking hard for a moment; obviously, she was still a little too dizzy to come to the same conclusion he had. Then, she nodded, scooping Diana up with a smile. “I get to stay with Mamo-chan tonight!”

“Not just you!” Usagi announced, not to anyone’s surprise. She folded her arms and scowled at the younger girl as she said, “I’m going to stay too! This is our last night together. I’m not going to go home.” Then, she frowned as a thought occurred to her. “Say, Chibi-Usa, didn’t you say in your letter that you would be home today? What will the queen say?”

Chibi-Usa rolled her eyes at her, lifting the kaleidoscope to stare at Usagi. “_Baka_ Usagi, I can simply go forward to the day I want! It’s time travel!”

  
Fingers, long and pale and slender, trailed across the surface of the mirror. The glass revealed nothing as she passed by, which suited her; it meant she didn’t have to face the truth, that she was still young and beautiful. What an irony that the White Queen had done so well in choosing her prison, stopping her from taking over her precious kingdom. Here, she would never become ugly and old, always frozen in the bloom of life.

Only in this shadowed realm behind the mirror was she perfect. But the reality…

She sneered at the glass, a trick of her frozen world in that it showed outward from both sides, revealing the darkened shadows of the circus tent she was residing in. Only her trusted Zirconia was allowed within, though the craggy wrinkles and drooping jowls of her face were a terrible sight. Otherwise, she had an empty space to look out upon, a rather boring view.

“The time is approaching,” she sighed to herself, gliding gracefully into her throne. Its design was grand and overblown, a testament to both her lack of artistry and her sense of Gothic grandeur. Cobwebs and spiders would not have looked out of place hanging from its curving arches, and while she was a haunted specter behind the mirror, she was entirely unaware of how ridiculous it was. “Soon, the Dead Moon will take this planet. Nightmares will corrupt this world from within, and I will devour its power, insignificant to the shine of that holy stone of the White Moon.”

Giggling like a young girl, she clapped her hands. “Yes! The power of that holy stone is truly amazing. The power of Earth and its precious Elysion is nothing compared to it. On this planet, the people of the White Moon are helpless. Once the nightmares spread completely, we’ll destroy them easily, corrupting them from within.”

“Nehellenia-sama, our plans are already falling into place.”

Zirconia, standing on the opposite side of the mirror, was a short, squat, waddled old woman. Her head was crowned with a tight, shiny cap; her cloak was the colour of midnight, splashed across the front with a black shadow that resembled nightmarish eyes. She held a staff that served to keep her upright as well as for channeling her power; atop fluttered an eyeball with white wings, its pupil red. The rustle of skirts was all she heard as her queen stepped closer to the glass to see her, as she kept her face respectfully inclined. “Zirconia, my loyal servant.”

“Nehellenia-sama. Our circus plot is well underway. At the Dead Moon Circus, the humans will be helpless, their dreams ripe for devouring by the lemures. Surely, the loss of beautiful dreams will be the final blow to Elysion.”

“That’s exactly what it will be. The beautiful dreams of humans are what give power to that insignificant priest and his temple. Once they’ve been destroyed, nothing will stand in our way as we remake this world in the image of the Dead Moon.” Nehellenia sighed as she eyed Zirconia, shivering as her golden eyes drifted over the old woman’s wrinkles. “The power of the Silver Crystal will soon be mine. The princess no longer has the protection of her cold, dead kingdom. Just as I foretold.”

Zirconia nodded, still staring at the floor. “The Amazones Quartet is impatient. Those girls are nuisances, and I respectfully ask again why we’ve bothered with them.”

Nehellenia laughed, scratching her long fingernails down the glass separating them. “Ara ara, Zirconia, are you feeling jealous of those girls? I chose them exactly for who they are, and how wonderfully ironic it is for them to defeat those of the White Moon. They’re perfect for the fight ahead. Weak, malleable children with their power confined to their Amazon Stones.”

“I still think, my queen, that they will turn against us. That they’ll have to be destroyed before they’re of any use to us.”

“That will be likely, in the future. But, Zirconia, my loyal one, they will provide nothing else but entertainment until then. As well as toying with those of the White Moon before they have to put down like troublesome dogs. Trust in me, your beautiful queen. Use them as you would any dangerous weapon until the time comes for us to rid ourselves of them.” Nehellenia smirked, turned away from the glass to stare at her throne. “After all, the Dead Moon Kingdom will have no room for those who are not absolutely loyal.”

Zirconia’s staff rapped the floor sharply in agreement. “As my queen demands it, so shall it be done.”

  
The girls were giggling in their nightclothes as Mamoru prepared tea, a calming ritual that often helped him settle down for sleep. Brewing chamomile tea with its calming scent, the hot beverage soothed his senses, reminding his body that it was time to relax; after a year of frantic fighting and hectic schedules, his internal clock was still off. He tended to sleep late and wake up too early if he didn’t purposely prepare himself, leaving him exhausted throughout the day.

Lately, however, he seemed to be even more exhausted than usual, even after a good night’s sleep. He pressed a hand to his heart, recalling the pain he had felt in the park; was he suffering from some sort of ailment? Was he worse than he thought? “Tomorrow, I’m going to the doctor,” he muttered, setting three cups and a small container of milk on a serving tray. The tea pot finished off the set, and he walked into his bedroom carefully, expecting to find out they had destroyed his bed.

Instead, he found them sitting atop fresh sheets still playing with their kaleidoscopes, with Diana curled up and out cold in front of the balcony doors. He smiled at the sight: Usagi was almost enticingly lovely in her long pink nightgown with the ruffled wrists, her hair down in a golden, wavy mass around her face; Chibi-Usa was swallowed up in one of his white shirts, surrounded by spun cotton candy hair. Setting the tray down quietly atop his desk, he poured tea for all three of them, adding a good splash of milk for Chibi-Usa, a half-splash for Usagi, and just a little dash for himself. “The tea is ready,” he announced, lifting up the tray again.

“_Arigatou_, Mamo-chan!” they echoed, crawling off the bed to pick their cups off the tray as he indicated, after which he picked up his own. Settling back on the bed carefully, they sipped their hot tea and sighed.

“This is a special night,” Mamoru said at last, sadness colouring his tone. He cradled his cup in his hands as he smiled at his daughter, the girl he would not see again until the day she was born and set in his arms. It was a painful realization. He had been prepared to see her off, but now, as she sat on his bed, he realized that he may never be truly prepared; he could only wonder what his future self thought as he lived each day without her.

And they were allowing time to pass as Chibi-Usa was in the past, so she wouldn’t go home to find nothing had changed; for them, she had been gone almost a year. Even though they had their hands full with their kingdom, they had to miss her terribly and think of her often. He knew he did, even when she was sitting next to him.

He wondered if Usagi realized how amazing it was for him, as an orphan, to know that he wouldn’t grow old without a family, that his future was going to be happy simply because he had love. Even when the ice came and the cold froze the world, he would have that happiness.

“Mamo-chan, have you been happy with me here?” Chibi-Usa asked quietly, staring at the surface of her tea. Her reflection was mocha-coloured and rippled, and completely foreign to her. “I know this was so strange for you two. For me to be here, ahead of time. And I’ve been such a brat sometimes.”

“Chibi-Usa, don’t say that. Of course we’re happy. We’ll miss you until the day you’re born.” Mamoru ran a hand over her hair, as Usagi smiled at them. “Even if it’s true that sometimes you really are a brat. Just like your mother can be.”

The smile turned into a gaping mouth. “Mamo-chan, what are you saying!?” Usagi cried, even as they started laughing. Mamoru reached out and took her hand, kissing the back of it gallantly. Her mouth closed as she blushed.

“I love you no matter how you act, Usa. Both of you are my special girls. I’d die for you. My lovely princesses.” He swallowed the last of his tea as they both turned bright red with embarrassment, smiling as he set the cup aside on his nightstand. “Now, both of you should be getting to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow to send Chibi-Usa home.”

Pouting in unison, they gulped down the rest of their lukewarm tea, giving him the cups before they flung the covers back, wriggling in next to him: Chibi-Usa was a small, warm presence between them, keeping the two physically separate. She sighed gustily, burrowing her head into the edge of the pillow. “I’m not tired,” she stated emphatically.

Mamoru arched an eyebrow at her. “That was what the tea was for. Young lady, you’re getting up at five o’clock, so you had better get tired soon.”

“Five o’clock!?” Both of them were gaping. He massaged his forehead with a grimace, wondering not for the first time why he hadn’t been more stern with the girl in the future. Obviously, he was going to be reading up on how to be a firm parent after Chibi-Usa went home.

“You have to leave early, Chibi-Usa, and you, Usa, have school tomorrow! This isn’t an occasion to skip, especially when classes have just begun.”

“Fine, fine,” Usagi huffed, hugging the pillow to her cheek. But Chibi-Usa just squirmed again, pouting.

“But I’m _not tired_!” she whined, tugging the covers up to her nose to hide an obvious yawn. “Tell me a story, Mamo-chan. That’s what papa does. Mama tells me stories at bedtime, too, so I’ll fall asleep quickly.”

“Aren’t you too old for stories?” Usagi asked cynically.

Chibi-Usa rolled over in bed and stuck her tongue out at her. “Of course not! Mama would tell me lots of spooky stories, and stories about pirates, and heroes, and vampires, and, and mirrors!” She pointed at the mirror that sat against Mamoru’s wall, tall enough for him to check his clothes in the morning, and plain as the man himself. In the dark, lights from the street cast flickering shadows across their faces, revealing them as pale ghosts in the glass. “Mama said there’s an old European legend about mirrors and the new moon. On those dark nights, you shouldn’t look into a shadowy mirror, or you’ll be drawn into the nightmare world on the other side, forever.”

Usagi audibly gulped as she eyed the glass. Apparently her imagination was still going strong in the future; dark worlds on the other sides of mirrors, honestly! “Still, it’s spooky,” she mumbled under her breath. “Thanks a lot, Chibi-Usa.”

Mamoru bit back a sigh, smoothing Chibi-Usa’s hair back, only to find her breathing softly; she had fallen asleep at last. Tucking the covers up under her chin, he kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, _musume_.”

But she didn’t hear him; she was fast asleep, floating in the darkness. She was drifting, her borrowed shirt warm and comforting against her skin. It felt as if she were wrapped in sunlight despite the darkness in front of her eyes. “Maiden,” she heard someone whisper.

“Yes,” she sighed into the darkness, “that’s what I want to be. A maiden, no longer _chibi_. A lovely, slender lady. Just like Usagi.”

“You are the maiden with the beautiful dream.”

“But I’m not yet. I’m still just a kid.” She winced as soft light rippled in front of her eyes, and her bare feet touched what felt like a smooth, glassy surface. “Where am I? Is this a dream?”

“It is, maiden,” the voice agreed.

A soft nose nudged her hand, and she turned around.

The Pegasus was standing behind her, as magnificent as the first time she had seen it. She gasped, taking a step back, only to be stopped by the gentle grip of his teeth on her sleeve. “Pegasus!” she said in awe, staring at him. “In my dreams? How?”

“Because you have the beautiful dream I’ve been searching for. You give me the strength possible to visit.” He lowered his head, dipping his wing down. “Climb onto my back, maiden.”

She hesitated, her fingers bare centimetres from his soft wings. “Is it safe? I won’t hurt you, will I?” she asked softly.

He whinnied laughter, kneeling down. “Of course not, maiden. Please climb on.”

After a few awkward hops – and more than a few crimson flushes as she realized she was close to flashing him – she finally climbed on, wrapping her arms as far as possible around his neck. He stood up, snapped his wings firmly, and took off into the air as she gasped, watching the world of darkness receding to reveal the sparkling lights of Tokyo at night. “Wow!”

“This is your city, maiden,” Pegasus said as they glided overhead.

“It really is! Wow! It’s so beautiful at night! Look at all the lights and sparkling glass! It’s amazing!” She leaned back and forth, trying to see everything. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this! But, wait; why is that place dark? It’s as if it’s in shadow,” she said, pointing to a shadowed section of the city overlooked by the Tower. “Is that…in Juuban!?”

Pegasus swooped closer, though obviously careful they didn’t come too close. “That is where your body is sleeping, near that dark shadow. It’s the taint of Earth’s enemies as they plan to invade further.”

“Is it the circus? The Dead Moon Circus!”

“Is that the name of their human guise? Yes. Their evil is spreading as your sleep. Already the dimensions have closed, as Earth’s spirit has been compromised. Maiden, you must help me stop them. Use your strength.”

“But I…” she whispered into his mane, watching the city beneath her feet. She had to return home, to take her place as a true princess at her mother’s side. To fall into the role of a future queen, learning her place as she had never truly done before. It was what she had always wished for: to be a lovely grown woman. A true princess, instead of a _chibi_ fake.

He tilted his head as they swooped closer, and everything changed. Instead of the night sky of Tokyo, they were flying through a meadow. She couldn’t help but laugh as wild grass tickled her bare feet, reaching out to trail her fingers through the stalks. But her laughter faded away as she saw the gathering at the foot of a gentle hill, sitting in two sections of chairs, their rapt attention for the couple on the hill itself.

Usagi and Mamoru were picturesque and beautiful in their wedding clothes: Usagi in a frothy, lacy white Western style wedding dress, Mamoru in traditional black Shinto robes. Her blonde hair had been untied from her customary _odango_ and curled, then tied back with red ribbons that matched the roses in her bouquet. Chibi-Usa had never seen pictures of her parents’ wedding ceremony; as she spent more time in the past, she realized they may have simply been lost in the ice, or deliberately forgotten along with their old identities. She had no idea if her mother had married in white, or if her father had worn traditional robes.

As Pegasus came to a halt some metres away, she recognized Rei’s grandfather as the man officiating the ceremony, though he looked exactly the same as he had when she had seen him just the day before. If this was their wedding, he should have been several years older. As she looked around the crowd, she realized none of the girls looked a day older than fifteen, and she began to frown. “Pegasus….is this a dream as well?”

“Yes, maiden. The beautiful dream of the shining girl I saw with you. This is a dream in peril from the invading enemies.” He pawed at the ground anxiously. “Would you allow this to happen?”

She stared across the grass at the gathering, which was, she realized now, a young girl’s theory of what such a wedding would look like. The cake, sitting alone on a table nearby, was ridiculously tall and opulent; Usagi’s train was so long it reached the red carpet that led to the hill. It was a beautiful dream, but not exactly realistic.

“You don’t understand, Pegasus,” she said softly. “I have to go home. I have to be the princess, to learn how to walk and stand and be smart, so I can be queen someday.” She touched her breast, not feeling the familiar lump of her brooch, but knowing that it was within arm’s reach in real life, safely tucked within her clothes. “That is my dream: to be a true lady.”

He stared at her with unreadable eyes, his head tilted as he considered her. She felt embarrassed, suddenly, as if she had done something wrong. But it was the truth, and besides, she knew the world wasn’t left unprotected: the sailor soldiers would still remain in the 21st century to protect everyone. She squeaked as his wings snapped unexpectedly, and they took off again, soaring up past the unsuspecting dreamer and out of her dreams, only to glide into a living room that looked just vaguely familiar to her. His hooves were silent on the wooden carpet as he walked calmly through an arched doorway – which meant both of them ducking lest they bash their heads – and into a dining room.

“How was school today, Ami?” Ami’s father asked as he passed the rice to her mother. Chibi-Usa felt a sudden pang of recognition and sorrow; this was Ami’s dream, certainly, because she knew her father had long ago left them to stay in the mountains. They had not shared a dinner table since Ami was a little girl.

And Ami was no little girl in her dream, but a teenager who smiled warmly at her father, receiving the rice from her mother – who was not working as usual, but actually at home, actually sharing a meal with her. “It went well, _otou-san_. My classes at Musashi Senior High are as excellent as I expected. And I’ve decided to join the Art Club, instead of Computer, just as you hoped.”

“That’s wonderful, Ami!” her mother praised her. “Don’t neglect your talent. You can be a smart girl as well as an artist. We’re so proud of you.”

“Musashi Senior High?” Chibi-Usa murmured, feeling uncomfortable the longer they watched them eat and share in their day. “Ami-chan wanted to go to that difficult school?”

“It isn’t a dream about schooling, Maiden. It is a dream about family. This girl has high goals, and has reached them all, making her parents proud of it. She embodies them both.” Ami’s mother laughed at a joke Ami’s father told her, as Ami simply sat and ate, obviously, quietly happy. All three of them were content to be together, instead of dividing their attentions.

Chibi-Usa felt shamed to realize how lonely Ami must be outside of her friends and school. Where Chibi-Usa had grown up with no friends, insulated from the world, and with little time spent with her parents, Ami had grown up with one parent who was always busy, and no real friends until she met Usagi. Her dream would of course be to have that perfect family and her achievements.

“I know what you’re saying, Pegasus, but even when I leave, you won’t be alone! Sailor Moon and the sailor soldiers will still be here, willing to fight with you. My battles are fought. It’s time for me to return home.”

“Maiden, I need you. Only you can break the curse. Only you can free Elysion.”

They were aloft again as she gripped his mane, ducking her head against the wind. Would he show her everyone’s dreams in order to persuade her? She hoped not, even as a tiny bit of her was curious. It simply felt too much like peeping. “Pegasus, please,” she begged, even as they descended into darkness.

No; not darkness; merely a dark street in a small, strange town that looked completely foreign to her. The street itself was dirt and well-pounded. Pegasus drew his wings back, tickling her legs with his feathers, and trotted towards a building with English letters she couldn’t read. The smell of cigarette smoke and something yeasty wafted towards her nose and she sneezed as they passed through the door, and into a dark, only moderately lit room with round tables and chairs, and a bar. “This is a strange dream. It’s not very beautiful.”

“This is not a beautiful dream, maiden. It’s a memory of a happier time that arrives only as a dream,” Pegasus said as Chibi-Usa craned her neck, gawking at the bar.

“Why do you keep showing me these things?” she whispered, even though she had realized no one noticed them, even as a man walked around them.

“To show you what will be lost. Even this memory is in danger. As a dream, it is timeless and lovely, softened at the edges. No one should have these destroyed by vandals.”

Alex was at the bar, holding a glass as she laughed. But it was not the same young woman Chibi-Usa knew; though she looked to be the same age, she was slightly shorter and prettier, with softer features that clearly marked her as a woman. Her hair was cut short to her shoulders, and she tossed it back impatiently as she gestured at a man and woman sitting next to her. “Pete, you have to admit one thing to Australian superiority: sunsets. We’ve got the best. Even if you poofters up here have everything else, we’ve got some great sun.”

Her voice was different, thicker; even though Chibi-Usa inherently understood her, she knew her English had an accent. The man next to her – black-haired and slightly shady looking, though he seemed in good spirits – waved a finger back. “Don’t make me laugh, Alexander. You know bloody well Essex tops the list. You agreed with me. Therefore, I win a totally useless contest.”

“I only said that to make you happy, you wanker. Now gimme my pound, or I’ll have to pound _you_.” She nearly toppled him off the stool trying to rummage in his pockets as their companion laughed, and Chibi-Usa gawked.

“Alex _onee-chan_ is so…_different_. Was her life happier before she met Usagi?”

Pegasus tossed his head and began to trot towards the wall, passing by a jukebox wailing Chris Xander tunes about romance and true loves that seemed totally inappropriate for any of Alex’s dreams, and they stepped into a park where a couple and their child were having a picnic. “Mako-chan?” she queried curiously as they came closer, trotting across the grass.

It was a plumper, decidedly older Makoto who knelt on the blanket, with the finest lines of grey at her temples, beaming proudly as her husband – whom Chibi-Usa didn’t recognize – lifted their son above his head. “Are you flying, Haruki?” he laughed as he swung the young boy around.

“I’m flying, papa! I’m flying!” He tried to make a propeller noise with his lips, and only succeeded in spitting all over his chin as Makoto covered her face and laughed.

“Conrad, put him down before he makes a bigger mess! You both have been neglecting my food, anyway,” she chided them with a smile, accepting her son as he was handed down to her. “You know I’m so busy at the restaurant, these days alone with you are special.”

They watched them eat, a similar comparison to Ami’s dream, though the trio seemed to be content to merely be together instead of actively talking and relating their day. Makoto, despite being plump and matronly, seemed genuinely at ease with herself. Chibi-Usa smiled as they ate, remembering a picnic she and her parents had taken years ago. Though it had been within the protective confines of the palace, it had been much the same.

Her smile softened into sadness as she wondered what would happen, should Usagi fail. She felt a sudden shame at the thought of leaving; even though her mission was over, she had a desire to stay. To fight, still. Even though everyone was waiting for her back home, she wanted to help Pegasus. But she couldn’t, not when her mama was expecting her home, a proper sailor soldier.

“Pegasus, please take me home.”

  
The sunlight was bright in her eyes as Chibi-Usa opened them, finding herself somehow half-off the bed; she and Usagi had managed to switch places during the night. She groaned, sliding the rest of the way like a slug to land on the floor with a thump, her hair loose and half in her eyes. “It was a dream,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes. “Just a dream.”

As she pulled off her nightshirt, struggling in the small confines of the bathroom, she heard a metallic tinkle. Twisting around rather comically to stare between her legs, she saw a beautiful glass and gold bell resting on the tiles, glittering faintly in the light. As she reached for it, she remembered then the end of her dream:

  
Pegasus flew out of Makoto’s dream, soaring aloft through a warm, soft wind that tickled her face and felt alive against her skin. She spread her fingers wide to feel the wind rush through them, only to have it end as he landed with a click of his hooves, though their destination seemed to be nothing at all; merely a white expanse that shimmered like glass, stretching as far as her eyes could see. It reminded her of the light of the full moon, white and perfect.

He knelt down so she could slide off, her feet touching a cool surface that felt like…well, what she always imagined clouds to feel like. It was almost indescribable. “Pegasus, where are we?”

“Within your dreams, those you have yet to imagine.” He nuzzled her cheek, and she giggled at the unexpected ticklish sensation. “Maiden, please heed my plea; I am your supplicant. You have the beautiful dream I’ve been searching for. It was foretold to me that you would be the one to break the curse on Elysion. We will share our strength and defeat the enemies who would destroy this world.”

“I can’t be the only one with beautiful dreams who can help you, Pegasus!” she said, touching his nose. He huffed into her hand, and she drew back, thinking he had sneezed, only to find herself holding a tiny gold and glass bell. “A bell….?”

“Yes. Whenever you need me, ring this delicate bell. I’ll hear its music, and come to your side. Please. Be my ally. Without you, Elysion will fade, and the Golden Crystal will remain forever hidden.”

She realized everything had begun to fade at the edges as she took a step back, clutching the bell. “The Golden Crystal? What is it? Pegasus, wait! Don’t go yet!”

“My name is Helios,” he said, and the world of her dreams went dark. And she woke up.

  
Now, here was the bell. She picked it up and held it to her cheek, feeling a gentle warmth. Everything had been real. The beautiful wedding, Ami’s family dinner, Alex’s friends, Makoto’s family picnic; she had seen them all. Her friends’ beautiful dreams.

She had to leave before she lost her nerve.

Dressing quickly, she scribbled her note goodbye and left it carefully on the pillow. Diana, still groggy from sleep, was cradled over her shoulder as she checked her backpack: clothes, mementos, and a long-unused Luna P. She had turned the device off after the events of last summer, realizing that she didn’t need the protection anymore. Though she tended to miss its comforting beeps and whisper of air as it followed her around, she felt confident enough to protect herself.

The last item she withdrew with a sigh: Neptune’s mirror. Its surface remained blank, no matter what she said, not even showing her face anymore; did it mean she wasn’t worthy yet? Was it broken? The last time she had seen Neptune, it had been an unexpected run-in at the supermarket; she, Haruka, and Setsuna were shopping. Hotaru hadn’t been with them, and she had been sad to not see her, even though she would have been a baby. Still, they had taken a picture together, a happy one with all of their smiles. And she had forgotten to ask about the mirror.

She closed her bag with a final snap.

It was almost an hour later as her slow steps took her to the spot in Ichinohashi Park, the key clutched tightly in her hands. Diana was still sleeping on her shoulder, leaving her alone with her thoughts, which were too numerous for her liking. And the bell tinkling ever so quietly in her pocket was draining her willpower with every step.

The park was deserted at five in the morning, save for a few homeless immigrants sleeping on benches as she passed quickly by. She wasn’t worried about being caught as she stood in near silence, protected by the trees, and pretending she wasn’t in the city but in a wild forest somewhere far away. The key was sweaty in her hand, and she wondered if this was the last time she’d see such live trees. After this, it would be the ice and snow and cold.

Lifting her hand, she wondered briefly if Pluto was the one who would open the gate for her, or if the gate opened automatically at the summons of anyone with a key. Then she said, . “Time Guardian! Tear apart the sky and open the space-time door to me!” The winds began, as they always did, whipping her ponytails and the trees above. “I have to go, Pegasus. _Iie_, Helios! I’m sorry!”

Diana was stirring on her shoulder as she cried, “I call the true name of the almighty god of time, the time guardian’s father! Cronos! Reveal to me the path of light!”

But the light didn’t show.

The pain seized her like a fist, racing through her body as she screamed, dropping the key; Diana tumbled from her shoulder, fully awake, as she herself fell backwards to the ground, shaking and twitching. “Small Lady! Small Lady!” Diana nearly screamed in her ear as she bobbed back and forth, clearly frightened out of her young mind. “Please, speak to me! Small Lady!”

“Diana…the door…it didn’t open for me…?” She groaned, holding her head. “_Ittaaaiii_, it _hurts_!”

“Chibi-Usaaa!” The pounding of feet through the ground made it worse, and she grimaced, rolling onto her side and curling into a ball. She recognized Usagi’s voice and dimly wondered how they had gotten there so quickly, but she didn’t care; as soon as Usagi touched her, gathering her into her lap, she began to feel better. “_Kami-sama_, what happened? Diana, tell us!”

“Small Lady tried to open the door to return us home, but it didn’t open. And then, she began screaming and shaking in pain,” Diana said rapidly, her voice shaking with fear. “I didn’t know what to do, Usagi-sama!”

Larger hands touched Chibi-Usa’s forehead, and she moaned. “Don’t worry, Diana, we’re here. Chibi-Usa will be fine.” Mamoru was smoothing her bangs back, cradling her head. “Why would the door not open? Is Pluto not at her post?”

“It should have worked,” Chibi-Usa groaned, slurring her words a bit. The pain had lessened considerably, but she continued to lay back, limp as a rag doll. “I don’t understand. It should have wor—“

Her eyes opened wide as she snatched Helios’s words out of her memory: “Already the dimensions have closed, as Earth’s spirit has been compromised.” Dimensions…._time_ was a dimension. The enemies had managed to cut off her access to the door to space-time by simply invading. She couldn’t go home until they were stopped, even if she tried. How ironic.

“Chibi-Usa?”

She stared up into Usagi’s confused eyes, shaking her head. “It’s strange, but…Pegasus told me about a new enemy, in my dreams. Now I can’t go home to the future, so let’s go home. Pegasus needs our help.”

“The Pegasus?” Mamoru queried as he helped her up, lifting her as she protested, and settling her on his back. “It came to you last night?”

“Yeah…”

Usagi picked up her backpack, looking faintly absurd as she swung it over her shoulder. She looked at Chibi-Usa rather oddly, lip bitten as she fell into thought. Then, she said, “I thought I saw the Pegasus, too. In my dream, about my wedding day on the hilltop. But I thought I was imagining things.”

Chibi-Usa looked guilty as she nodded. “Pegasus showed me your dreams, to convince me to help. He said everyone’s beautiful dreams are in danger.”

Mamoru gave her a little bounce to put her higher on his back as they walked through the park, towards the entrance. “But can we trust him? Appearing so suddenly, just before those suspicious circus people…”

Usagi waved the notion away, shaking her head. “_Iie_. I felt only goodness. Right, Chibi-Usa? Pegasus isn’t evil. We would have sensed it.”

The homeless people were gone from the benches they left the thickest grove of trees near the entrance; likely, it was because of the tiger sitting there, blocking their path. Mamoru stopped dead, snapping an arm out to halt Usagi. Diana gave a little shriek of terror and hid behind his legs. Lazily, the tiger snapped its tail, and stood up.

It was an impressive predator standing; Chibi-Usa had only seen old, faded pictures of them in her borrowed books. The real-life version was infinitely worse, and she felt her insides freeze. “M-M-Mamo-chan, maybe we should run,” she whispered, feeling her headache vanish in the wake of bone-chilling fear.

“That would be worse; he’d chase us,” he muttered, standing still as a statue.

“Should we transform and fight him?” Usagi choked, touching her brooch.

Snorting disdainfully, the tiger leapt at them. Despite Mamoru’s warning, Usagi ducked to grab Diana and took off running at the same time he did, though she screamed and he rather bravely stayed quiet. But when he turned his head to see where the tiger was, he slowed to a stop. “Usa! He’s not following us,” he called out, puzzled.

He was staring at them again, giving them a look of annoyance. Rather impatiently, he pawed at the ground, coiling its tail. When they continued to stare, the tiger’s jaws opened wide in a snarling yawn before it took off running, heading out of the park. Mamoru watched him run, before turning to glance at Usagi. “I think it wants us to follow.”

Her face was determined as she watched it run as well. “We have to. To have such a fierce animal running loose in the city…! Could it be from the circus, Mamo-chan?”

“It would have to be. Ueno is too far. And for it to make it here from Inokashira Park without being captured is absurd.”

Chibi-Usa tugged at Mamoru’s shirt, to turn his head. When he did so – somewhat awkwardly, given their positions – she said, “Let me go, Mamo-chan. If we have to fight, Sailor Chibi-Moon will do it. I’m already feeling better.” It was only a tiny lie; her head throbbed just slightly whenever sound hit a certain pitch, and her bones ached a bit, but she had faith in the magic of her transformation to fix both. She began to wiggle off, which meant he had to let go or inadvertently flash her panties to the park.

“Small Lady, are you sure? You were injured!” Diana questioned, though she allowed her to pick her up with no argument, only to be handed over to Mamoru. Her only answer was a quick sprint as the trio ran after the large feline, only to find it waiting for them just down the sidewalk. Once he saw them, he took off running again, heading towards the lazy curve of the circus tents visible in the distance.

The streets were thankfully not at their busiest, given the time of day; there was only a weak rush of traffic, and most of them looked so tired, they probably wrote off the tiger to sleep deprivation. Very few people screamed as they looked out their windows, but as he seemed to totally ignore anyone that wasn’t directly in his path, they simply revved the engine and drove off. Mamoru had to wonder if people were simply becoming too jaded thanks to the year they’d had: frozen sea surges, catastrophic fighting and destruction, UFO sightings, and The End Of The World. A tiger was pretty simple and tame, all things considered.

With his next step, he was on the ground.

Usagi and Chibi-Usa kept running, not even aware he had fallen, which suited him; despite the fact that it felt as if he had been skewered through the chest – and he knew all too well how a sword felt as it slid home – they had to stop the tiger. And he knew, somehow, that they couldn’t stop this pain, whatever it was, as it ripped his heart apart and stole his breath. Diana was at his side, a bundle of concern and alarm, but it was only so much noise to his ears, background noise to his pain.

He rolled onto his side, a hand falling to rest on the cool grass that separated the park from the sidewalk. Almost immediately he felt better, but not by much; the feel of the earth, of his planet and kingdom, felt inherently wrong. Tainted. Struggling to share its energy with him, the prince and avatar of its power. It coated the back of his tongue with a thick sense of despair, making him gag as the pain in his heart lessened. At the corners of his eyes, he could see shadows, even in the growing light of the sun.

“What’s happening to my planet?” he whispered, digging his fingers into the grass. It didn’t answer him, except to send that sense of wrongness. Were the circus people doing this? Were they the new enemies Chibi-Usa spoke of? “Usa…be _careful_.”

  
Several blocks away, Chibi-Usa and Usagi came to a sliding halt. The tiger had stopped the end of an alley that Usagi would later swear had existed on a street that never before had such a dark, damp finality to it, and simply sat down. Out of its shadow two girls stepped.

“They _must_ be from the circus,” Usagi muttered.

One girl laughed as if it was a marvelous joke, covering her mouth. “Ara ara! What makes you say such things?”

“Your clothes,” Chibi-Usa and Usagi chorused.

Both of them frowned at that, glancing down at their outfits.

The one who had spoken had blue hair the colour of a clear sky, tied up into a bun and several ponytails that circled her head like the orbits of planets, tipped with blue orbs. Her clothes consisted of a skimpy blue dress that resembled a strapless metallic bathing suit with a bare wisp of a skirt, and strapped gladiator sandals.

Her friend had red hair – not copper, not strawberry, but bright, impossible red – tied up into a ridiculous tower of gold bands and a long, slender tuft at the end that stood precariously over her head. Asking her if she got radio reception would not be out of the question. Spiky epaulettes graced her shoulders, while her red bikini top and scandalously thin bottoms covered the basics, but not much else of her darker skinned body. And not to be outdone by the audacity of her outfit, she carried a whip in her hand.

On both their foreheads were two black marks: a solid circle, and a ring.

Usagi finally asked, “Isn’t it a little cold?”

“Of course it is! Nothing compares to the heat of the Amazon,” the red-haired girl sniffed, uncoiling the whip in her hand. She snapped it sharply, and the tiger stepped around her to snarl at the two again. “Tiger’s Eye, are you anxious to eat these suspicious girls? Silly children with their silly toys.”

“What!? No way!” Chibi-Usa cried, backing up. “Usagi, we have to transform!”

They scrambled away as Tiger’s Eye leapt, ducking beneath his claws as he soared overhead in a magnificent arc, landing to block their path out of the alley. Skidding to a halt again, they quickly stood back to back. “Now! Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!”

“Moon Prism Power, Make Up!”

For a second nothing happened. Then—

Nothing still happened.

Both of them lowered their hands, rather comically looking around. “Ano…Chibi-Usa…are you still…?”

“_Hai_…are you still…?”

“_Hai_…”

Their transformations hadn’t worked. Usagi touched her brooch, feeling a heavy feeling of dread, deep in the pit of her stomach. Why wasn’t the power coming at their call? The brooches hadn’t been broken, everything had worked the last time they—

She remembered the chalice and its power filling her up, giving her a marvelous strength she had never felt before. Everyone had contributed to it, and she had transformed again into Super Sailor Moon.

But the chalice was gone, its job done. And she couldn’t call on her friends to loan them power; that was absurd. Possibly, she had done too much, strained the limits of her potential after using so much of it to rebuild, but it didn’t seem likely.

Touching her brooch, she imagined that power. Super Sailor Moon was the obvious next step, a level up that she had been shown far too quickly. If she wanted that strength, she had to find it in herself; she wielded the enormous power of the _Maboroshi no Ginzuishou_, and to lay down and call it quits over such a simple stubborn subconscious, well, that wasn’t happening. Not with an obvious enemy in town.

She felt Chibi-Usa take her hand, squeezing.

The power was there, and she could touch it. All she had to do was reach….

She heard herself say, “Yes. This is the next step. This time, you must take it yourself.”

Closing her eyes, she listened to the sound of the crystal, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. It echoed faintly, as it resonated with Chibi-Usa’s crystal, and as she listened to the swell of its chorus, she lifted the hand that held her daughter’s, shouting, “Moon Crisis! Make Up!”

The two circus performers cried out at the flash of light, covering their eyes. When they looked up, Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi-Moon stood there, no longer afraid. “Now! For love and justice!” Super Sailor Moon said, pointing at the two.

“We are the pretty-suited sailor soldiers!” Super Sailor Chibi-Moon added, though it was somewhat comically aimed at the tiger.

“Super Sailor Moon!”

“And Super Sailor Chibi-Moon!”

“It took you long enough to reveal yourselves! Troublesome pests!” the blue-haired performer snapped, actually stomping her foot. A flick of her wrist revealed a small blue ball in her hand, as her friend snapped her whip again. “Summon Ball! Lemures, come forth! Nightmares and frightening dreams, attack these meddling girls and their beautiful dreams!”

Black, spiky clouds spun out of the ball, growing in size as they hovered over their prey. Even though they didn’t look like much more than floating sea urchins, they attacked viciously, driving them back towards the tiger as they cried out, blocking their faces from the sharp spikes. With each successful touch to their skin, they felt the lethargy of sleepless nights and horrible nightmares dampening their spirits; the world faded at the edges.

“What do we do to attack!?” Super Sailor Moon gasped, swatting one away. “I can’t summon the heart moon rod, it won’t come to my hand anymore!”

“I don’t know!”

Chibi-Moon cried out as one particularly vicious lemure slammed into her breast, knocking her backwards; as she fell, she heard the tinkle of the bell within her uniform. She landed hard, hearing it ring again, louder this time, and she pulled it from her bodice. “Helios…Pegasus…help us!” she cried, ringing it again, deliberately.

The sound of hooves filled the air as Pegasus appeared, running in front of them both and swinging his head, attacking the lemures with his sharp horn. “Helios, be careful!” Chibi-Moon gasped, crawling to her knees.

“If only we could attack these creatures, we could help!” Super Sailor Moon continued to flail her arms at the lemures, knocking them away with minimal success. As she stepped back, she almost tripped over Chibi-Moon’s backpack, and ended up kicking it aside; the zipper opened, spilling Luna P and several other items onto the ground, including both kaleidoscopes. When she caught the flash of light, she yelped, “That’s mine! You little thief, you were taking mine too?!”

Chibi-Moon shook her head, scrambling back as a low-flying lemure nearly took her head off. “I didn’t mean to grab both! It was an accident!”

“Little brat! Just because you’re a kid doesn’t mean you should get away with such things all the time!”

Pegasus drew his wings back, shielding them both from the lemures as they bickered, saying – in a rather irritated tone – “Maiden, princess, please! You’ve called me, and I’ve come to your aid. What do you require of me?”

They stopped arguing at the sound of his voice, looking guilty. “We need a weapon, Pegasus,” Super Sailor Moon said, eyeing the tiger as it continued to guard the alley opening. “And quickly! My heart moon rod…”

“I’ll lend you my strength.”

On the ground, the kaleidoscopes began to dance. As they lifted into the air, they lengthened into longer rods, curving around at their bottoms to form large handles in the shape of a heart. A crescent moon and wings graced the apex of the hearts, and a small crown at the very tips. “Our kaleidoscopes…” Chibi-Moon gasped, reaching out her hands.

“You’ve formed attachments to them already. Your spirits will link strongly, and create a focus. Channel your stronger power through these kaleidoscopes.”

Super Sailor Moon grabbed the other one, swinging it through the air. The words to summon her attack sprang to mind, and she said, “Super Sailor Chibi-Moon! Shout ‘Moon Gorgeous Meditation’ and we’ll destroy these nightmares!”

Pegasus pranced aside and they aimed their new weapons, seeing the faces of the two circus performer’s plummet. Both of them leapt high, far out of reach. Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi-Moon ignored them and shouted, “Moon Gorgeous Meditation!”

A brilliant flash of light obliterated the lemures, sparkled through with the colours of the rainbow; a kaleidoscope made real. The tiger snarled and ran, with the two girls on his back, laughing merrily as they disappeared down the street. “We’ll see you again, meddlesome insects!” the one in blue called back, before they vanished. Around them, the alley itself vanished, turning into a sidewalk and a vacant building for rent.

The sun was bright in their eyes as Pegasus pranced back, nodding his head in satisfaction. “Yes. That marvelous power…maiden, you’re the one I’ve been searching for. I knew it all along.” Chibi-Moon turned to see him as he beat his wings, disappearing into thin air like a ghost. “Maiden…”

“Helios!” she cried, reaching out to him, only to feel her gloved fingers pass through his body. “Why do you keep leaving me like this…?”

Behind her, Super Sailor Moon gasped, “Mamo-chan!” and ran towards him, catching him in her arms. He was breathing hard, Diana cradled in his arm, though she immediately wiggled free upon seeing Chibi-Moon.

Mamoru shuddered, staring over her shoulder to where Pegasus – Helios – had vanished. His lips formed the name, but no sound came out; as Chibi-Moon ran towards him, he wondered why the name sounded familiar, swearing that he himself had said it once before. Was it a memory? He had a faint vision of a boy in white, smiling up at him.

The world went grey around the edges, and he closed his eyes, grateful for the darkness.

  
“Damn those beautiful people! They’ve been reborn for sure, these White Moon people. And with their power intact, too.” Zirconia shoved her way through the flaps of Nehellenia’s tent, her ears still burning from her queen’s rage. They had expected the princess and her people to have survived in some form – the power of the _Ginzuishou_ was a potent siren’s song to Nehellenia’s ears – but not to be so obviously prepared to fight.

Striding into the main tent, she snapped, “Where are you girls? Stop hiding and playing foolishly in the shadows!”

“Are you mad at us, _ojii-san_?” a voice chirped out of the darkness.

The lights flicked on across the tent, as four girls appeared in the ring, looking as if they had been waiting for Zirconia. Two of them were the girls who had attacked Chibi-Moon and Super Sailor Moon earlier; the other two were similar in height and appearance, one pale skinned, and one darker skinned.

At one end stood the pale girl, with pink hair tied up into two wide hoops and long ponytails, a bun atop her head secured with a yellow bow. She wore an outfit similar to the red-haired girl, with a pink and black bikini top decorated with a rose, and scant bottoms with a wispy yellow skirt. Her strapped sandals were pink, a single rose at her ankles. She toyed with a long-stemmed yellow rose, twirling it between her fingers.

The other girl had green hair wound into five separate ponytails: three rose above her head, tied at the ends; the other two fell at her sides. Her top was wound around the edges of her breasts and up over her shoulders and around her neck, green edged with brown; her wide legged green pants cinched tight at the calves and hung around her thighs. A set of straps wound around her hips, clasped with a brooch shaped like a sun, from which dangled a flap of darker green fabric, matching her sandals.

On all of their foreheads were the two black circles.

“I’m disappointed in you, indeed!” Zirconia snarled, waving her staff at them. “I warned you not to engage these girls directly, only to observe them. You’ve revealed us to them!”

“_Ojii-san_, stop worrying!” the green-haired girl scoffed, waving the comments away. “We’ll deal with them without a problem, they won’t expect us even after this.”

“You insolent brats!”

Her shout bowed all four of them back, and they cowered under her lazy gaze as she came closer. “You cannot attack these girls so flagrantly! Their power is nothing you can withstand from a direct assault. They are immortal! They are the sailor soldiers of legend! Don’t think you can be so smart and defeat them in your brazen manner.” She rapped her staff sharply on the ground as they continued to cower, though she was fairly certain that by now they were simply humouring her. It gave her no little joy to know that soon, either they would die, or she would kill them. And she would enjoy it.

“This will be done slowly. Our nightmares will infect the populace through Elysion, and through our lemures. Those girls are to be infected slowly as well, not attacked so obviously.” She eyed them as they cowered, then smartly smacked the pink-haired girl with the bottom of her staff, eliciting a yelp. “Cere-Cere, take charge of your sisters! As the eldest, this is your responsibility. And stop calling me ‘_ojii-san_’ in that manner!”

Another smack, and she stepped back, glaring at them. Cere-Cere rubbed her leg, grimacing at her. “_Ojii-san_, no need to be cruel! Sisters, let’s do what he says.”

“I don’t like it! You said we could do it how we wanted!” the green-haired girl snapped, hands on hips. Next to her, her blue-haired sister scoffed.

“Jun-Jun, get real! What _ojii-san_ says is what we do. And if we can go outside and cavort and play, why not follow the rules, just for now?” She was spinning a ball in her hand again, tossing it from hand to hand.

“Palla-Palla is right, I want my freedom to play! Who says we need to do all the work anyway?” their red-haired sister agreed, uncoiling her whip and snapping it with relish. Another snap ripped away a curtain behind them, hiding the entrance for the animals into the arena. The tiger, Tiger’s Eye, was sitting on his haunches, whiskers twitching; on his head sat a hawk, as if it were entirely natural. A decorative fish tank near them held an exotic fish, blue with a silvery sheen that flashed in the lights of the tank. “Tiger’s Eye, Hawk’s Eye, Fish Eye. My three precious pets. You’ll help us, won’t you? To take on human form and find out those girls’ dreams by stealth and sneak.”

Curiously, all three showed understanding and agreement, from nods of the head, to a crazed flurry of swimming. The red-haired sister laughed, gesturing back at Palla-Palla. “Palla-Palla, change these clever creatures!”

“Certainly, Ves-Ves! Palanquin Ball!”

She tossed the ball into the air, releasing its magic with a burst of light. All three animals spasmed, disappearing in a puff of smoke; as it slowly cleared, three humans were visible, silhouetted against the cloud. They were also fairly naked. Palla-Palla grimaced, gesturing at them to clothe them, apparently unaware of what constituted normal clothes; discreet and tasteful they were not.

Fish Eye had turned into a slender, effeminate male with blue hair and eyes, two slashes of blue and coral colour along his left cheekbone, and a dual circle on his forehead. Palla-Palla had clothed him in a bodysuit that, if he fell from a great height, likely would have bounced him; it was ribbed, looked like plastic, and was totally inappropriate with the high black stilettos he wore on his feet. A fish skeleton decorated the midriff, and the faintest hint of scales graced the backs of his hands.

Hawk’s Eye was a cheeky, compactly muscled male with a shock of pink hair, two slashes of red and tan, and a dual circle mark with two diamonds on his forehead. Purple fabric had been rather strangely tucked around his chest and up over a shoulder like a bandage; another piece was tied around his waist like a skirt. Lavender fishnets covered his legs, and black French heels completed the look. At this point it was also obvious that Palla-Palla had very little idea of how to dress a male, though both of them seemed merely thrilled with the very idea of clothing: they were tugging at one another’s outfits, cooing.

Tiger’s Eye watched them with a critical eye, standing apart. His hair was blonde and long, held back by a red bandanna across his forehead; red and blue smeared his cheek. He had a white sleeveless top that bared his midriff, tiger patterned tights, and black briefs. Tall black boots with short heels laced up the back of his legs, and a scattering of rings decorated his left hand. “It’s about time I got to play,” he said simply, though his mouth stretched into a toothy smile.

“Being a human is so weird, and so great!” Hawk’s Eye laughed, waving his hands through the air, feeling the sensations of the breeze against his skin. “Finally! We can prove ourselves to Ves-Ves-sama!”

Fish Eye was stroking his throat, eyes wide at the realization that he had no gills. “How odd to feel such warm, smothering air! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to stand on two legs and breathe!”

Ves-Ves snapped her whip again, catching their attention. “Don’t disobey us, the Amazones Quartet! Your duty will be to infest the beautiful dreams of those girls. Allow the lemures to feast on their brilliance. Once they’ve been destroyed, they’ll be completely helpless!”

“_Hai_, Ves-Ves-sama!” they chorused, bowing rather awkwardly. In a wink of an eye, they disappeared, flush with their new power.

The four sisters eyed each other, obviously in different degrees of agreement on their new servants. “Do you think they’ll do their jobs, Ves-Ves?” Cere-Cere queried, tapping her bottom lip with a pink nail. Ves-Ves shrugged, tossing the whip around her shoulders just so.

“Does it matter? Even if they fail, they’ll give those girls something to think about. _Ojii-san_ never said we couldn’t toy with them.”

They exchanged slow, lazy smiles that bore no resemblance to anything kind, then began to laugh. Shadows coloured their eyes if one looked closely; they moved uneasily, dancing through their pupils. None of them seemed concerned that the light cast none of their own shadows as they walked away, meandering towards a bronze framed mirror sitting against the fish tank. It was a stylized sun, quite possibly an antique; it was darkened with verdigris and age, the glass dotted with stains.

Within, Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi-Moon were standing over Mamoru’s fallen body, their mouths moving silently; it was obvious they were frantic, and that he wasn’t responding to their words. The mirror was, however, broadcasting them loud and clear, just not what they were saying.

“I need to be strong for Mamo-chan, I need to be an adult, I need to be strong…”

“This is too much for me, I want to be a child, I don’t want this responsibility…”

The sounds of their thoughts grew louder as Jun-Jun snorted, dismissing them with a wave of her hand. “How ridiculous! These can’t be their true dreams.”

“Honestly, it’s so simple! To look at them, it’s obvious they desire the complete opposite of their thoughts.”

“Yeah, they’re too stuck-up and sure of themselves to desire these things. We can fix that.”

“It’s my simplest ball trick!” Palla-Palla produced her ball, rolling it along her arm to her hand. “Opposite Ball! Reverse their thoughts and show them the results of their true dreams!”

  
“Mamo-chan! Please, say something!”

“He won’t wake up! We have to take him to the hospital, Sailor Moon. He could be really hurt!”

A bright ball of light dropped from the sky above their heads, completely unnoticed.

Super Sailor Moon nodded, looking to Diana. “Diana! Go find the others. Tell them we took Mamo-chan to the hospital where Ami-chan’s mama works. Hurry!” She didn’t wait for an answer, and stood up along with Chibi-Moon, glancing quickly around. When she didn’t see anyone watching them – a true bit of luck, considering how much time had passed – she said, “Now, Chibi-Moon, let’s undue our transformations quickly!”

“Right!”

They closed their eyes with the rush of power, never seeing the light as it hit them.

Usagi frowned as she opened her eyes, feeling oddly disoriented. That usually didn’t happen. Her body felt uncomfortably squashed, and as she turned to see Chibi-Usa, she felt the strangely heavy swing of her ponytails as they moved behind her shoulders. Then she shrieked, falling backwards into a fluffy bundle of what she realized was her uniform, pooled on the ground.

Chibi-Usa was huddling on her knees, trying to cover herself, and with good reason: she had grown up, and her uniform, appropriate for her grade, was now far too small. She looked like Black Lady without the _femme fatale_ dress, but it was obviously not so evil a transformation. Desperation tinged her eyes as she stared at Usagi, pulling at her skirt with no success. “U-Usagi?”

“C-C-Chibi-Usa!?” Usagi stared back at her, before hazarding a look at herself. Where Chibi-Usa had grown, she had shrunk; now she was the chibi. Her uniform, now far too big, was pooled around her body, thankfully covering her decently, even if she felt like a child hiding beneath the blankets. “_Kami-sama_…what’s happened to us? We’ve switched sizes!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This arc is going to be so hard to write. I really don't like the Dead Moon Circus. At all.
> 
> Not everyone's dreams are visited, because honestly, not everyone dreams at the same time, or nightly.


	35. Act 35 : Rêveur II - Virgo Dream

##### 

_ Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice._

  
“Usagi-chan!” One crystal blue eye cracked open at the sound of Minako’s voice, and she smiled, looking up. Way up. Minako’s cheery smile was a little weak at the edges, but it held. “How are you feeling? Do you think Mamoru-san and Alex-chan will be back soon?”

“He should be almost done,” Usagi replied, yawning just a little at the end. Whatever strange magic had shrunk her body had seriously tired her out, and she was only now allowing herself to feel it. She had been putting on a strong front for her prince, but she was completely exhausted. Chibi-Usa had been doing the same, but she had succumbed to sleep quicker, and she was now burrowed under the covers of the hospital bed.

Minako kept twitching an eyelid every time she looked at the pink _odango_ rising conical from Chibi-Usa’s head, and Usagi didn’t blame her. The memory of Black Lady was a terrible reminder of what her neglect could accomplish, even if she doubted her future self had been aware of it. She had been promising herself, ever since she had seen the bleak future, that she was going to make sure it didn’t happen that way. The future would be beautiful and bountiful, and Chibi-Usa would be raised by a queen and king not so busy with saving the planet.

Of course, then there were days when she decided she obviously hadn’t punished the kid enough in the future, and a severe daily beating would be necessary.

This was not one of those days.

She was, instead, too busy vacillating between terror at her prince’s condition, and outright fury at whoever had shrunk her down to a child. Everything was too high and too big, and Chibi-Usa’s uniform didn’t fit quite right. Her clothes were too small for Chibi-Usa, who was at least half a centimetre shorter than her, and slightly skinnier. They both looked ridiculous, as far as she was concerned.

Minako was standing by the door in an ill-concealed attempt at standing guard, arms crossed as Usagi rubbed at her eyes. “Minako-chan, you don’t have to do that. You’re making my neck hurt, looking up at you.”

“Constant vigilance, Usagi-chan! Who knows what the enemy might try while you’re here. Look at what they’ve done to you already!” She waggled a finger at her, then resumed her pose. “Besides, _sensei_ told me to make sure no one got in without permission.”

The tall red-head had been the only one, along with Minako, to go to the hospital; Makoto and Ami were trapped in a math class, and Rei was in Ancient History. Minako had been the only one free to sneak out without making a scene, and frankly, her teachers were already used to it; remarkable, considering the new school year had just started. Alex had taken one look at both the girls, twitched an eyebrow, and patted Usagi on the head. “I haven’t seen you this short in years,” was all she had said before the doctor had arrived.

Doctor Mizuno had been specifically requested once they realized which hospital they had gone to, and she had been graciously accommodating. They had all introduced themselves as Ami’s friends as she took Mamoru’s pulse, commenting on how rapid it was. When she excused herself and Mamoru, taking him to a second room for x-rays, Alex had gone with, presumably for the same reason Minako stayed: protection.

“Usagi-chan, who do you think these new enemies are?” Minako asked quietly, looking out through the window on the door. “They’ve been so brazen, attacking like this. Attacking you and Chibi-Usa-chan so directly….!”

“They blocked the time gate,” Usagi replied, glancing around at her daughter. “She left early, leaving a note. We found her just after she tried opening the gate. She can’t go home to the future.” She smoothed the covers at her side, anxiously pulling at the edges. “She said the Pegasus came to her in her dreams, and told her we had to protect the beautiful dreams of everyone on Earth.”

“That’s right.”

Chibi-Usa’s voice was slurred by sleep, but strong in conviction. “Pegasus came to me. He showed me the beautiful dream Ami has, that Mako-chan has…mama and papa’s wedding.”

“Not me?” Minako asked, sounding a little petulant.

“_Iie_. Not you, or Rei-chan…Alex _onee-chan’s_ dream was…strange. Pegasus said it was a happy memory, not a dream.” Chibi-Usa shrugged, tugging at the covers with a scowl; Usagi was still sitting on top of them. “But he said we have to protect everyone’s dreams.”

A rapid knock on the door had Minako jumping nearly out of her skin with a shriek. Mamoru opened the door and stepped inside, with Alex behind him rolling her eyes. “Some guard dog you are,” she growled at the blonde as she shut the door behind her. “What if someone had just barged in and started shooting? Would you have tried blowing out his eardrums with your dulcet tones?”

“I would have known it was an enemy,” Minako huffed.

Usagi slid from the bed to throw herself at her prince, a somewhat awkward move thankfully saved by his quick reflexes; he caught and lifted her, hugging her to his chest. “Usa,” he said into her hair as she cuddled into him. “Are you all right?”

“Are _you_, Mamo-chan?” she countered, looking up at him. He smiled so confidently that she didn’t notice the way his eyes avoided hers for a second, or that Alex was frowning at him. “Did Mizuno-san say you were fine?”

“Stress. I over-exerted myself, apparently. I must be out of shape. I’m coming back tomorrow for a follow-up exam.” He set her on the bed, kissing her forehead. “Don’t worry over me like that, Usa. You’re the one that needs concern. Look at you and Chibi-Usa!”

“_Hai_, look at me! I’m grown-up!” Chibi-Usa preened a bit, showing off her face. And she had reason to do so; she was a lovely young lady. “I’m no longer _chibi_! I can’t wait to show Pegasus….”

“Ok, time-out. Pegasus who? When did a flying horse come into this story?” Alex glanced at the window in the door, then back at Chibi-Usa. “Spill, _p’tite_. Who’s Pegasus?”

“Pegasus came to us in the park during the eclipse,” Usagi said meekly.

“And then he came to me in my dream, and told me we have to protect the dreams of Earth,” Chibi-Usa added. “He showed me Ami-chan’s beautiful dream, and Mako-chan’s beautiful dream—“

“The flying Greek myth did what?” Alex interjected, rubbing her forehead.

“—and your dream.” Chibi-Usa shrank into the covers. “He told me they were in danger from the new enemies. They stopped me from using the time gate. Oh! And he gave me a bell to summon him. He said his name is Helios.”

Alex was still staring at her. Then, very calmly, she said, “What dream did this voyeuristic horse show you?”

Chibi-Usa stopped in the act of producing the bell, and bit her lip. “There was a lady and, and a man. A kind of rumply man.” She frowned at the memory. “He smoked. And you looked different.” She stopped as Alex smiled distantly, glancing away. “Were they your friends, _onee-chan_?”

“In another lifetime. Heard they broke up. Probably his fault. Once in a while I try to look in on them.” She shook her head, surreptitiously swiping at the corner of her eye. “Anyway. Big damn flying horse. Is there any reason we should trust it? How do you know it’s not a trick of those crazy circus folk?”

“I saw Pegasus as well,” Mamoru interjected, taking Usagi’s smaller hand in his own. “I’m not sure if we can trust him either, but Chibi-Usa says we can.”

“He came to us when Chibi-Usa called him,” Usagi said. “He gave us new rods, changing our kaleidoscopes. And a new power to go with it.”

Minako shrugged when Alex glanced at her, presumably for a bit more clarification. Sighing, she palmed her forehead, saying, “Ok, so the big damn flying horse is magic. No surprise. Could you sense evil? Just because this Pegasus gave you a new toy doesn’t mean he or she might not be double-crossing you.”

“He’s our friend!” Chibi-Usa burst out before Usagi could say anything. She held out the bell, careful not to make it ring; she didn’t know how the others would react, if Helios suddenly appeared. And she didn’t know how _Helios_ would react if he were called for no reason other than to prove he existed. “He needs my help to stop the Dead Moon Circus! The dreams of Earth are in danger from them. They’ve blocked off the dimensions, and I can’t use my key to get home.”

Everyone was staring at the bell. She held it up higher for them to see clearly, then lowered it. “He gave me this to call him. Me. The _chibi_ princess. He trusted me with this,” she said quietly, setting it on the covers.

“I think we should listen to Chibi-Usa,” Minako murmured, tapping her finger to her lips. “But we’ll be watching this Pegasus closely. Ne, _minna_? If he arrives, we have to be on guard.”

“That’s not trusting me at all,” Chibi-Usa said sullenly, grimacing as Alex ruffled her hair.

“We trust you fine, _cherie_. It’s the horse we don’t trust. Don’t get yourself worked up over it.” She tugged one of the longer pink ponytails now trailing down the child’s back, and Chibi-Usa felt a pang of guilt. After some of the stunts she had pulled in the past, hearing that she was in fact trusted despite her habit of breaking that trust…growing up wasn’t as fun as she hoped it would be.

“I was told by Dr. Mizuno to go home and rest immediately,” Mamoru said, glancing down at the two _odango’d_ girls. “How are we going to explain this switch to your parents, Usa?”

“School play?” Minako suggested.

“Not unless that play is ‘Freaky Friday,’ and we’d still have to explain how they managed to switch hair and eye colour too. They’re obviously not wearing wigs, people. And contacts are a ridiculous excuse.”

Everyone was silent for a few minutes in thought, until Chibi-Usa exhaled an obviously annoyed grunt. “I’ll just use Luna P to trick Ikuko-mama into thinking we’ve always been this way! It’s the simplest solution.” Then she added, “And Shingo and Kenji-papa too. And then I’ll explain that we’re staying at Mamo-chan’s again!”

Alex and Minako cracked up at Mamoru’s suddenly pained expression. “Wait, what? Again? Kenji-san will kill me!” Usagi and Chibi-Usa flashed him their best doe-eyed expressions while the other two simply laughed harder. Kenji was still openly disparaging of his daughter’s boyfriend: she was too young, they had met without his permission, both of them were still in school…about the only thing he conceded about the young man was that he would be an excellent provider once he became a doctor. Ikuko had her reservations, but unlike her husband, she didn’t loudly pronounce them every time Usagi let them know she was going to see him. She only worried Mamoru would get tired of her and leave her heartbroken before long; after all, they were so different from each other!

The whole family had gotten into it at dinner once, when Alex and Mamoru had been over; Usagi’s heartfelt explanation of “destiny bringing them together” had left Alex nearly inhaling her soba as Mamoru choked on his tea.

“A ‘Miracle Romance,’ I’d call it,” she managed to gasp before losing it. Kenji had gone bonkers, Ikuko patted her on the back as she tried to calm her husband down, and Shingo had just rolled his eyes as Usagi fielded her father’s tirade, holding Mamoru’s hand. It hadn’t been a true fight by any means, but it had been damned hilarious in retrospect…and Alex’s intermittent play-by-play recollections whenever Usagi and Mamoru began to schmooze.

Suffice to say, Mamoru was glad they hadn’t invited him over for dinner since that night. Standing in their living room was trial enough.

“It’s a plan!” Minako crowed and slapped her hands together. “Let’s get out of here and get the pachinko ball rolling!”

  


 

 

 

Zirconia stared into the mirror as a slender white hand slowly stroked the glass, trailing long fingernails perfectly oval. “I despise cages,” Nehellenia sighed, pacing the length of her netherworld prison on the opposite side of the mirror. “Zirconia, have you destroyed the White Moon people yet? I want to be free of this prison soon, queen again as I was destined to be.”

“Nehellenia-sama, these things take time. Those silly girls have enchanted their pets to do their dirty work. Perhaps they’ll do well, with such unlikely allies. But once they fail…” Zirconia let the sentence trail off, stroking the hilt of her staff slowly. “I will take pleasure in ridding ourselves of them quickly.”

“Ara ara, Zirconia. Do you intend to be so cruel to them? They remember nothing of the truth, and it would be such a waste to destroy them so soon.” Nehellenia stopped pacing, staring out at the world beyond her mirror. Through the crack in the curtains, she could see the bright light of the circus stage, and a flurry of colour as the show went on. Her eyes softened only slightly as she watched the specks of light dance by, as if wishing she could join them. Then they turned cold and cruel again, and she snarled at her servant, “Why is this taking so long? Eating the dreams of the people of Earth should be a simple task! Why are you not working faster? Lure them to this circus! Release the lemures to feed on their dreams!”

The old woman flinched slightly as Nehellenia’s voice grew louder in pitch, though she said nothing. As her queen calmed down, she rolled her eyes back towards the sound of the circus, knowing the girls were now entertaining the crowd before they hypnotized them, allowing the lemures to feed freely. “We are, Nehellenia-sama. But this is merely a small circus in a human city. The entire world is still out there, waiting to be overcome. And until we defeat the people of the White Moon, we must be subtle.” She spoke cautiously, her head bowed in submission. When such moods overtook her queen, all she could do was acquiesce and try to get out of her sight as soon as possible.

“Yesss….subtle. Weak as children they are, but dangerous still. But do not kill the princess immediately. No. No, I want her brought before me, and slowly strangled, to prove that I hold the power of life and death over her! I want to see the life bleed out of her eyes.” Nehellenia rubbed her palms together as she smiled, her eyes beginning to drift again. Slowly she turned away, her long gown trailing along the ground as she walked to her throne, forgetting Zirconia was there.

Zirconia needed no further encouragement to get the hell out of there, and fast. As fast as her legs would go, she hustled out of the small room into the main tent, seeing the unconscious humans slumped in their seats. The lemures were gone, having already feasted; the Amazones Quartet were sitting in the middle of the stage, lazily tossing one of Palla-Palla’s balls back and forth.

Ves-Ves sat up, waving her arm. “_Konnichiwa, ojii-san_! How’re you?”

She bared her teeth in a grimacing parody of a smile, shuffling past them in silence. Aware of four heads turning to watch her go, she stopped at the door of the tent, staring out into the bright April day, squinting hard to see. Everything was so clear and brilliant out there, a far cry from the dark side of the Moon from where Nehellenia had risen, presumptive queen of a wretched kingdom. Earth was bright and marvelous, just as the White Moon kingdom had been; a lovely pearl, sparkling with life and happiness. It had taken jealousy and spite to destroy it all, and her queen had crowed with glee as the spires came tumbling down, and the magic ceased to exist. However, glee had soon turned to anger as she realized she was still trapped within the mirror, staring out across the wasteland from the ruins of the castle. The bitch had never bothered to even give the gilded piece a proper place to hang; it had been unceremoniously stored in a dusty closet, facing the wall. Her view had improved marginally when the walls had fallen, but to still be trapped…!

Zirconia had guarded the mirror ever since, a lonely sentinel in a bleak world. She watched herself grow older in the glass, the two of them staring at each other in silence; Nehellenia growing panicked as she thought she, too, would age and wrinkle. When it became obvious she would not, she laughed at Zirconia, mocking her drooping skin and loss of height. She would never grow old; she would stay beautiful forever, and find a way to escape her prison. Zirconia had long ago sworn to help her, but not because she expected rewards; she planned to extract her own sweet revenge in the end.

“_Ojii-san_?”

Cere-Cere was at her side, a concerned look on her face that was at total odds with her normally sly, devious smirk. Almost immediately, Zirconia’s hand swung around to slap her hard enough to fling the smaller girl to the ground, knocking the concern off her face. “Idiot girl! Don’t take such a familiar tone with me!” she snarled, scattering the other three away as they came close to grab their companion. Her fingers twitched around the hilt of her staff, but none of them appeared to be a concern; all three were giving her sulky, distrusting looks. She could only imagine what had prompted Cere-Cere to break her conditioning, even if only slightly. Zirconia knew that if they had fully broken free, they would have done their best to destroy her and run to their previous masters.

The pink-haired brat was slowly sitting up, rubbing her face with an angry scowl. Zirconia was mollified to see nothing but hatred in her eyes as she stood, gathering her other hand into a fist. Pink petals began to swirl as she gathered power, and Zirconia actually smirked at her, bringing her staff up to strike the girl again, swinging it like a bat to send her flying again. The other three merely stepped aside as she flew by, watching her strike the floor again.

“Stop dallying around, you four little brats. Haven’t you struck again at the sailor soldiers? Our queen wants results, not just plump little lemures! Attack them again while they’re still surprised!” She rapped her staff on the floor, punctuating each sentence. Ves-Ves appeared to be picking her nose as she spoke, flicking unidentifiable bits at her; Jun-Jun yawned. Palla- Palla was actually helping Cere-Cere up, though not exactly gently; the two seemed to be bickering over the process. Idiot children, she should have just destroyed them when they found them.

Finally, Jun-Jun said in a rather bored tone, “Don’t worry, _ojii-san_. We’ve got a plan. If you worry too hard, you’ll get wrinkles.” Ves-Ves snorted into her hand.

Zirconia ground her teeth as she walked away, visions of bloodied children in her eyes. Palla-Palla pretended to trip her as she passed by, and got a sharp rap on the shin for her trouble. Palla-Palla yipped and hopped back, holding her shin as Zirconia disappeared back into her room. “Bitch!” she hissed under her breath, scowling.

The other three were watching her with sly smiles, wondering what she would do next; flying into a rage was not uncommon with them. So often they completely forgot themselves and went to the extreme, destroying whatever happened to be in their way like children in a temper tantrum. If their heads had been clear, perhaps they would have questioned why they seemed to have no control; but they questioned nothing except why Zirconia was such a demanding old hag, and why they couldn’t go out and play.

“Play, yes…let’s play! Our little trio have not truly bloodied their teeth. Let’s see whom we can play with first of the guardians of the White Moon. Mirror, show me a playmate.”

All four turned to stare at the sun-shaped mirror, watching as the surface blurred, melting into a swirl of colours. Then it began to refocus, showing them not one, but two? “Who is that other person? Not one of the sailor soldiers at all!” Ves-Ves snapped, poking at the glass.

“Whoever she is, she must be one of the White Moon. Should we ask _ojii-san_?” Jun-Jun asked thoughtfully, hopping up onto a swing. The others shook their heads in unison as she idly swung back and forth. “I didn’t think so either. But who should we send?”

“How about Fish Eye? He seems eager.”

“I sense fire and ice. Do you think Fish-Eye could handle it?”

“Does it truly matter? It would be fun to try.”

“_Hai_, let’s send Fish-Eye.”

Palla-Palla held up a ball and smiled. “Fishy, fishy, fish.”

  


 

 

 

 

Pete’s face was partially obscured by cigarette smoke, but she knew he was uncomfortable. No powers were needed to sense the tension in his wiry frame as they sat at the back of the pub, two smudged glasses filled with beer and a soda for her sitting untouched in front of them. “Bad idea, you know,” he finally sighed, blowing a plume of smoke away from her. “You don’t know what’ll happen, you try running to America. Hell, is your passport even legal anymore?”

“So you can get me another one. C’mon, Pete; I can’t stay here! That weird woman was at the flat the other day again. I know she’s up to something. And I’m not going to sign up. I may be a citizen of the commonwealth, but I’m also a Seppo, and I’m going.”

The soda tasted flat and sugary as she drank, filling the awkward silence. Pete just continued to smoke, glaring at a water stain on the wall. When that cigarette was done, he immediately tapped out another, tipping the end towards her for her to lightly ignite. He’d managed to forget his matches again.

Chester the barkeep wandered by, giving them only a cursory glance. Pete watched him go, only his eyes moving, before he said, “Scicluna may be a right bitch, but she’s my boss. I’ll talk to her, make her back off a bit.”

She tapped a fingernail off the side of her glass, watching the ripples. “She won’t. She’s spook, and she’s dangerous. Just like you. And she knows I’m useful. I need to get out of this bloody country before she decides she doesn’t want to play nice and wait for you to take me to Black Air yourself.” She looked up, frowning as he avoided her eyes. “Pete, you know what’s going to happen. Just give me a hand on this, or I’ll do it myself. That woman’s as mean as cat’s piss, and she has the power to do what she wants.”

Pete finally picked up the beer and quaffed a good half of it. “You’re a kid, Alexander. You do remember that, right? Kids don’t order the grown-up around.”

“Pommy bastard. Just because you’re a Sex Pistols fan doesn’t make you that much older than me. What’s a decade and a half between friends?” She finished the last of her soda and flashed him a cheeky smile, which he brushed off with a wave of his hand.

“You’ll need a passport then,” he said after another long minute; it wasn’t a question as he held out his hand. She pulled it from her pocket – it hadn’t left her body since she had started to run – and handed it to him dutifully. He flipped it open and smirked at her. “You still travelling under that name?”

“Haven’t used it, honestly. You pay in cash, and freak out that your mama left you behind by accident, and you can get on planes pretty easy on the continent. Plus, hitchhiking.” She turned the glass upside down. “And don’t give me that look; I can bloody well take care of myself, thanks.”

“Perish the thought of my concern. Obviously a little powder puff like you can take care of yourself.” He thwapped her on the head with the passport, not very hard, and ground out his cigarette. “Should I just make up a name, or do we have something in mind for our little American returnee?”

“I always thought Wisdom was a good name, even if it came attached to a pom.”

He reached into his pocket to withdraw money, and pulled out a hand glowing as bright as the sun.

_Wait, what?_

The actual stab didn’t even hurt. The whiplash as Alex sat up in bed; now THAT hurt. She touched her chest where the hot knife would have gone in, shaking her head. “I don’t remember that part happening.”

The clock read two in the morning, and the city was still awake; she palmed her forehead, rubbing at the gunk in the corner of her eye. No matter what the hour, the low level, insistent buzz in the back of her mind never went away. Concentrating on blocking out the sound of millions of minds in constant activity had not gotten easier. Even when she slept.

She had been horrible at it when she lived with Wisdom for those six months, and she was always throbbing with a headache. Even though she had barely gone out of the flat, she was trying like mad to shield herself, watching TV and self-help programs and attempting to meditate. That was exactly the reason she had avoided big cities, but the same stubbornness that had kept her on the run had taunted her with the challenge.

Almost gotten her run over by a Mini, too, as she missed a curb and stepped out into the street. All she remembered was a pack of Man U fans in front of her, drunk and pissed and throwing off so much vicious red anger that she had a migraine. She was on the edge of passing out from the pain when she miss-stepped, toppled forward, and felt someone grab her arm and yank her back right before the damned car had hit her. Rather auspicious first meeting: both she and Pete had automatically flipped the two-fingered salute at the driver, who had merely cursed and continued on.

Some days, she really missed the bastard. The desire to show up one day and tell him everything was a hard lure to ignore. She was quits with that life, and he, ironically, had gotten right into the thick of it, despite his disgust. She wondered if he was still adamant about the costume; it didn’t seem right if he wasn’t wearing his usual rumpled black suit and tie. She wondered what he would say if she told him about the Dead Moon Circus. Or the Black Moon. Any of the villains they had faced, honestly; there were some days she would stop whatever she was doing, and marvel at how utterly absurd it all seemed. She was helping a pack of girls in tiny skirts (and high heels, in some cases) save the world. And saving the world often meant fighting people who should have been relegated to the loony bin. Or a Doctor Who episode at any rate. When she put it like that… “The villains are worse,” she gasped, half choking on her laugh. Hell with it; she finally lost it, even if it wasn’t very funny. She didn’t get back to sleep until nearly an hour later, hearing the tinkle of a bell on the edge of unconsciousness.

 

  


Helios turned his head, hearing the ring of the bell. Reluctantly he stepped forward, making a quick, graceful leap into the air of dream space, flying towards his maiden. Ever since he had found her, he had watching the dreams of her companions, knowing they were the legendary sailor soldiers who had bravely fought at the fall of the Silver Millennium. He knew who the Crystal Guardian was, having seen her on Earth during her attempts at diplomacy. They were all fascinating as they slept.

He did not, however, spy on his prince; some things were sacred. And he was loathe to spy on his master’s princess, though he had that one time with his maiden. He knew the power she wielded, and he desired not to have it turned on him, though she seemed to be so sweet and innocent, in stark contrast to her mother.

All of them were an interesting mix of naïveté and battle-tested bravery, though none of the soldiers seemed to remember anything of their past lives. Whereas the Guardian clearly did, and dreamed heavily of a rather interesting previous life, none of the others did. They dreamed of the future; they dreamed of childhood; they dreamed of battles won; they dreamed of their own deaths in the cold snow. He was somewhat relieved, knowing how deadly they had been, and how likely they were to mistrust a creature loyal to Earth.

But his maiden was a joy. She was still young, but in her eyes, he could see her future. He could see the love she had for everyone, and her exuberance spilled over. She would be beautiful when she grew up.

He landed just as gracefully as he had taken off on the roof of his prince’s apartment, bowing his head immediately. “My lovely maiden.”

“Helios….”

Something didn’t sound right. Her voice was different; her scent had changed. When he lifted his head, he caught a glimpse of long legs beneath a night shirt and blanket, and long pink ponytails that hung to the ground. If it were possible for him to blush, he was definitely doing so as he stared. Oh, how correct he had been. “Maiden…you’ve grown. What magic has done this to you?”

She smiled nervously at him, holding the bell in her hands. It looked so much smaller now. “We think it may have been the enemy. But, Helios, isn’t it wonderful? I’m no longer _chibi_! I’m a beautiful woman as I’ve dreamed of becoming. Even if I change back soon…”

“But you’re not truly grown yet. This is only an illusion. An act of trickery on their part, granting you such a wish. If you remain this way…you’ll be a lie.”

Her face dropped.

He felt ashamed to have hurt her feelings. He stepped forward to nuzzle her cheek. “Princess, you’re lovely no matter what size. And your dreams are beautiful. But don’t be fooled by their tricks. You have to be strong!”

“Helios…Usagi and I switched sizes when we tried to transform back to normal. I know…I know, truly, that I’m still _chibi_. But it’s so nice to be grown-up. I even have breasts!” She grabbed them rather comically, beaming for a moment. “Mama is much prettier than me. But I think I’m bigger!”

She sighed and let go, still holding the tiny bell in her hand. “The enemies are tricky. Giving me just what I want like this…it’s cruel!”

“They are powered by cruel intentions and deadly tricks,” he agreed, flicking his tail. “If only I had not been taken unaware…but what they’ve done to you has shown that you are, truly, my maiden. It is a vision of you as you are now, a lovely adult, which I saw.”

“Then why aren’t you happy with me, Helios?”

“Because this isn’t the real you. Not now. It is a dangerous magic that changed you, and I fear for you if it isn’t reversed. Nothing the Dead Moon Circus does can be considered good.” He began to pace, his hooves making no noise on the rooftop. The cold breeze was making her shiver despite the blanket she had brought with her. He stopped beside her, blocking the wind. “You have the power to free me. To finally reveal the golden crystal. Everything will change, thanks to you.”

She reached out to touch his mane, curling up against his flank. “To free you? Are you imprisoned?”

“This body is not my true form, princess. Once the enemies are driven away, I will be able to show you my form. But until then, I must send my mind out with the body of my loyal creature.”

Her fingers stilled in his hair. “So…you’re not Pegasus? Are you truly Helios, trapped within?”

“_Hai_. Pegasus is my loyal friend. He was not imprisoned. He allows me to travel within his mind, and it through him that I am able to speak to you.”

“Oh. Well, don’t worry. I’ll free you, Helios.” She smiled at him, kissing the tip of his nose. “Even if I’m _chibi_.”

He whickered, and a minute later, she stood alone on the rooftop, watching the wind carry him away.

 

  


 

  
“Ami, Chiba-san should be fine. Are you all right? You look strange.” Her mother was speaking to her as she stared out the window, alone with her thoughts. She had come directly from school after promising Usagi she would, knowing Mamoru was coming back for his follow-up. It had disoriented her quite a bit to realize she had been thinking of her parents all day, ruminating on their separation and her part in it; even as a young woman with intelligence enough to realize the truth, she still blamed herself. She hadn’t been creative enough for her father, hadn’t made him proud of her.

At the exhibit in Ise, they had talked about anything but their relationship: her schoolwork, his painting, mother’s new position at the hospital. Impersonal things, general things, things any stranger could ask another. At the end, he had kissed her cheek, and given her a hug, which she returned, and simply said to her, “I’m so proud of you, _musume-chan_. No matter what.”

What had he meant?

She hadn’t thought on his words until recently, when she found one of his postcards while moving a stack of books. It was a few years old, with a lovely blue fish on the front; all it had were a few simple words of congratulations, a description of his newest painting, and a small sketch of herself in the corner. Sparse and simple, like he himself.

Like she herself never had been. Not the girl who needed five different textbooks to answer a question the next day in class, colour-coded filing systems for her papers, and an almost neurotic arrangement for her clothes according to colour, season, and fabric. Since becoming Mercury, it had only gotten worse as she bounced from school to home to fighting, needing to manage her time and space even more efficiently. She functioned like a machine hell-bent on perfection during exams.

She only wish she could slow down and stop, if just for a minute. To be like her father and appreciate the scenery. Her childhood dream of becoming a doctor was always keeping her on the move, fighting for space with her destiny as a soldier. Even though she wanted to do her best and she knew she didn’t need to work nearly as hard, she felt hard-pressed to make full use of her time. The future had shown her exactly how much of it she had left, and it was a phantom always lurking behind her back.

With a blink that rasped dry eyes, she turned to smile at her mother. “_Hai_, mama. I was just thinking. How is Chiba-san, then?”

Her mother flipped a few pages on her clipboard, scanning Mamoru’s paperwork. “Well, he checks out perfectly fine, except for a slight pain in his chest. Dr. Sakurai will see him in a few minutes.” She dropped the pages and smiled at Ami. “I declined examining him as Dr. Sakurai has more experience with heart problems. He’s a very gracious young man.”

“He is, mama. Usagi-chan is very lucky to love him.”

They stood in a slightly awkward moment of silence before her mother wet her lips, but seemed to think better of whatever she was going to say. Instead, she reached over to give Ami a one-armed hug, and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you at home later, _musume_.”

Ami kissed her back, and they parted, though Ami stared after her as she walked away. She knew what the end result would be, later on; Ami would be nearly asleep over her books as her mother walked through the door, and they would go to sleep without doing anything more than passing each other in the living room. Only rarely did her mother come home early enough for them to share dinner anymore, and it tended to be some kind of carryout noodle. It was laughable now to remember her concern over her life as a soldier taking away the time she had with her mother; it had barely existed beforehand.

It was a surreal life she lived, no doubt about it; it had taken destiny to give her friends, neatly deciding her life for her. Before, the only friends she had existed in her mind, phantoms of the children she would see at school that were only too happy to laugh at her. Even in a society where hard work was appreciated, she was scorned for preferring books to conversation, her nose deep within the pages whilst everyone talked over her. To set down her pencil and honestly try and make friends was absurd, because she knew that once she picked up her books and her papers again, she’d lose them.

Maybe in a way it was reflective of her home life, where silence was nothing out of the ordinary, and conversation was hasty, snatched in passing as mother and daughter went about their lives. Would she have been able to free herself from the glass cage she had willingly locked herself into for the sake of her dream?

She heard a shrill cry as she passed the maternity ward, giving it only the slightest glance. Children loved her, and she loved them, innocents all; but after their trip to the future, she had buried her hope of husband and family deep inside. It hurt to think of the children she had wished for on sleepless nights, envisioning a happier household than she herself had been raised in. Now, she knew better. There would be no babies at her breast, no husband to hold her hand. Merely a loveless mission and a future devoid of choices.

On the emergency level, she found Mamoru sitting alone, obviously having finished his examination. He was staring out of the window, unaware of Ami’s presence until she made a polite amount of noise, hands clasped at her back. When he turned his head, the strangely lost expression he wore had her frowning before she could help herself. “Mamoru-san, what’s happening? Are you well? Are the enemies attacking you?”

“I don’t know; yes, for now; could be.” He shrugged. “Sometimes, I think I’m tired of this. Of these situations. The doctor told me something strange, and I don’t know what to think about it. And should I tell Usa? All she’ll do is worry over me, when I should be the strong one. I’ve already lied to her.” He smoothed a hand over his shirt, pausing over his heart. “Ami-san, talk to me. As Usa’s friend, we never really talk. But I want a friend right now.”

“I…Mamoru-san, what can we talk about? As you said, we’ve never truly spoken. You’re Usagi-chan’s beloved. Both of you will live glorious lives together. I’m merely a foot soldier in the war to protect you.” Bitterness threatened to invade her voice as she spoke, swallowed hastily; it wasn’t his fault. He was as much a victim to destiny as the rest of them.

His smile caught her off guard. “Ara, Ami-san. I’ve thought about those things too. When Haruka-san spoke to Usa, I wondered about our lives together. And I realized that despite what brought us together, I still love her. Perhaps it’s silly, but I’ve found my happiness in an unchangeable situation.” Lifting a hand, he gestured vaguely all around them, before tipping it towards her. “Have you thought about the future in such detail? What we both lose and gain?”

“_Hai_. My dreams as a doctor will go unfulfilled; I am trapped in a pattern that will only death will release me from.”

“That’s true; when Usa ascends the throne, you’ll still be in school, won’t you? In my case, I’ll have perhaps a year of my profession. You’re right to be sad. I’ll have made that pinnacle before having to take up the crown, but what use does a king have for medical knowledge? I’ll be trapped within a crystal cage with my wife. As a soldier, you can still use your schooling to help the people.”

Ami’s mouth twitched as she bit back the urge to snap uncharacteristically at him; so she could still use her knowledge. She could still help people as she always desired. But the deepest, vainest depths of her soul still screamed at the loss of achievement, that she would only make it halfway where he would succeed. The king still trumped the knight.

Mamoru seemed to realize he had struck a nerve, and he glanced away again, looking out of the window. In the distance, the banners of the circus tent were colourful flashes against the skyline, teasing the eye. “The Dead Moon Circus,” he muttered, lifting his hand to touch his breast; Ami frowned as he seemed to wince. “Ami-san, what do you think would happen if we simply stopped being the protectors of this planet?”

“If we walked away from our responsibilities as soldiers?” She hugged her arms tight to her chest, hesitating as if she hadn’t devoted such time to the daydream of doing just that. “No one would be able to stop the enemies. The world would be doomed, I think.”

“_Iie_. There would be others. Alex, I suspect, knows more than she wants to say, but could we rest comfortably in laziness if we gave it all up? No longer wielding our incredible power, but being just normal again?” He waved a hand, gesturing at the outside world. “Sometimes, I wonder what would drive me to do such a thing. I’m so happy with Usa, but would I have found her and loved her without the interference of our past lives? Would we still be happy if we gave up the prince and princess?”

“I think so. Usagi-chan loves you above all,” Ami said simply, smiling. “As a sailor soldier, I won’t have that. But to see the love she has for you…it’s beautiful. I wish I could know that joy, but it will never be. Not unless I gave this up. And could I? I am merely Mercury. I don’t wield power like Jupiter, or Mars, or even Neptune. The soldier of water.” She clenched her hands tight, biting her lower lip as she stared at his back. “I’m the weakest of all. But I don’t…I don’t want to give up something so special. Even if it means the loss of love.”

Mamoru closed the drapes with a tug of the string. “Because you’ve finally been given something amazing that you didn’t have to work for. The power is yours, and will always be.” He nodded, stepping back to sit on the edge of the bed. “I know, Ami-san. I know entirely.”

“Do you?” she whispered to herself, turning away as she heard her mother approach. “Do you really?”

  


 

 

 

“I did NOT plan on ending up in a prison cell this morning.” Her voice sounded hoarse and disused, her tongue dry as the desert. To her lack of surprise, her head also hurt like hell. Opening her eyes was going to be a bad idea.

“None of us did,” a similarly sarcastic voice said, from the vicinity of down. “Yet here we are.” She felt something rubbery across her legs and she slapped her hand down immediately, grabbing at what felt like putty. “Hey! Kindly loose the _vaisa, chica_.”

Growling under her breath as she opened her eyes a crack, she saw what looked like an arm in her hand, boneless as a clean chicken. She followed it up to a grey-skinned, sagging face and a mop of brown hair giving her a look that was clearly intended to be a bad ass glare. She squinted and let go. “Interesting problem you have there. Maybe it’s your diet.”

“Don’t mind Angelo, honey. He’s not good with people.”

Both of them glanced at the girl sitting a few inches away, and Alex felt her eyebrow crawl upwards. She looked familiar in a very distant way, with blonde hair and pale skin that likely burnt if the sun looked at it funny. The voice screamed southern girl, and she could imagine why the obviously Latino boy was giving her a look of annoyance. The chip on his shoulder had to be immense.

The blonde was twitching in eagerness to tell her everything she knew, which was, from the way she was projecting her thoughts, only partially useful. Besides her name – Paige – she had way too much faith that they would be rescued immediately simply because of her brother, and otherwise considered herself the resident expert on all things “X.” _Save me from the over-eager._ “Anyone know where we are, besides what looks to be a rusted-out hole in the wall?”

“The Phalanx—“ Paige started, only to be cut off by a sharp gesture.

“Yeah, know that. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I _know_ it’s the bloody Phalanx. But do you know where we _are_?”

Paige frowned at her as if she were a particularly stubborn student. She stared back, unfazed. Finally, Paige admitted, “No. None of us saw anything, ‘less Monet did, and she’s not telling.” She looked past Alex to a dark-skinned, black-haired girl in the corner, who was absently picking at the sleeve of her uniform. All of them – including her, she realized – were wearing them. They felt rough and metallic, though they didn’t seem to inhibiting their powers. Stranger and stranger.

“Ok, so the Phalanx brought us here, wherever here is. Why haven’t you tried to get out? One of you must be able to do something useful.”

“They told us if we tried, they’d know.” Paige actually sounded a little scared. “There was another boy who tried, before you were brought here. They took him, and…”

She hiccupped, trying not to sob. The grey-skinned boy finished for her: “They never brought him back. The _cabrón_ who took him came back and told us he was an example.” He spat off to the side, then grimaced as he pulled himself upright, no longer a rubbery mass of limbs.

“We never knew his name,” Paige whispered.

Alex shook her head, palming her face. Fuck. When she had gone to bed last night, nothing had been amiss. Everything had been quiet, until she had woken up to the feel of something crawling up her body, smothering her face; and then there had been nothing but pain, and the hum of voices like bees in her ear, laughing at her as she tried not to scream. She had been separated from the rest of the team, that much the techno-organic bastards would tell her, and the reason was obvious; she was one of the youngest members. But Lee wasn’t locked up with them, which worried her. They shared a room; she should have been there.

She glanced over at the other two in the room, neither of whom she had ever seen before: a bland-faced, completely forgettable hulk of a boy, and a lavender-skinned, purple haired girl who would never be mistaken for human in public. “That’s Gregor and Clarice,” Paige said as she pointed to each one, though she had not been asked.

Clarice looked as if she had been crying her eyes out since she had arrived, though she did manage to nod and sniffle at them in response to hearing her name. Gregor had a sunny, shit-eating grin on his face, which disturbed Alex for some reason; it looked mechanical and fake. No one had a reason to be that happy facing certain death.

The room was barely big enough to fit them all, and the air was stifling. Paige was a nervous sort, constantly squirming in her seat, which rapidly conspired to drive Alex crazy; she was ten seconds away from mentally commanding her to sit still when she said, “Don’t worry, guys! I can still figure something out to get us free. The Phalanx are just bluffing, I bet.”

“That’s what you said three hours ago, _chica_.” Angelo looked around very pointedly. “And yet, here we still are.”

“Yeah, well, I’m still thinking, all right?” Paige retorted defensively, crossing her arms. “Besides, someone has to keep thinking positive. We’ll get out. I’ll bet the X-Men know I was kidnapped, and they’re on the way now.” She leaned in towards Alex and said rather proudly, “My brother’s a mutant too. He left home years ago to go to Xavier’s school.”

Alex twitched an eyebrow at her, rolling her eyes away towards Monet as she thought a moment. “Ohh. Now I know why you look familiar. You’re Cannonball’s sister.”

Paige looked rather surprised, which gratified Alex immensely. Angelo just looked interested. “Ah, so the country mouse wasn’t entirely talking out of her ass?” he asked, looking just as pleased as Alex did at the thunder being stolen out from under the rather annoying blonde. “She’s been talking like she and the X-Men are best buds.”

“Well, I…my brother’s—“

“In the junior strike squad. I’ve seen him a few times. He likes wearing that stupid looking pilot’s cap.” Alex tapped her head, miming a hat for Angelo’s benefit, who snickered. Paige’s face turned from surprised to mutinous.

“And just who do you think you are, making fun of my brother? He’s an X-Man!”

“No, he’s in X-Force. Bit of a difference.” Alex stretched, touching the wall behind her. It was strangely warm, but that wasn’t comforting in the least.

Paige was still glaring at her as she leaned back against the wall, wincing as she hit a bruise on her shoulder. The Phalanx had not been gentle in the least. Remembering the last few hours reminded her of why she had thought staying with her father was a bad idea; this sort of escapade wasn’t fun, just deadly. If she got out of this, she was going to be working harder on convincing him to leave with her. Being a hero wasn’t worth all of this.

She closed her eyes as Paige snapped at her, “Well, just who are _you_, then?”

“Prometheus!” She started awake as a hand slapped her on the shoulder. The hot sun of Israel blinded her as she opened her eyes, the pain searing her brain. She groaned and pulled her sunglasses out of her pocket, sliding them on before cautiously opening them again to see a blue-furred face looking down at her.

“Beast. Do me the honour next time of not waking me up. I’d rather sleep through the end of the world, not watch it come.” She sat up, shaking sand off her coat. Wearing the full uniform to the middle of the desert was probably not the smartest idea she had ever had.

Hell. They were all going to die in the next few hours anyway.

It was such a depressing slap of reality that she flopped back down, rolling over, only to be bodily lifted back up onto her feet. She glared down at him. “What’s so important you needed to interrupt me?”

“It would be ungentlemanly of me to allow any of us to sleep through something so momentous. Besides. I do believe your father would desire your presence at his side.” He gestured out towards the dunes surrounding them, where she could see two figures standing, holding hands. She snorted, dusting at her pants as she turned away.

“He doesn’t need me there; he’s got Ms. Untouchable with him to make him happy. I’ve been blown off enough times to get the hint, Henri.” She sat back down, folding her legs. The sun was oppressive, and she should have been baking in her black clothing, but the nice side-effect to her powers was a tolerance to heat. However, she knew Beast wasn’t quite as lucky, and she was only making him even more miserable by being stubborn.

She sighed, getting up again. And promptly walked to the shadows cast by the starship, where she immediately sat back down. Beast followed her, giving her the mildest of smirks as he cottoned on to her devious plan, and stood just out of range, still in the sun. She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Broil to death. I’m still not moving. Anymore than I already have for your benefit, anyway.”

“Alexandria, please. Stop acting like a child.” She glowered at him as he finally moved into the shadows, sitting next to her. “You stayed in the X-Men whilst Jubilation went to Generation X because the professor made a decision not unlike his decision to keep Kitty; your maturity and skill. Ignoring your father because of your dislike of his relationship choices does you no credit.”

“You ever give him this speech? Does anyone ever notice how often he forgets I’m there so he can follow her around like a damn dog, hoping for a bone?” She gathered a handful of sand, letting it slip through her fingers. “I want to be there with him. But I’m tired of trying to fight for his attention. And yes,” she added quickly, forestalling his retort, “I’m aware how stupid that sounds, when the end of the world is nigh. I’m just tired, Henri. Everything in the last few years…I traded a dead man for a deadbeat.”

“That’s not true; Remy is hardly a deadbeat. Merely smitten.”

“Yeah, well, ‘smitten’ doesn’t work with ‘dead man’ as well.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, watching the sand blow by. Finally, Beast said, “Did I mention that you amongst all of us have the option of watching the world end at your father’s side, whereas the rest of us must remain ignorant of our families’ last minutes?”

Alex glared at him. “You blackmailing _salaud_.”

He graciously shrugged. “I do my best.”

Her father hugged her when she finally came to the top of the dune, holding her so tight she could barely breathe, and murmuring in her ear nonsensical words of French. Rogue looked uncomfortable, though she stood close to them as the glittering wave of crystal came closer, freezing the world in a beautiful prism.

“Guardian!”

The stench of blood was thick in the air as she turned around, shoving a soldier from Earth away from her. Mercury came trotting up to her side, her right hand glowing with power; without looking, she lifted her arm and twitched her fingers, blasting another soldier away with particles of ice. “Mars and Jupiter are still defending the gate. Venus is defending the main path to the castle.”

“And the princess? The queen? I couldn’t find them; please tell me you were luckier than I.”

“I don’t know, Guardian-sama. I merely wished to pass on what information is available.” Mercury’s eyes were as cold as the ice dancing at her fingertips as she awaited Alex’s response.

“Split up, all of you. Leave the defense to the soldiers and knights. You have to find the queen and princess before the Earth army does. Go!” Alex barked, and Mercury nodded sharply, taking off at a speed unmatched by the soldiers who tried to follow. It would be hours before she saw any of them, when she killed Kunzite to spare Venus the heartache of doing it herself.

She had never seen such violence before that day, and she hoped it never happened again. She had trained for years to defend herself with her powers, learned to use a sword; but never had she expected to use either one to kill so many, so efficiently. Soldiers clothed in the regalia of the Golden Kingdom fell beneath her sword, as well as peasant farmers who had foolishly joined Beryl’s campaign in hopes of reaping part of the riches. Fire chased them away, terrifying them. Her arm ached as she cut through the frenzied army, her head throbbing with the nearness of the black, malicious intent of Metallia.

After the queen destroyed Metallia, the entire battleground fell silent. The Earthen soldiers dropped where they stood, puppets whose strings had been cut, and never moved again, save to breathe. Only a few of the Lunar knights were still standing; everyone else was dead, or injured too badly to be moved. Alex found the bodies of the sailor soldiers near the princess, who had run to defend her and the fallen Venus, only to finally be overrun themselves. Endymion lay underneath the body of Serenity, his eyes half-open and at peace.

“Alexandria…is this what is left of our kingdom?” The elder Serenity was regal despite the blood on her dress, as she cradled her daughter’s body in her lap. It wasn’t a rhetorical question; the world seemed decimated.

“It’s a fixer-upper. The buildings can be rebuilt, the gardens replanted. But nothing is going to bring the dead back,” Alex replied quietly, dropping her sword to kneel at her queen’s side. Serenity looked up at her, eyes rimmed with tears.

“My daughter is dead. The line of succession has been broken, and cannot be repaired. What can I do, _anata_?” She hugged her daughter to her breast, rocking back and forth.

The taste of blood was still in her mouth as Alex woke up with the sun.

  


 

Later that night, Ami stared with something akin to shock at the image on her computer. Over her shoulder, Alex was shaking her head. “Well, they’ve made sure to get our attention. The entire shopping district is completely obscured.”

“No map can locate it.” Ami rapidly tapped at the keyboard, trying to zoom in. All that they could see what a murky darkness, completely hiding the circus from any type of satellite. “To do some magic in the middle of Juuban and not be noticed…they’re quite bold.”

“I think it’s been noticed, but not in the way you think.” Alex picked up a folded newspaper off the desk, gesturing at Ami with it. “The police are actually being busy for a change. Vandalism has gone up; even minor traffic infractions are rising. It’s a black pit of despair, affecting everyone.”

Ami nodded, glancing out the window. “Every time an enemy appears, they’ve been stronger, more insidious. I wonder sometimes why so many have appeared since we’ve awakened. Is it our fault?”

“It might likely be. Usagi wields ridiculous power. All of you do. And quite frankly, what’s left in this galaxy to overtake except Earth?” Alex sighed, setting the newspaper down. “I don’t think anything will stop them. It’s the proverbial opened jar, letting loose all sorts of demons and tricksters upon the world.”

The black spot was visible no matter how far Ami zoomed out. It gave her shivers to look at it, knowing it was just down the street. “This is our fault, then. And nothing we do would stop them, would it? Even if we set our power aside and lived as normal girls.”

Alex sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. “You can never really do it. I know. The power will still be there, luring them to Earth. It’s a responsibility only death will relieve you of.”

“As it did once before,” Ami whispered, her lips barely moving. She knew the tall red-head heard her.

Instead of chastising her, she merely nodded. “It did. But it only relieved you for a certain span of time; otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about it now. And, she said, in an attempt to change the subject, is that a fish?”

Ami turned in her chair to see where Alex was gesturing, smiling now. “_Hai_. I went into the shopping district today, to see what I could find. The fish reminds me of my father.”

“Do you think it wise to be buying something from a vendor in the district?” Alex didn’t sound too worried as she crouched by the tank, watching the fish do nothing, as fish tend to do. Ami shrugged, leaning over to pick up the fish food and gently tap some into the water.

“I don’t think so. It just happened to remind me of my father. He sent me a postcard, years ago…it had a fish just like this one on the front. A lovely blue fish, with graceful fins.”

They watched it nibble on its food for a little while in its little bowl, oblivious to them. After a while they turned back to the computer, studying the black space. It was obvious that the Dead Moon Circus was magically obscuring themselves from sight, but they were doing a piss-poor job of being subtle about it. Various user comments noted the aberration, some angry, some unconcerned. A couple were outright crazy and nationalist. Tech support swore they were working on it, but obviously they were getting nowhere.

Hacking into the police monitor system (thanks to Minako and her police friend), they could still see the majority of the shopping district through the camera system, but in blurry, unfocused pictures. “Whatever it is, I’m going to guess it’s constantly in the air, diffuse lower to the ground, but concentrated when looking from above. Their magic is creeping through the district like gas,” Alex sighed. “And no one notices because computer malfunctions can always happen.”

Ami tapped rapidly at the keys, adding numbers to an evolving set of equations. After a few minutes of quiet humming in concentration, she said, “At this rate, in less than a month, their insidious magic will cover most of the Tokyo metropolitan area.”

“I guess we have less than a month.”

The front door opened with a quiet creak of hinges, at which Ami frowned. “Mama? Are you home so early?”

No one answered. Ami glanced around at Alex, who quirked a brow at her questioningly. Ami glanced back towards the front door, slowly rising from her chair. Her mother was never home this early, unless something was wrong. Even slow days at the hospital kept her until at least midnight. However, even if she were home early, she should have responded to her.

“Ami, is something wrong?” Alex asked quietly as Ami walked out of her bedroom.

“_Iie_.” Nothing was wrong, why would there be anything wrong? It was a silent mantra running through her head as she walked through the living room, heading into the darkened kitchen and turning on the light.

Her mother was home, but not alone. Ami stumbled back, torn between shock and embarrassment, at the sight of her mother in the arms of a man she had never seen before, kissing her passionately. Neither of them seemed to notice her until the man opened his eyes and stared right at her, pulling back far enough to chuckle. “Ne, your daughter is awake? Mizuno-san, you said she would be asleep at this hour.”

“_G…Gomen nasai_, I didn’t mean….”

“Oh, don’t mind Ami, she’ll just go back to her room and study. Isn’t that right, Ami? All you do is study, after all. Study, study, study. You’re so boring and unnatural to enjoy it. Studying is a chore for children. Sometimes,” she laughed, as Ami stood there, utterly stricken, “I wonder if we’re related at all.”

The man holding her mother laughed with her, only to pull her back in for another kiss. Ami choked back a sob, fleeing from the kitchen. The sudden feeling of despair and utter hopelessness overwhelmed her as she dropped to the couch, gasping for breath and trying not to cry. She shuddered with the force of her emotions, clenching her teeth. “It can’t be…it can’t be, not at all….”

She looked up, seeing herself in the mirror; eyes puffy, lips trembling as she fought to control herself. The feeling grew worse as she saw herself shrink, becoming a child running to her father. “Papa!” she and the mirror image cried, reaching out to him. “Papa!”

He brushed them away, gathering up his canvas. “Don’t bother me, Ami, you’re a bore. Both you and your mother drove me away with your seriousness. Neither of you made me very happy at all.” Ami cried out as he disappeared, walking out of frame, as she tried to grab onto him.

Distantly, she heard an explosion as if glass had shattered. It didn’t faze her in the least as she stumbled to her feet, tears falling down her face. “Why do I drive everyone away? I don’t want to be alone like this!”

Someone touched her shoulders, pressing into her back. She froze, suddenly cognizant of herself, as Fish Eye materialized in the mirror behind her, smiling. “Darling girl, why do you suffer so? You don’t need anyone. Are you jealous of your happy friends and family? Why bother?” His hands slid down her arms, vaguely wet and slimy, and she shivered. “Just relax, and Fish Eye will make everything better, as I did your friend.”

“Alex! _Iie_!” She pulled away from him, running towards her bedroom. A stabbing pain in her foot stopped her dead, just short of the door; glass was everywhere, from the broken fish bowl. Black shapes swarmed over the unconscious red-head on the floor, blood trickling from cuts on her face. “Alex! Wake up!”

She could sense Fish Eye behind her, coming closer. Her feet stung from the glass already cutting through her socks; so she took a deep breath and ran into her room, swallowing a cry of pain as they were cut further, and shut the door. Grabbing a coat off the back of the door, she snapped it at the black shapes, driving them back, swatting them like flies as they tried to move back in. With a cry of rage, she leapt over Alex, bringing the coat down like a bag to trap the little monsters, quickly gathering it up around them. She tied it with the sleeve and threw it aside, kneeling to shake her friend awake. “Alex, wake up! Wake UP!”

A hand shot up to grab her by the throat and slam her into the bed before Alex opened her eyes; once she did, she let her go immediately. “Sorry. What the hell is going on? The fish bowl suddenly exploded, and that’s the last thing I remember.”

“The enemy is in the condo,” Ami coughed, peeling off her socks. The glass went with them, but her soles were still bloody. “I found my mother with a man, and then, I saw papa in the mirror….”

“I was dreaming some crazy shit myself.” Alex ripped at her shirt, kneeling to wrap up Ami’s feet as she protested. “How much time do we have?”

“I don’t know. I chased these dark monsters away from you as you slept.” Ami gestured back at the wriggling coat-bag. Alex nodded as she tied off the bandages, reaching over to grab them.

When Fish Eye opened the door, his malicious grin spoke volumes; he assumed Ami would be an easy target, trapped in her room with an unconscious ally. Instead, his grin turned to a howl of rage as Alex swung the bag at him, releasing the monsters to swarm over their supposed master as she and Ami ran past, heading for the balcony. “You bitch!” Fish Eye screamed, batting the monsters away. “Lemures! Capture the sailor soldier!”

The lemures changed course and slammed into Ami’s back, throwing her head over heels into the mirror. Alex skidded to a stop, only to find Fish Eye standing in front of her, between her and the mirror. “Yare yare,” he sighed, waving a finger at her. “My mistresses are confused about you, but not so confused about the sailor soldier. My orders are absolute; kill her. You I can take my time with.”

Ami heard nothing of their interplay as she sank further into the mirror, a weightless body plagued by doubt. “Captured by the enemy so soon…am I that useless again? Do I depend on my friends that much that I can’t defeat Fish Eye alone?”

His voice echoed around her as she fell, laughing. “Don’t worry, little sailor soldier of water, this world will be your tomb. Your home has become the playground of our lemures, a wonderful breeding ground for our nightmare monsters. Sleep now; there’s no reason to wake up and fight after all.”

“_Hai_…I’m so weak, anyway. There’s nothing I can do. And I’m so tired of fighting,” she whispered, closing her eyes, feeling the same hopelessness and depression that had slowed her down return full force. She forgot that Alex was fighting by herself, likely depending on her to back her up; she forgot that her mother was in the apartment, in possible danger. Nothing bothered her as she continued to sink, feeling everything that was Mizuno Ami drift away into the darkness.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare give up, Mercury!”

“_Nani_?”

She opened her eyes.

Everything was dark and murky as a swamp, oppressive and bleak. In front of her face, however, floated a miniature version of Sailor Mercury, glowing like a star. An angry star. She pointed at Ami’s face, saying, “Don’t give up! You’re stronger than this!”

“You’re…me?”

Mini Mercury nodded sharply, folding her arms. “In a way, I am. And I’m here to remind you that you have an enemy to vanquish! You can’t just go sleeping the battle away!”

“But I’m not very strong. As Mercury, I continue to be the weakest one.” Ami flinched as Mini Mercury came in close, glaring directly into her eyes.

“_Baka_! You allow yourself to be hobbled by your emotions. You are the Princess of Mercury, the soldier of Mercury, and you will fight! Think of your truest dream; what is it?”

“I want to help those who can’t help themselves. To be a doctor.”

“And can you help them when you’re unable to help yourself?”

Ami mutely shook her head.

“Find that strength inside of you. You’ve made these restrictions. Now make the next level! Break free of your limitations and find the power to help the Guardian!”

The water was beginning to clear around her, cleansing the taint. Ami slowly began to smile as her heart beat faster. “Is that what I have to do? Free myself…_hai_. I’m not alone. And I’m the soldier of Mercury. _Iie_, the _Princess_ of Mercury!”

She burst free of the water and out of the mirror, surprising Fish Eye and Alex; only a few seconds had passed in her strange prison, for which she was strangely glad. If she defeated the loathsome man on her own, it would be without Alex having worn him down first. “Fish Eye! Your nightmare ends now!”

Her chest was burning with a strength she had never felt before, and she looked down to see a glowing blue heart in the center of her breast. She touched her fingers to the blue glow and smiled, lifting her other hand as she shouted, “Mercury Crystal Power! Make Up!”

The power was intense. It lifted her and caressed her, draping her in her uniform. The bow at her back lengthened, trailing long ribbons; her brooch became a heart. In her hand a harp took shape, beautiful and perfect. As she stood straight, Fish Eye’s look twisted into one of intense fear. “You! Of the Dead Moon Circus! How dare you invade my home with your nightmares!”

She barely noticed Alex stepping aside as she advanced on Fish Eye, holding the harp in the crook of her arm. She was calm as he suddenly snarled at her, snapping an arm around to point and shouting, “Lemures! Attack her!”

Her fingers danced across the strings of the harp, playing a tune she was unable to name, though if she were honest with herself, she would admit that she had indeed heard it before. And, as in a previous life, she shouted, “Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!”

The lemures disappeared in the surging flash of light and wall of water. Fish Eye screamed, clutching his ears as the magic tore him apart, dropping a flopping, desperate fish to the carpet. After a moment, the fish stopped moving altogether, and disappeared into a smear of ash. Ami’s mother dropped to the floor in the kitchen.

Everything was quiet, except for the faint breeze tickling the strings of the harp. Alex slowly began to clap as Mercury smiled, triumphant. She said, simply, “_Arigatou_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took over a year for this chapter. Unforgiveable. But it continued to be hard to write, and I finally did something I had not planned to do until I finished Stars. I may regret it.
> 
> There's sort of a Firefly reference in here, as well as the obvious ones.


	37. Act 36 : Rêveur III - Libra Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than normal, but I'm happy with it. Needed to do something different.

 

            Everything seemed surreal, dreamlike; if she touched her face, would her hand pass right through?  She was afraid to find out.

            Her arms ached as she lifted the sword, ignoring the darkening splatter of blood along the blade.    She would have dropped it where she stood, except that she knew it was not only a weapon but a symbol; the leader of the sailor soldiers wielded it.   To leave it behind in a puddle of blood, even if she wanted nothing more than to never see it again, would be unthinkable.   So she stood, holding it in a white knuckled grip, as she turned.   "Princess?"

            "Venus!   Oh, Venus!"   A blur of white assaulted her eyes before she was almost thrown backwards by the desperate grip of Serenity, crying piteously.    Behind her, Endymion stood proud and tall, his own sword still unsheathed and miraculously blood-free.   He'd never had a chance to use it before the golden-haired soldier had come up behind the witch and done the deed for him.

            The queen herself was sitting like a commoner on the edge of the steps, the moon stick dangling loosely in her hands between her knees.   She looked exhausted, but happy and relieved.   Banishing the strange power that had turned the people of Earth against them had been no easy feat.  "Serenity, let Venus breathe," she said at last, though her daughter seemed disinclined to acquiesce.

            "Mother, I was so scared!  That woman...thank the goddess Endymion and Venus were here!"  With one last sniffle and squeeze, she let Venus go, not even noticing the blood now streaking her dress.  She all but collapsed back into Endymion, who buried his face in her hair, holding her tight; then, he gently pushed her back to arms' length.  

            The queen stood as he approached, stopping in front of her to fall onto his knees.  Venus shifted to step forward as well, but the elder Serenity held up a hand to stop her.   "Prince Endymion."

            "Queen Serenity the Fair, ruler of all beneath her wise hand.   As Prince of Earth, I take responsibility for my people and my peoples' unjustified hatred towards your kingdom."   His sword was lifted up in offering in both hands; it was only now that his calm façade seemed to be cracking as his arms trembled minutely.    Venus felt no pity for him, though she had once regarded him as a harmless boy before.  Perhaps that was all their folly; in so disregarding the people of Earth, they had been unprepared for such an assault.

            Now he had good reason to fear; he was, in effect, offering Serenity whatever boon she wished to make things right.   She could order Venus to kill him where he knelt.   The power of the holy stone could be used to destroy the Earth.   Considering how his army and people had so destroyed the Moon in their fury, the punishment could have very severe consequences indeed.

            Behind her, she could hear the quick footfalls of her fellow soldiers, and she raised her hand without looking to stop them.   One pair continued to step just past her, and she looked up to see the Crystal Guardian next to her, looking more exhausted than ever.   Venus tried not to look at the blood that darkened the blade in her hand, closing her eyes at the sudden piercing pain in her head.   _Kunzite_.   She wanted to believe his soul was at peace; she knew he was dead.

            They stood together, silently awaiting their queen's verdict.  Venus knew, despite the Guardian's not-always-silent support of the Earth and their people that she would uphold whatever Serenity decided.     She could see her fingers tighten around her blade handle, as she herself did the same, muscles tightening in anticipation.   It would be tiresome to swing her sword, and she knew the Guardian felt the same; they had been fighting nonstop for hours.   Both of them were bleeding, bruised, and sore.  

            Serenity cleared her throat, reaching out to rest her hand on the blade of Endymion's sword.    Her daughter was ghostly pale with fear, her hands wringing within the folds of her dress, but she said nothing in her prince's defense.   When her mother finally spoke, her voice was tired but strong.    "Endymion.  Your passion for your people does you credit.   Despite your planet's unfortunate circumstances, you would offer your life to make things right.

            "However," she said in a slightly sharper tone, "though you are prince, and heir to the throne, do you truly consider your life worthy enough to amend this tragedy?   My kingdom has been assaulted; my only child nearly killed."  Her hand lifted to gesture towards Venus and the Crystal Guardian who stood ready nearby, faces set grimly.   Endymion didn't even turn to look; he seemed to possess a spine and genuine strength of character that Venus didn't know he had in him.  

Had anyone asked her a day ago, she would have described the crown prince of Earth as being a pretty boy, devoid of any real qualities.   Oh, yes, he had been trained in swordplay, he could fight his generals with a reasonable amount of skill, and his diplomacy was excellent.  But whatever the princess had seen in him, Venus could never say.  In comparison to the royalty of the Silver Millennium, who were colourful and unique and, to her biased opinion, _interesting_, Endymion was little more than a fop.

           Now, he was very soon to be a dead not-quite-fop.

           Their queen then, surprisingly, smiled.  

           She tugged the prince onto his feet as her daughter all but squealed in joy and launched herself into his arms as Venus stared, stunned.  Glancing at the Guardian, she saw only a pensive frown as she sheathed her sword.   Venus wished she could do the same.

           "Escort the prince to a secure room, my darling.   Though my forgiveness is divine, I believe our people may feel otherwise.   The Crystal Guardian's room should suffice, I think?"  She glanced at the redhead, who nodded curtly.  "In the meantime, I shall prepare for audience; our kingdom needs to hear of our victory.   All of you search the battlefield for any able bodied knights and soldiers still alive."

           After the three of them disappeared into the castle, Mars asked quietly, "Why did she let him live?"  

           Mercury sneered audibly, kicking a chunk of fallen brick out of the way as she began to head back down the stairs.   "Isn't it obvious?  She's finally found a prince our darling Serenity is willing to marry.   Even if he _is_ a dead-end Terran."

           "What Mercury is so gracelessly trying to say, is that it's a political move.  The princess finally gets married, peace will be negotiated, and Earth won't be blasted into smithereens."  The Guardian pinched the bridge of her nose, smearing a trail of blood across her eyebrow.  "And the king will have to go along with it, even though I'm pretty sure he had been maneuvering to marry the kid to some third cousin of his.    Serenity gets a grandchild, Earth gets fucked.  All's well that ends well."

           Jupiter laughed hoarsely as she too began to descend the steps.  "You really need to let go of Earth, Guardian-sama.  Nothing ties you to that backwards planet anymore.   And let's be thankful for that!"

           Venus heard her grunt quietly beside her as the three moved out of earshot.  "Yeah.   Nothing more than that which ties you to Jupiter, you little shit," she muttered as the two of them stomped gracelessly down the steps and back into the land of the dead.

  
   
   
   
   
   
   
           "Venus!   Oh, Venus, darling!"   A perfumed bosom nearly suffocated her before she could go on the defensive as her aunt dragged her into a hug.  Her large, cheerful relative was one of the few who treated her as family instead of merely the soldier of Venus; her sister was another.  So she endured a moment's panic, gulping in air desperately once she was released and held at arm's length.   "How _are_ you, my treasure?"

           "Upright and mobile!"  she chirped cheerfully, reaching out to snag a drink as a servant passed by.   "And you, _ixoli_?"

           "You're always such a clown.   Never change, my dear."

           They moved into the quieter alcove of the ballroom, away from the noise of the party, arm in arm.   Venus was already thoroughly sick of these parties; this was the third one in two weeks, celebrating the prince and princess getting married in a month's time.   It was in actuality a way for the lunar people to let off steam after the attack, but their boisterous nature was becoming too much even for her.   She knew they had been shocked and completely unprepared, but their relief was becoming excessively ridiculous.

           On the bright side, she'd been bedded by every handsome man who crossed her path - some two at a time - and she had long worked off her aggression from the battle itself.  Even Mercury, she heard, had been lured under the sheets.  So it wasn't truly a bad time, just tiring.   Constant exuberance had its toll as well.

           Her aunt sat on a discarded chair as Venus remained standing, sipping at her drink.  She had seen her family at the last party, though her mother and father had, as usual, treated her like a weapon instead of their daughter.   Her sister had smiled, disallowed from doing anything familiar in their presence, and inquired after her health.   It had been depressing, though nothing new, and to see her aunt was always a joy.   "I haven't seen you at the other parties, _ixoli_," she said after draining her glass.   "Are you only here for tonight?"

           "Ah, my dear, I only wish.   Unfortunately, your loving mother and father have tasked me with representing the House of Aphrodite for the wedding, as they were so _blessedly_ busy."  The sarcasm in her voice was clear, and Venus grimaced.

           They both took a moment to swallow the remnants of their drinks, raising their hands simultaneously to summon another.    The uniformed servant who brought them looked uncomfortable in the presence of a soldier; every time Venus caught his eye, he looked close to panicking.   She knew some of the able-bodied Terran soldiers had been left behind to replace some of the dead, though they were all menial positions.    Her aunt thankfully waved him away before he bolted and embarrassed himself.

           Settling back, they watched the dancers as they twirled through the room, a distant sparkle of expensive gowns and glittering jewelry.   Just about every kingdom had someone in attendance, which meant everyone was also trying to show off.   Princess Serenity, in complete subversion, was dressed as simply as possible, in a silvery sheathe that flattered her body, a string of pearls, and glass heels.   White and silver ribbons had been threaded through her ponytails.   Endymion wore his black uniform, sans armor, and she stood out brilliantly against him.  

           Despite the nature of their upcoming nuptials, both did truly seem to be happy.    Venus could not begrudge them, even if she thought Endymion had gotten off lighter than what was fair.    Even his generals had been exonerated, though they carried scars: Jadeite was missing an ear and several fingers, Nephrite an arm, and Zoisite could no longer see.  They were a silent shadow near their prince, a trio that had once been a quartet, and it was obvious to see that they missed their fourth.   Nephrite in particular still had not uttered his name since they buried him, taking him back to Earth and his family.  

           "Hesperos, you seem upset.   Is there something the matter?   Was it the battle?"   Her aunt's hand on her arm was a shock, and Venus realized she'd been drifting, a bad habit to gain.  She swirled the drink in her hand, staring at the bubbles. 

           "I don't know.    Ever since the battle, I've felt....unsure.   I don't understand why.   Guardian-sama calls it "survivor's guilt," but it doesn't make sense, we were defending our home from invasion!   Why would I feel guilty for surviving?"

           Sighing, her aunt set down her drink.  "My dear, that doesn't mean you can't be sorrowful.  You are a Venusian!   You will always feel the sting of loss.   War is not what our people are meant to know.   Those men were husbands, brothers and sons.   Someone loved them very much, and now, they've passed on to the next world."  

           "I may be a Venusian, but I've trained all my life for this.  I wasn't raised to be a diplomat!  I was raised to be a soldier!"  Venus all but snapped, draining her drink.   "Why equate me with the people who turned me away?"

           "You were still born a Venusian, Hesperos!   Even if you were taken from us."  Her aunt took her hand, squeezing it tightly.  "You don't know how hard I cried when I heard you had been chosen.   Your parents had been so desperate for a child, and then, destiny took you away.   I would have gone with you, had I been allowed.  To be free of obligation, to be honored above all others...it is a prize, my darling.

           "And yet it hurts to see people die, of course it does!   You, the avatar of our kingdom, you would feel it so keenly.   Venus is the planet of love and beauty.   To see it destroyed....yes, any of us would cry."

           She would have responded, and likely in anger, had not someone else spoken up and said, "Lady Ishtar, what a surprise to see you again."  

           "And you as well, Guardian-sama.  Sailor Mercury I see you are well."  

           Venus turned her head slightly to see Jupiter, standing behind and to the right of the Crystal Guardian, wearing her usual slight smile.   The Guardian herself was in dress uniform, her hair braided back and threaded with blue ribbon.   "Guardian-sama.  Mercury," she greeted them as well, a little sharper than she intended.

           "Venus.   Guardian-sama, I'm going to continue on," Mercury said, bowing slightly before stepping back and into the ballroom proper.   Ishtar frowned.

           "What an unhappy girl as usual.    Does she ever properly smile?"

           Both Venus and the Guardian snorted out a laugh.    "Only when it's scientifically plausible for her to do so," the Guardian said, tugging at the cuff of her right glove.  Venus knew they annoyed her; she hated having her hands so thoroughly covered up.   "Trying to bring Venus out of her funk, Ishtar-sama?   I know I've had no luck."

           Ishtar smiled coyly, releasing her niece's hand.   "You know me so well, Guardian-sama."

           "I know the Venusians.   You'd sweet-talk anyone to death."

           Venus glared at both of them, crossing her arms.  "I'm standing right here!  Don't talk as if I've left!"   She gestured at her commander with her glass, splattering a few remaining drops on her sleeve.   "You act as if you have the answer to my problem, and yet won't tell me.  That makes me upset as well!"

           The Guardian sighed, looking back into the ballroom.  Serenity and Endymion passed by the doorway, lost in each other's eyes as they swirled in tandem.   The entire room could have been empty for all they cared of their surroundings.   "They're ridiculously, disgustingly happy, aren't they?" she said mildly, turning back to the two Venusians.   Venus smiled despite herself, knowing her aunt was doing the same.

           "They light up the room with the force of their love," Ishtar sighed, sounding wistful.   "Their marriage truly will be a happy one, though the circumstance bringing them together was not."

           They continued to watch their future king and queen dance, content to stand in silence for a little while longer.   Venus had to admit that they truly did belong together, though there was the smallest ache in her heart that she would never know that happiness.

  
   
   
   
   
   
 

           During the final ceremony, there was the sharpest agony in her skull.   It was such a sudden feeling of wrongness that she almost broke rank and swayed, fingers itching to grab at her head.  However, she was too well trained to move; she stood rigid, flanking her prince and princess as they received their blessings from the high priestess.

           Her eyes were the only parts of her to move, drifting restlessly through the throne room.   She could see her aunt, sitting next to the prince of Alpha Centauri, and the queen of Mars.   Jupiter's brother was in the second row, next to Mercury's two twin brothers.     Everyone else was a sea of colour and faces.

           On the dais, she stood next to Mercury; whilst on the other side of the couple stood Mars and Jupiter, all of them at parade rest.   Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite stood behind the couple in an arrow formation, a position they had fought long and hard to be allowed.   The Guardian had been formative in getting them what they wanted, pointing out that they were going to be the first to die if anything happened, giving the sailor soldiers time to defend the princess.   Nephrite had actually laughed at her reasoning, the first time he had cracked anything resembling a smile since the battle.

           Since the king was long dead, and Serenity had never taken another consort, she and the Guardian stood at the top of the dais, behind the priestess.   They would be the last ones to bestow their blessing upon the couple before they would be presented to the kingdom.    Serenity held the moon stick to her breast as they waited, the empty space in the crescent an obvious reminder of what was to come.

           As the head priestess finished her blessing, the two parted, walking around the elderly woman to join behind her, standing close but not quite touching as they walked up the last two steps to stand in front of the queen and the Guardian.

           Queen Serenity raised the moon stick high above her head, revealing it to the crowd.    There was an audible noise as everyone saw the empty socket, as many of them (if not all of them) had not been alive to see the last ascension.    

           Venus had heard stories of the ascension, and though she assumed she would live to see it happen, she still felt discomforted.   Her head was aching as if someone was drumming on it, and she could swear she could hear someone whispering a name in her ear.   She let her eyes drift again to see if her fellow soldiers looked uneasy, but none of them were looking her way; they were rapt with attention watching their queen.   Only Mercury had a small frown, but that was nothing unusual for her.   Even the three generals were unalarmed.

           She looked back up to see the queen hold the moon stick out to her daughter, relinquishing her hold as Serenity took it.    No words passed between them, though Venus saw the glitter of tears in both their eyes.    She herself knew what was coming; was that why she felt so upset?

           The princess closed her eyes as she held the moon stick close to her breast and turned to face the room.

           Everyone held their breath.  Venus could literally feel the air thicken and pause.

           A soft glow began to form, growing brighter as Serenity's power finally came fully into its own, and the silver crystal took shape above the moon stick.   It fit into the socket of the moon stick as it was meant to, and as it touched base, the power swept over her body.   

           Her golden blonde hair lightened to pure white.   The white dress she had worn - a fluffy, gauzy affair - twisted around her body, becoming a silvery sheathe trimmed in gold, sleeveless like her mother's, and trailing along the floor.   Endymion seemed startled, though he had been briefed on the basics of what would happen.   The rest of the room erupted into cries of joy and "Queen Serenity!" amidst clapping.

           Behind her, the former queen underwent a change of her own as her hair dulled, turning a sad gray streaked with white.   Her skin began to wrinkle slightly, aging her within minutes from a youthful woman of thirty to a matronly mother of perhaps sixty.  The slim gown she had always worn in public loosened, growing sleeves to cover her arms and rising high to her chin.  Venus could do nothing but blink at the startling transformation.

           The Crystal Guardian carefully supported her during the change, taking her by the arm to slowly lead her down the steps and through the group, pausing to hand her off to Venus.   The blonde soldier took her former queen's hand gently, feeling as if she could break her; her bones had grown brittle underneath skin like parchment.   It was disconcerting to realize this was the woman who had ruled the kingdom for all of Venus' life with such vibrancy.

           The Guardian had turned back to face the younger Serenity and Endymion, still flanked by his three loyal men; they evinced the slightest alarm when she withdrew her sword from what seemed to be nowhere, but Endymion lifted a hand to reassure them.    She smirked slightly, and Venus could well guess what she was thinking:  what could they do had she really tried to kill the prince?    Kunzite had died at her hands, and he had been the most powerful out of the four of them.   It was probably the only reason they had truly forgiven her, knowing, as they did, that in such a crazed state, nothing else could stop him.   And she had tried to knock him out, Jadeite remembered as much; he had seen them across the battlefield, and had seen the unearthly glow of Metallia stand him upright again.

           Venus felt the strangest lump in her throat as she thought of the man she had been at odds with for so long, denying her feelings so strongly...  Her fingers tightened unconsciously on Serenity's hand as she watched the Guardian lift her sword.

           Both the younger Serenity and Endymion went to a knee as she set the blade across her hands, offering it to them.   "I offer this blade in defense of you, Serenity, and you Endymion, and of your entire kingdom.  It will taste blood upon your word; it will lay fallow as you wish it."  

           They raised their hands, allowing her to set it carefully in their palms.  Serenity, who had long known what to do, close her fingers over the sharpened edges, allowing her blood to stain the steel; Endymion, who had been coached, looked a little more hesitant before he gripped just a little too hard.   Venus could imagine why: it was a strange magic, older than his kingdom.   Her understanding of kingship on Earth was of the prince dressing in yards of dead animals, sitting on his ass, and receiving the crown.   Anyone could do _that_.   Not everyone, however, blessed the blade that would kill for them, ensuring the protective magic would recognize them as well as the wielder.

           The blood disappeared into the sword.   Everyone cheered and Endymion looked a bit relieved, though they didn't hand it back yet.   They simply opened their hands and let it rest again, careful now of the edges.

           Up the steps came Artemis and Luna in their human bodies, each holding a coronation crown that sparkled from their recent cleaning.  A delicate platinum tiara set with large diamond in the center, and stones representing each of the major planets, was in Luna's hands.   The other was a more solid silver band recently inlaid with a strip of gold, and a single pearl - found only on Earth - now set in the center.   It had been another gesture to placate the kingdom, who, despite being the source of the attack, was still roiling with anger against the Moon.  

           The king had not even bothered to attend the ceremony, claiming to be too busy finding his new heir, and a wife for Endymion's former fiancée.    One of his cousins had come instead, dressed in too many clothes and looking like a sweaty pig in Venus's estimation.   He had been too busy trying to flirt with the woman next to him to even watch his former prince being crowned a king.

           Stopping in front of the Guardian, the two Mau stepped around to either side of her, holding out the crowns.   She chose silver first, carefully setting it on Endymion's head, saying, "With this crown, you will be king; may your reign be long, and your power just."

           Taking the next crown, she set it atop Serenity's head, saying, "With this crown, you will be queen; may your reign last a thousand years and never falter, and the _Ginzuishou_ remain bright in your hands."

           She grasped the hilt of her sword, lifting it back from their hands, and the crowd seemed to literally freeze, holding their collective breath; it seemed slightly ridiculous, and Venus felt the older Serenity shiver with a swallowed laugh.   The Guardian sheathed the blade, turning back to the crowd and holding up her hands.  "I present to you, lords and ladies, King Endymion, and the brightest star, Queen Serenity."   Everyone leapt to their feet - even the swine cousin - and began to furiously clap, drowning out the sounds of the priestess and her acolytes singing.

  
   
   
   
   
   
 

           Another ball, another drink in her hand.

           Venus wanted to throw it at the wall.

           The elder Serenity had lasted long enough to watch her daughter dance for the first time as queen, and then begged off to go sleep.   No one argued with her, and it was heartbreaking to watch the Guardian escort her from the room, holding her like a breakable glass doll.   Everyone knew she was not long to live after passing on the _Ginzuishou_; once the power left, there was nothing more.   The holy stone was a miraculous weapon, but it was also a pervasive leech that existed mainly on the strength of the user.    

           No one was bothered by it, which bothered _her_ in turn, and she couldn't fathom why.   Death was a matter of course for everyone, and though she had grown up with the woman always there, she had known since was old enough to talk what happened at a coronation.    She supposed for the Guardian it was worse; unbelievably, no one had ever told her until two days beforehand.   Even Serenity had kept quiet.   Of course, the Guardian had acted admirably, showing no distress at all at the former queen's condition, but it was poignantly obvious to the self-styled soldier of love. 

           But why was it so troublesome to her personally?   Maybe it was the black-damned headache that wouldn't go away; it was muddling her thoughts something fierce.  She could barely concentrate on anything anymore.

           She was sure she kept hearing voices -

           "Sailor Venus.   This was not what I was expecting."

           The quizzical voice at her elbow nearly had her spilling her drink on her shoes.   She juggled the glass for a few seconds, and then plastered a smile on as she turned to see her new companion.

           She didn't recognize him, and she knew all of the lords, minor and otherwise, of the system; none of them had horns, and she couldn't think of any particular fashion that called for one.    He had a sweet, if a bit distant, smile; he was looking around curiously, as if he had never seen the secondary main ballroom before.   "This is not exactly what I thought the Moon Castle would look like.   The Golden Kingdom is not as shiny."

           "I don't believe we've met," she said, forcing the cheer into her voice as she held out her hand for the usual kiss.   He eyed her fingers for a moment then seemed to remember his manners, kissing the back of her hand.   "Are you with the Gliese Kingdom?   As a newly recognized monarchy, I've not quite memorized all of you."

           "No, I've never heard of them," he said mildly, cocking his head at her.  "You're lost in here.   No wonder they can't hear you."

           "What are you talking about?"

           He gestured at the room around them, her eyes following his hand as it swept the air.   "This never happened, Venus-sama.  This is all a trap.  You have to remember and wake yourself up."

           The glass felt like a weight in her hand as she stared at him.   "You....you're crazy," she whispered, looking away to search for her fellow soldiers, her aunt, anyone...  "Of course this is happening!   Our princess has become queen, and I..."

           She felt him touch her hand, gently taking the glass away from her and setting it on a nearby table.    "_Iie_.  None of this is real.   Your beautiful dream is being corrupted by a slowly growing shadow, meant to entrap you forever.   You have to fight, Venus-sama!  No one can reach you in here; I could barely slip in to warn you."   He smiled slightly, a bitter twist of his lips that looked downright wrong on his face.  "It is a clever trap indeed; your past lives are unknown to you all, I've discovered."

           Everything felt fuzzy and strange.    She grimaced, staggering back to sit at a table, taking a giant gulp of air.   "What is this....I don't....I don't...."

           He disappeared as a voice all but shrieked "Sailor Venus-sama!" in her ear.   Frayed nerves finally snapping, she swung around to tell off whatever rude idiot was bothering her, only to stop dead as she saw who it was.

           "Sailor Ceres?   You've woken up already?"

           The younger girl at her side gaped at her, apparently thrown off by the comment.  Her fingers picked at the side of her frothy yellow dress as she closed her mouth, struggling for composure.

           Venus was more than a little puzzled, though perhaps it was only natural that the girl was surprised to be recognized so quickly.   After all, she and the other three had been sleeping within the ruined planets for so long almost no one remembered them.  But once the sailor soldiers had been awakened to protect Serenity and the kingdom, it triggered the cycle again, and they had long been told of those who would come after them to protect the new princess.  

           Being the leader, Venus had been briefed days ago on the awakening soldiers: Ceres, Juno, Vesta, and Pallas.   The Guardian had remarked that they were goddess in some future mythology, but then again, she had said as much of almost everyone.   After a while, everyone had decided she was joking.  

           Ceres finally frowned, looking a bit peeved as she stood straighter, almost haughty as she said, "Sailor Venus-sama, how...nice...to see you.   Are you enjoying this?"  Her voice was quieter than Venus expected, and she realized, somewhat embarrassed, that Ceres likely hadn't shouted at all; her frazzled state had simply taken it to be louder.

           "_Gomen nasai_, Ceres; I was a bit rude.   Of course I'm enjoying the party!  And you?  Are you glad to finally be awake?"   Being polite was not as difficult as she had expected now that she knew it was a fellow soldier.

           Her compatriot seemed to be puzzled again by her comment, and she seemed to be searching for a response.   Finally, she asked quietly, "What do you mean?  That's a suspicious comment for the one who shouldn't be asking questions.  Aren't you happy here?"

           "More strangeness," Venus muttered, palming her forehead.  "I'm as happy as I could be," she said, a little louder, and perhaps a bit sharper than she intended.   Oddly, that seemed to please Ceres, who said -

  
   
 

_Minako-chan!   Wake up, please!_

  
  
 

           - "Excellent!    That's all I wanted to hear.  After all, if you're happy, you'll never want it to be otherwise, ne?    This is a happier world for you."

           "Of course," Venus said with more forced cheer, waving her hand in an overly enthusiastic manner for another drink.  Ceres merely smiled wider, clapping her hands sharply together.

           "Fantastic!  Your strange comments will be forgotten in time.  Soon, I'll forget you and your attitude.   _Sayonara_, Venus-sama."

           Venus watched her go as the drink was placed in her hand, unsettled by the encounter.  "What a strange girl," she muttered, eyeing the flounces of her yellow dress.  "And out of uniform...how rude that the new soldiers get to flaunt the rules, even during this dance."

           Even stranger was that she didn't see the other three, only Ceres.     She set her glass down irritably next to her first, unfinished drink, chipping the bottom edge just a little.  "Everything has been so strange since we won that battle.    I don't feel well at all..."

           "Me neither.  Want to be miserable together?"  Without another word, the Guardian slumped into a seat across from her, propping her chin in her hands.    "I'm going home after this, you know."

           "What?"  Venus finally sat up straight at that, gaping at her mentor.  "What do you mean?  _This_ is your home!  The Moon Kingdom-"

           "-is no more my home than yours," she riposted, picking up one of the discarded glass to toy with.  "Not with the queen dead.  I love Serenity like a daughter, but she's not her mother; she can't keep me here.  And I'm tired of it all.  Being a hero is a coat I keep having to pull on that is just a little too large for my liking."

           The blonde soldier mulled over that one for a minute - the time-displaced Guardian had a strange way of speaking sometimes - then sighed, rubbing her head again. "You're our friend and leader.  You kept us alive."

           Snorting, the Guardian waved the glass at her in a pointed gesture.  "I kept you, personally, alive.   What else did I do that made a damn bit of difference?    The army still died in droves.  The knights barely kept themselves alive.  The four of you were so tired by the end that had you not killed that gypsy bitch, you'd have followed the rest of the dead.  Serenity never let me train any of you the way I thought you needed in case this sort of shit happened."   She didn't seem to realize the glass was melting in her hand as she stared through Venus, obviously seeing something - or someone - else.  "You all could have died."

           "But we didn't, Guardian-sama.  Even if you think you trained us badly, I say not.  You taught us to fight in ways no one else knew.   The knights as well.   And the army...ano..."  Venus paused, remembering a long-ago overheard argument between the queen and her chosen guardian, a slowly growing rise of voices that had gone back and forth over a need for serious defense.   Despite the awakening of the sailor soldiers, Serenity had thought it a needless gesture to train the army in serious battle techniques, while the Guardian had pointed out that the girls only awoke in a time of serious despair, which obviously meant they needed a strong defense.

           Serenity, obviously, had won that fight.    If they had the sailor soldiers, they would be well-protected.   And even then, the Guardian was disallowed from teaching them anything low class, which, as the Guardian had argued, meant she couldn't teach them anything that could keep them alive.   No enemy was going to be kind enough to follow the rules.

           The strange babble in her head seemed to be growing louder; she was having trouble concentrating on the Guardian's words as she said something else.   She pressed her fingertips into her temples, grimacing.  "I'm sorry, Guardian-sama, I have a horrible headache; what did you say?"

           "I said to wake up already, Minako.  You need to wake up."

           "What!?" 

           She snapped her head back up, staring; then, with a barely-caught shriek, she leapt back out of her chair.

           There were two Guardians sitting across from her.  One in her familiar uniform of blue, eyeing her as if she'd gone mad, and the other dressed in strange, casual clothes, staring at her intently.   They overlapped, though it was obvious they were not aware of each other.  "Minako!"

           "Venus, what's wrong?"

           "Why are you back in the Silver Millennium?  Minako, you have to realize this is a dream!  Wake up, damn it!"

           "You look worse than I feel.  Do I need to carry you off to your bed next?"

           "Stop it!"  Venus screamed, covering her eyes.  "Just stop it!"

           Through her fingers she could see the two stand up, coming towards her with looks of concern; the ballroom noise was so loud and they so isolated, no one else seemed to have heard her.  She staggered away from them both, stumbling around the table as they paused in tandem.   "Venus, what the hell's wrong with you?"

           "Minako, stop acting like I'm a ghost; you know me.   You have to listen to me." 

           Her nerves broke, finally; she ran, unsure of what she was even running from.   As she left, she could see Ceres and her strange, malicious smile following her out of the room.   She knew she was being followed closely by both Guardians, and so she headed for the one place she knew the redhead didn't know about: the alcove under the palace steps.

           She didn't pass a single guard along the way, which, any other day, would have troubled her; tonight, however, she was simply glad for the silence.   Her high heels slid across the tiles as she sprinted out of the main doors, vaulting down the steps and around, searching for the small opening she and the others had used as children.  It was still there, though a little harder to squeeze through now that she was years older; dirtier than she remembered too.

           The thud of boots passed overhead, slowly fading as the Guardian went into the gardens.  Venus breathed a sigh of relief, slumping back against the castle wall...only to nearly scream again as the strange apparition of the Guardian appeared in front of her, now distinctly fuzzy.  "Damn it, Minako!  Fight the dream, not me!"

           "Why?  What are you talking about!   First that strange man, and then, Ceres, and now you...I'm going crazy, aren't I?  You're right, I have survivor's guilt, and now I'm going mad, I understand now..."

           "_Merde_...  Minako.  _Venus_.  What's happening today?"

           Venus gasped, trying to fight her growing panic.  "It's, ah...the celebration of the wedding.  Serenity and Endymion have finally married.  You know that!"

           The Guardian was staring at her with a rather shocked look on her face, which was growing dimmer by the minute.  "It's what?  That's not possible.  Venus, what happened when the Earth attacked?"

           "We fought.  You k-killed Kunzite.   And I stabbed the witch Beryl, and everything was done.   Why are you asking me questions you already know!"

           Ghostly fingers reached out to brush her face, withdrawing as they faded away.  Whatever she said was lost to the breeze; Venus shivered as the apparition disappeared in sync with the growing sound of footsteps.  

           The sense of depression was growing hotter in her breast, and she doubled over, falling onto the ground.  Nothing made sense, but she shouldn't have allowed these strange things to have bothered her; she was Sailor Venus, leader of the sailor soldiers!  She dug her fingers into the dirt, trying to grab onto anything that made sense, and as she felt the solidity of the grit beneath her hands, she felt a bit calmer.  Dirt was real; dirt made sense.

           She heard the Guardian pass overhead again, and she relaxed minimally.  Settling into the dirt, she considered everything that had happened that had been so strange: the young man with the horn, Ceres, the spectral Guardian.   All three of them had said such odd things.

           The young man had told her to wake up, acting as if he'd never been in the castle before.   Ceres had simply acted strange, asking her if she were happy - as if it weren't obvious that even if she weren't, she couldn't simply leave - and the strange ghostly double of the Guardian had also told her to wake up.   And her strange reactions to the battle and the wedding...and to immediately know the old hiding place, even though Venus was double positive she had never found it...

           A dream...

           Distantly, she heard Artemis speaking; she had the faintest recollection of him standing on her bed - it looked nothing like her bed! - as he told her, "You carry the protection of the fiery planet. You were born to fight. You have a mission. Only you can do it. You have been chosen by fate, Minako."

           "Of course I was chosen!   But...Minako...?"

           Artemis almost never spoke to her.   In fact, she was pretty sure they had exchanged less than a full paragraph since she had been old enough to speak.  The male Mau kept to himself and the royal family, since he was their advisor.   So why did she have a memory of him on her bed in his cat form?       

           Ceres was laughing at her, still dancing in the ballroom.

           She stood in a sailor _fuku_ not quite the same as her normal one, a mask over her eyes as after she first transformed.  "Code name: Sailor V! The soldier of justice, the sailor suited beautiful soldier. I am Sailor Venus!" 

           "Sailor...V...?  What is that name to me?"

           The pressure in her head was blinding as images began to unceasingly barrage her, visions of a world she didn't understand, but that included the strangely dressed Guardian, and all of the other soldiers with different names.

           And Artemis was her partner...

                A movie set was crumbling around her, burning as it fell apart.  She was desperate, running through the smoke, trying to find someone, and she remembered: "A crumbling palace set... I've seen this somewhere before... I've shouted that once before..."

            "A crumbling palace...a fallen kingdom..."

            Everything exploded into light.

  
   
   
   
   
   
 

            Cere-Cere was not pleased as she watched her dreamscape disappear around them, pouting magnificently.    "Ara, she managed to break it," she sighed, flicking away her dress.   "That's no fun at all!  I was enjoying my work.   Even if that girl said some weird things to me.  ‘Sailor Ceres,' what stupidity."

            "I agree!" 

            Minako ripped away the last of the scenery, throwing it aside.  She was dressed in the T-shirt and shorts she had worn that day to the parlor; the last thing she remembered was arriving at home and going to her room.   "You!" she shouted, pointing at Cere-Cere.  "You must be one of those Dead Moon Circus people, to have pulled such a stunt."

            "Of course I am, you silly girl.  I am Cere-Cere, the flower magician.   As the leader of the Amazones Quartetto, I chose you, the leader of those laughable girls, to be my project.   Too bad you left that happy world."

            "Happy world?  It was a fake world!  I can't live with that!" 

            Cere-Cere twisted her wrist, producing a small yellow ball.  "You're so picky.  Isn't everyone happy when they live in happy dreams?   You're just ungrateful."  She tossed her ball into the air, shouting, "Rose Ball!"

            Thorny vines tipped with brilliant red and pink flowers shot out, wrapping around Minako's limbs as she screamed.   She struggled, trying to move her arms far enough to rip the vines off, but they simply tightened, cutting into her skin.    "You can't defeat me within my own dreams!"  Minako shouted before crying again in pain.  Cere-Cere only laughed, twisting her wrist again.

            "Of course I can!  Playing with a beautiful dream is my specialty; since you're a sailor soldier, I'm making an especially terrible nightmare for you.  As a reward for escaping my dream, now you'll suffer even worse!"

            Darkness descended, dropping Minako into a ruined lunar landscape.  She bounced upon landing, raising a cloud of dust.  It aggravated her cuts, making them burn and itch something horrible.  "Not here again.   The source of my original failure..."

            She stared across the land, seeing the ruined bodies as they lay in bloody heaps.  Across the courtyard, she could see the steps leading into the palace, and the dark shapes of bodies - her body, her former self, lay there.  She didn't want to see it.

            "This is a terrible place to me now.  And for Cere-Cere to just dump me here...I can't allow this at all!"

            Clenching her hand, she raised it to a darkened sky and shouted "Venus Planet Power, Make Up!"

            Nothing happened. 

            She looked around curiously.

            "Hmmm. Odd.   Let's try it again:  Venus Planet Power!  Make!  Up!"

            Still nothing; a wind lightly teased the dust as she stood there feeling foolish. 

            "That's pitiful, Venus!  The leader of the sailor soldiers should not be so weak.   You have to reach a higher level to defeat this one!"

            "I'm hearing voices again...that's a bad thing," Minako grumbled, digging into her ear.  

            "You're hearing _my_ voice, you dummy!  Look down!"

            She looked down, eyebrows rising at the sight of a miniature Venus.  Floating.  That was probably the weirder thing for her; as far as she knew, she didn't float.   "Ano...Chibi-V, perhaps?"

            The smaller Venus sighed, shaking her head.  "Do you know why you've begun to curiously forget the past life?  Because your life in the 20th century is more important.  And so I exist, to contain those old memories.  I'm the you of then."

            "You're...the past me?  Princess Venus?"

            "Bingo!  And you need to aspire to my level!  You can't defeat Ceres until you reach that goal of super power!   This is your chance to succeed on your own entirely!  Find that energy!"

            Minako stared towards the ruined hulk of the castle, overcome with sorrow.  The dream was beginning to fade, but still, it had been wonderful, even if for a little while.  To see the beautiful kingdom again, and everyone alive in the past life...

            "But I wouldn't change it.  The past is the past, and what can be done?   I'd miss the 21st century, and instant ramen, and video games, and Mifune...that's my life now!  And this crazy girl won't beat me!"

            She stood up, clenching a fist.  "Yes; I am Sailor Venus of the 21st century!  Codename wa: Sailor V!   And perhaps, the princess of Venus, but even a princess can fight as a soldier!"   She felt the heat growing in her chest, and the world began to fade again, bodies disappearing into the darkness, until only one was left: the former Venus on the stairs.

            Minako knelt down beside her, lightly touching her face.   "I wish it could have been different, Venus-chan."  She lightly undid her hair ribbon, feeling the silkier texture, the slight differences that marked it from her own.  Just as gently she draped it over Venus's eyes and took her gloved hand, yelling towards the sky, "For both of us, I'll do this!"

            Power flowed between them; Venus disappeared, becoming golden light.  Minako felt the heat explode in her chest, and she raised her hand.

            "Venus Crystal Power!  Make!  UP!"

            Chibi-Venus, smiled, giving her a thumbs up.


	38. Author's Note

Yeah, so. Obviously, this isn't a chapter. I do have a chunk of this chapter done, but obviously, it isn't going to appear anytime soon, and I feel I owe the one person watching this an explanation.

No, I haven't gotten bored with Sailormoon. I've just gotten swamped with real life. I went back to school, starting college as a 29 year old in 2010; in another year, I'll have my bachelor degree. Quite a lot of my time has been swallowed up by schoolwork and my job, and what free time I have is usually spent immersed in the Sherlock BBC fandom that's grabbed me by the metaphorical balls. So, I haven't been writing at all, really, unless it's been for a grade. I apologize for this.

Good news, though; we have an anime reboot to look forward to in 2013. Bless you, Takeuchi-san, in all your endeavors.


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